I just viewed the video which fully demonstrates the
Smile Bridge
?
I'm not sure which is more laughable: the idea that Deering invented this concept, or the fact that they spelled it "patened" on their labeling.
I dunno, I have thrown out bridges that became warped like this, likely due to a head too loose causing the middle of the bridge to sink into the concave head.
They invented it.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksThey invented it.
I've seen bridges almost 100 years old with the middle foot shorter than the two outside feet.
It's nothing new nor innovative. As with almost everything Deering, it's just marketing.
It’s Scientific!
quote:
Originally posted by ChunoTheDogquote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksThey invented it.
I've seen bridges almost 100 years old with the middle foot shorter than the two outside feet.
It's nothing new nor innovative. As with almost everything Deering, it's just marketing.
They invented:
Rolled tone rings (of every description)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120222537A1
Bridge base plates
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8759650B2
Banjos made out of white oak
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170092237A1
Contoured banjo bridge
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170309259A1
These are all things they invented. None of these things existed before they developed them.
quote:
Originally posted by Joel Hooksquote:
Originally posted by ChunoTheDogquote:
Originally posted by Joel HooksThey invented it.
I've seen bridges almost 100 years old with the middle foot shorter than the two outside feet.
It's nothing new nor innovative. As with almost everything Deering, it's just marketing.
They invented:
Rolled tone rings (of every description)
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120222537A1
Bridge base plates
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8759650B2
Banjos made out of white oak
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170092237A1
Contoured banjo bridge
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20170309259A1
These are all things they invented. None of these things existed before they developed them.
I always forget Deering invented the time machine as well. It's too bad they don't ever have those for sale to the public.
The Dobson brothers sued for patent protection. It got to the Supreme Court in 1893, and they lost. C.E. Dobson patented the internal resonator in 1888. Fred Bacon patented the internal resonator in 1906. The design and claims look the same to me, but Dobson didn't sue. I recall reading somewhere that S.S. Stewart thought patents to be a waste of effort because people will produce and sell your stuff anyway.
Aside from preventing long term sagging, I'm skeptical about the other claims for the curved-bottom bridge.
They also hold trademarks for the names:
Fairbanks
S. S. Stewart
Cole
They attempted, and were unsuccessful, to trademark the names:
Orpheum
Paramount
I own both a Fairbanks and a Cole banjo that have never been near the Deering factory, should I make an ex gratia payment to them to make me feel better about myself ?
Attention All Deering Haters. For this week and this week only, this is the designated thread for posting all the bad things about Deering. Repeating the bad things you wrote about Deering last week, last, month or last year is highly encouraged. The more you rant about the same thing, over and over again, the better! We simply cannot get enough of your wit and encyclopedic knowledge of all things bad about Deering.
Bonus points if you can add a few lines about your favorite banjo maker. You know the one; he's more or less retired and doesn't have a web page, he runs a workshop that occasionally employs his son-in-law, and sell his most excellent banjos, with a three year wait list, for a third of the price of those very, very bad Deering banjos.
Edited by - doryman on 10/31/2022 12:14:02
They invented the banjo, what's not to love???
quote:
Originally posted by dorymanAttention All Deering Haters. For this week and this week only, this is the designated thread for posting all the bad things about Deering. Repeating the bad things you wrote about Deering last week, last, month or last year is highly encouraged. The more you rant about the same thing, over and over again, the better! We simply cannot get enough of your wit and encyclopedic knowledge of all things bad about Deering.
Bonus points if you can add a few lines about your favorite banjo maker. You know the one; he's more or less retired and doesn't have a web page, he runs a workshop that occasionally employs his son-in-law, and sell his most excellent banjos, with a three year wait list, for a third of the price of those very, very bad Deering banjos.
Well, I've not written anything bad about them. What I posted is all public record.
Is there something about these filings that you consider bad?
Edited by - Joel Hooks on 10/31/2022 13:11:47
A partial quotation from the Deering white oak banjo patent:
“ … The present design achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements …”
Deering states some results of their unobvious methods, including:
“The Serra Maple banjo is about 11.74 lbs. and the White Oak banjo is about 8.36 lbs. which is equal to about 28% less than the weight of the Sierra Maple banjo. By eliminating the tone ring and using white oak there is an improvement in the sound quality where white oak produces a brighter tone and a very sonar bass. It has a very “growly,” clear bass response producing about two to four decibels of increased volume, while significantly reducing the manufacturing costs over the Serra Maple banjo.”
quote:
Originally posted by Joel Hooksquote:
Originally posted by dorymanAttention All Deering Haters. For this week and this week only, this is the designated thread for posting all the bad things about Deering. Repeating the bad things you wrote about Deering last week, last, month or last year is highly encouraged. The more you rant about the same thing, over and over again, the better! We simply cannot get enough of your wit and encyclopedic knowledge of all things bad about Deering.
Bonus points if you can add a few lines about your favorite banjo maker. You know the one; he's more or less retired and doesn't have a web page, he runs a workshop that occasionally employs his son-in-law, and sell his most excellent banjos, with a three year wait list, for a third of the price of those very, very bad Deering banjos.Well, I've not written anything bad about them. What I posted is all public record.
Is there something about these filings that you consider bad?
Other than the redundancy, you mean?
quote:
Originally posted by dorymanquote:
Originally posted by Joel Hooksquote:
Originally posted by dorymanAttention All Deering Haters. For this week and this week only, this is the designated thread for posting all the bad things about Deering. Repeating the bad things you wrote about Deering last week, last, month or last year is highly encouraged. The more you rant about the same thing, over and over again, the better! We simply cannot get enough of your wit and encyclopedic knowledge of all things bad about Deering.
Bonus points if you can add a few lines about your favorite banjo maker. You know the one; he's more or less retired and doesn't have a web page, he runs a workshop that occasionally employs his son-in-law, and sell his most excellent banjos, with a three year wait list, for a third of the price of those very, very bad Deering banjos.Well, I've not written anything bad about them. What I posted is all public record.
Is there something about these filings that you consider bad?
Other than the redundancy, you mean?
I will say, that Deering peghead shapes rub me the wrong way. And I've been trying to 'get used to them' for years and years.
That's all I got in the 'bad' category of Deering comments.
I like Deering banjos and respect Greg Deering.
That said, I think it's ridiculous that Deering applied for patents on the designs or products listed above and just as ridiculous that they were granted. I can't believe Deering didn't know about prior art -- especially in the case of curved bottomed bridges -- or that a patent examiner couldn't quickly discover it. Maybe that's not their job.
I also can't believe that no one already making some of those things didn't contest the applications. It's my understanding it's easy and inexpensive (no lawyer required?) to submit information to the Patent Office demonstrating the design was already in use. I think even members of the public can send information, which I admit I didn't do.
In the realm of wide-ranging patents, I believe Tony Pass patented every way of making a banjo rim wider at the top than the bottom.
The good thing about all these patents is they expire. At a certain point in time, anybody can make products using the patented design with no need of license from or payment to the patent owner.
Trademarks, on the other hand, can last forever, so if Deering has trademarked the name "Smile Bridge," when the patent runs out no one else can call their curve-bottomed bridges "Smile."
Edited by - Old Hickory on 10/31/2022 15:42:55
quote:
Originally posted by dorymanAttention All Deering Haters. For this week and this week only, this is the designated thread for posting all the bad things about Deering. Repeating the bad things you wrote about Deering last week, last, month or last year is highly encouraged. The more you rant about the same thing, over and over again, the better! We simply cannot get enough of your wit and encyclopedic knowledge of all things bad about Deering.
Bonus points if you can add a few lines about your favorite banjo maker. You know the one; he's more or less retired and doesn't have a web page, he runs a workshop that occasionally employs his son-in-law, and sell his most excellent banjos, with a three year wait list, for a third of the price of those very, very bad Deering banjos.
I also have never posted anything negative about Deering banjos, in fact I have owned 3 of them and still play one today, its their take on a Vega Tubaphone and is one of my favourite instruments to play, even though there is not much about it that is original. My comments were jests made in the spirit of this thread with others, I see nobody hating Deering here, we are currently in the middle of another fad, paddle headstocks, hide heads and tubby plunky sounding banjos, this like others will pass so, I would not concern yourself too much about boutique makers, these too shall pass.
quote:
Originally posted by spoonfed
... we are currently in the middle of another fad, paddle headstocks, hide heads and tubby plunky sounding banjos, this like others will pass so, I would not concern yourself too much about boutique makers, these too shall pass.
I feel that the work of "boutique" builders represents the heirloom banjos that will be held by future banjo players and family members.
I can't imagine that overpriced, factory produced, railroad spikes instead of bone-piped, plastic headed, cookie-cutter G-banjos will untimely stand the test of time.
You got your Rembrandts and your dogs playing poker.
Thank heavens there are those boutiques that favor quality over quantity.
Patents notwithstanding, the use of "a plurality of strings" will not require builders to bow toward the Deering factory.
quote:
Originally posted by KCJonesI'm not sure which is more laughable: the idea that Deering invented this concept, or the fact that they spelled it "patened" on their labeling.
Reminds me of of a perversion of the NC State Motto: " Esse Quam Videri "(To be, rather than to seem}
quote:
Originally posted by mrphysics55quote:
Originally posted by spoonfed
... we are currently in the middle of another fad, paddle headstocks, hide heads and tubby plunky sounding banjos, this like others will pass so, I would not concern yourself too much about boutique makers, these too shall pass.I feel that the work of "boutique" builders represents the heirloom banjos that will be held by future banjo players and family members.
I can't imagine that overpriced, factory produced, railroad spikes instead of bone-piped, plastic headed, cookie-cutter G-banjos will untimely stand the test of time.
You got your Rembrandts and your dogs playing poker.
Thank heavens there are those boutiques that favor quality over quantity.
Patents notwithstanding, the use of "a plurality of strings" will not require builders to bow toward the Deering factory.
Not sure I understand what you just posted, I guess you like modern boutique builders, no problem have fun !
Thomas Jefferson started the patent office process
He borrowed the dumb waiter concept to lift hay in his barns
The inventor sued Jefferson and won
The first patent in US history dates to 1790 and was signed by George Washington himself, issued to a Vermonter who devised a way of producing potash for soil fertilization.
