The Ernst: 1920's attempt at more volume

Hi Folks,
In the 20's, the quest for volume lead to a lot of innovation: horn violins (Stroh), cone resonators (Dopyera brother's National and Dobro brands), and funky built-in resonator designs (see the round-bodied wood-topped Paramount tenor harps, the Paramount "style L" tenor guitar, and similarly-designed Tieri mandolins).

I'm always on the lookout for these sorts of oddities, and I was fortunate to recently acquire a 1920's "The Ernst" mandolin, created by C. Hugo Ernst. Ernst, who built instruments near Camden, New Jersey, patented a mandolin and guitar design with a double chamber.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US1180991


I'm attaching a photo through the "extra" sound hole: it may not be obvious, but there is a wooden panel that is almost "suspended" under the main body of the instrument, creating two resonating chambers. The result is a fairly impressive boost in volume, and a unique vintage tone. Thought I'd share this bit of mandolin history.

Attachment 196338Attachment 196339Attachment 196340

So a double back with a separate sound hole for that lower chamber .. a novel build ..

Gelas in France developed a double-topped mandolin (as well as other stringed instruments); old thread on the subject.

Not so novel. I had a late 19th century Violin with an internal double sound board. Martin built the model America guitars with a secondary body. For this category we can also include the modern Kerman mandolins. Also virzi tone producers fall into this category as well. Joseph Bohmann installed brass rods inside his instruments to resonate with various frequencies. All these were attempts to enhance the sound of a stringed instrument.

Well my good friends here might cluck their tongues about it, but I think it's muy coolioso, novel or not.

Interesting that Ernst was from Camden, NJ between the Weymann (Philadelphia) and the Oscar Schmidt / Ciani / Ricca North Jersey orbits.

It has the gourd / melanzane shape and amorphous pick guard as a Ciani mandolin I have, likely from the same era.

Thanks for posting!

Please post more information, feedback and photos if you can.

Mick

Second soundboard suspended below the top of Ceccherini bowlbacks. Sort of an Italian super-Virzi. I don't think it produces more volume, but the tone becomes quite charmingly chime-like

Selmer did a double back in the Jean Django Reinhardt Era .. too..

Might be a silly question, but, why the quest for volume in the 1920s? Larger audiences produced by fewer infant deaths and more leisure time? Just curious ...

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Originally Posted by Joe Bartl

Might be a silly question, but, why the quest for volume in the 1920s? Larger audiences produced by fewer infant deaths and more leisure time? Just curious ...

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One reason I've encountered: as jazz was becoming all the rage, string players needed ways to be heard among the horns. Or maybe there were just too many banjos around ...!

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Originally Posted by brunello97

Well my good friends here might cluck their tongues about it

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No clucking, Mick. I am just fascinated by experimentation in music, successful or not. It is amazing how many variations of this theme. That is also why I am interested in patents. My fiddles are patented circa 1915 and though Not a double soundboard have unique construction and unique tone as well. I just acquired my fourth example currently ready from restoration when I return home at the end of this week.

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Originally Posted by mandroid

Selmer did a double back in the Jean Django Reinhardt Era .. too..

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Yes! The Mario Maccaferri designed Selmer grande bouche had an internal sound reflector mounted on the back. However I think Django preferred the petit bouche for soloing and his rhythm guys played the other.

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Originally Posted by Joe Bartl

Might be a silly question, but, why the quest for volume in the 1920s? Larger audiences produced by fewer infant deaths and more leisure time? Just curious ...

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Other examples of the "louder!" movement were resonator-backed banjos, the National/Dobro introduction of aluminum-cone resonator instruments, and, of course, the construction of larger guitars, both arch-top and flat-top.

The fact that one of Martin's up-sized instrument was the OM (Orchestra Model) might provide a clue. Of course, this was near the cusp of introduction of electric amplification, which tipped the balance forever (I'd guess) in the direction of string instruments, which work seamlessly with magnetic-pickup systems that make Jerry Garcia's guitar louder than the "76 Trombones" mass marching band.