Guitar
Maker
John C. Haynes & Co.
Distributor
Zogbaum & Fairchild
Date1865-1875 ca.
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States, North America
ModelTilton
Serial No.1 17587 (or batch number)
SignedBranded on back of head and on neck block (sideways): JOHNC.HAYNES&CO [sic] [lettering curved downward at each end] / BOSTONStamped on tailpiece in mediallion with oak leaves at bottom: AWARDED TO / ZOGBAUM & FAIRCHILD / For / the best / Guitars / “Tilton’s Patent” / 1865
Stamped on tailpiece, surrounded by decorative scrollwork: JOHN C. HAYNES & CO. / MAKERS, / BOSTON
Stamped on medallion mounted on brace, surrounded by oak leaves: Wm. B. TILTON’S / IMPROVEMENT. / NEW YORK. / Patented MARCH 4. 1856 / ZOGBAUM & FAIRCHILD / NEW YORK.
MarkingsBranded on end of head: 1 / 17587
Branded on lower side of upper back brace: 8
Pencil lines on inside of ribs, perpendicular to plane of top and back, at narrowest point of center bout
DescriptionGuitar with William B. Tilton's patented tailpiece.
Tilton patented his longitudinal brace bar (strut) on September 2, 1851 (U S Pat. No. 8,338). This invention was intended to take the force of the string tension, so that the size of the top and bottom blocks could be made smaller, reducing their dampening effect, and top and back could be made thinner and more resonant.
On January 3, 1854, Tilton was assigned US Pat. No. 10,380, which shows a guitar with the same longitudinal brace (strut) as shown on the violin, but here the patent relates to fastening the strings at the bottom of the guitar to create a string after-length like that on a violin. The Tilton tailpiece was patented March 4, 1856 (US Pat. No. 14,378) to take the strain off the soundboard caused by fastening to a tailpiece rather than the bridge. Tilton felt this would allow the soundboard to vibrate without the sound-weakening effect of a large bridge, which would be required to provide the gluing surface necessary to resist the string tension when bridge pins are employed.
Stringing: originally six gut and overspun silk strings
Soundboard: two-piece spruce, medium grain
Back: two-piece book-matched Brazilian rosewood; no back stripe
Ribs: two-piece Brazilian rosewood; no end graft
Head: slotted, mahogany peghead veneered with rosewood
Neck: mahogany with v-shaped profile; concave sides on neck heel
Heel cap: ebony; set in from back
Binding: maple with trim on top only: six light and dark-stained hardwood purfling strips arranged dark-light-dark-dark-light-dark, the two inner strips wider
Fingerboard: rosewood; 18 nickel-silver frets; no dots; possibly later
Nut: ebony
Bridge: ebony; strings pass through holes in lower edge, continuing over brass saddle
Tailpiece: nickel silver, secured to lower rib with three flat-headed steel screws
Tuners: two sets of steel and brass worm-gear machine heads with brass rollers, ivoroid heads, the plates with rolled line decoration
Endpin: ebony
Rosette: five alternating strips of light and dark hardwood, the light strips very narrow; separate dark hardwood strips, with natural wood in between, set in from edge of soundhole
Finish: clear varnish with fine craquelure
Linings: kerfed mahogany
Neck block: spruce; bevelled corners, grain running parallel to plane of top and back
End block: spruce; bevelled corners grain running parallel to plane of top and back; hardwood graft at center, perpendicular to top and back
Top braces: two spruce ladder braces, one each above and below soundhole; spruce X-brace; spruce finger brace in lower treble; all braces taper gradually at ends
Back braces: no back graft; five spruce back braces, the three braces in the lower bouts with rounded edges, and wider and lower in height than the two braces in the upper bouts
Other: maple Tilton patent strut (brace) veneered on upper side rosewood where visible, with nickel-plated copper cast medallion centered below soundhole; planer marks on inside of back; circular saw marks on inside of ribs; ribs reinforced with ten white cloth strips running perpendicular to plane of top and back
DimensionsTotal guitar length: 940 mm (37″)
Back length: 458 mm (18″)
Upper bout width: 222 mm (8-3/4″)
Waist width: 183 mm (7-3/16″)
Lower bout width: 298 mm (11-23/32″)
Rib height (including edging) at heel: 85 mm (3-11/32″)
Rib height, at waist: 91 mm (3-9/16″)
Rib height, at end block: 97 mm (3-27/32″)
Head length: 164 mm (6-7/16″)
Head width, top: 71 mm (2-25/32″)
Head width, bottom: 55 mm (2-5/32″)
Neck length (nut to ribs): 315 mm (12-3/8″)
Neck width, nut: 47 mm (1-27/32″)
Neck width, heel: 55 mm (2-5/32″)
Soundhole diameter: 90 mm (3-17/32″)
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge edge): high E: 627 mm (24-1/16″); low E: 628 mm (24-23/32″)
Credit LinePurchase funds gift of Jean M. Abramson Estate, 2007
Object number13392
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