Adjustable shoulder rest for violins or the like

A shoulder rest for use with a violin or a violin-like instrument, comprising:

• (a) an elongated base having an upper surface and a lower surface and adapted to rest, in use, on the shoulder of a player of the instrument;
• (b) a first clamping element and a second clamping element, said clamping elements being secured to the base one at a first end portion the other clamping element and at a second end portion of said base, respectively, projecting upwardly from the base and being adapted to resiliently clamp side wall portions of a body of said instrument therebetween to thus secure the base to said instrument;
• (c) each said clamping element being operatively associated with support adjustment means securing to said base a support of the respective clamping element to said base in a positively locked engagement at a selectively adjustable distance from the other clamping element, said adjustment means including:
• (i) a foot portion of the support of the respective clamping element compatible with said upper surface and comprising two generally upright first passages spaced from each other longitudinally of said base, at a first spacing;
• (ii) two generally upright second passages provided in said base at the respective end portion and spaced from each other longitudinally of said base at a second spacing;
• (iii) stem-like fastener compatible with said first and second passages and adapted to pass through one and to be secured to the other of a pair of aligned first and second passages to press the respective foot portion to said upper surface;
• (d) one of the respective first and second spacings being a fraction of the other, whereby only one of the respective two first passages can be aligned with one of the respective two second passages for receiving the respective fastener at each end of said base.