S E L E C T E D

U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS

F O R

UKULELES, BANJO UKULELES,& ACCESSORIES

E D I T E D B Y

JOHN KING

N A L U M U S I CS T. P E T E R S B U R G

U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTSxvi

Fig. 6. The Manhattan Band Instrument Co.’s SUPERUKE trademarkpredated the “super” era of the late 1930’s by a dozen years.(USAMark facsimile courtesy University of South Florida)

Co., Inc. The Progressive Musical Instrument

Corporation registered P’MICO (1923),Peter Pan (1924), May Singhi Breen (1925),HA-HA The Laffing Uke (1926), Armstrong(1924), Nobility (1931), Buckaroo (1931),and MY-BUDDY (1924). PMICO also mar-keted banjo heads under the name IndianHead (1924). Banjo makers William L.Lange registered Aristocrat (1925), Rover(1926), Banner Blue (1926), and Paramount(1921). Several other New York City compa-nies held uke related trademarks includingMaurice Lipsky, Sorkin Music Co., andWaverly Musical Products, Inc.

Cleveland was home to GrossmanBrothers, later known as Grossman MusicCo. and Grossman Music Corp. Theirnumerous registrations included KlearTone(1923), Champion (1932), Trophy (1945),Masterfonic (1937), Dixie (1948), Duplex(1937), Capitol (1933), and Crestline (1957).Another Cleveland firm famous for its tun-ing pegs, Grover Musical Products, Inc., reg-istered the mark Grover (1952) for goodssuch as ukuleles, baritone ukuleles, banjoukuleles, ukulele picks, and, of course,ukulele pegs. Other Ohio registrants were theHonolulu Conservatory of Music, Scherl &Roth, Inc. (for ukulele strings), ShubertMusic House, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.,Davitt & Hanser Music Co., Inc., the GuitarProducts Co., and the Ohio Art Co.

Lyon & Healy was arguably the ne plusultra of the legendary Chicago music firms.Their trademarks included AmericanConservatory (1925), Conservatory (regis-tered 1907), Trijo (1919), Camp (1919),Lyon & Healy (registered 1923), and MaunaLoa (1917). The most famous Lyon & Healymark was Regal (registered 1906) which hadbeen in use since 1895, though not for ukule-les. The Regal trademark was transferred in1924 to the Regal Musical Instrument Co.which was granted a new registration in

1929. Renewed in 1949, the mark was trans-ferred to the Harmony Co. in 1959 andrenewed in 1969. The registration expired in1989 and despite attempts at registration bytwo Chicago companies, Westheimer Corp.and Washburn International, the once proudRegal name was dead.

Other Chicago company registrationsincluded Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s Supertone(registered 1917); Targ and Dinner MusicCo.’s Marveltone (1926), Biltmore (1933),S.S. Maxwell (1931), Arch Kraft (1932), andOlympian (1931); Arthur E. Davidson’s REDHEAD (1924); the Harmony Co.’s Harmony(registered 1956) and Stella (registered1961); J.R. Stewart Co.’s Le Domino (1926);and Valco Manufacturing Co.’s DOBRO(1929). Rounding out the field of Windy Cityregistrants were Continental Music Co.;Chicago Musical Instrument Co.; DavidWexler; Slingerland Manufacturing Co.;Tonk Bros. Co.; Complete Music Stores; andfinally, for banjo heads–no doubt due to theproximity of the famous Chicago StockYards–American Rawhide ManufacturingCo., Liberty Rawhide Mfg. Co., and Ludwig& Ludwig.

Two other firms with numerous ukulelerelated trademarks were St. Louis MusicSupply Co. of St. Louis, Missouri and JulesM. Sahlein of San Francisco, California. St.Louis Music Supply Co. registrations includ-ed Pioneer (1939), René DUMONT (1929),Silvestri (1933), Custom Kraft (1938),Alvarez (1963), and Lindell (1963). Jules M.Sahlein trademarks were Granada (1937),Crest (1928), Westbrook (1935), Chapelain(1952), Seville (1977), Y’KE KE (1926),HULA LU (1926), and Carlton (1951).

Typical accessories which bore trade-marks were strings, capos, “cheaters”, tail-pieces, nuts, bridges, bridge pins, and banjoheads. Many of the string trademarks wereregistered by National Musical String Co.and included NMSCo (registered 1965),

U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS xvii

U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTSxxvi

Fig. 11. George Finder’s reissued patent for plastic ukuleles added new claimsfor an improved soundboard. The Fin-Der injection molded ukulele had plen-ty of competition from Mario Maccaferri’s Islander. Patent No. Re. 23,620was granted on Feb. 24, 1953. (PatImg facsimile courtesy USPTO)

Patent No. 1,743,007 was granted on Jan. 7,1930.

Walter Kirk’s stringed musical instru-ment embodied “certain features usually pre-sent in the ukelele” but resembled a banjo.The head or sounding board was made ofwood as was the bottom, which had a centralaperture. Additionally, the instrument pro-vided a support which could be adjusted tovarious heights. Patent No. 1,750,843 wasgranted on March 18, 1930. (see also PatentNo. 1,757,577)

Another Walter Kirk design based on abanjo, but with a wood sounding board andback like a traditionally made ukulele (boththis instrument and the previous one weresold under the Camp name by Lyon &Healy). The objects of the invention werestrength, durability, simplicity of construc-tion, low cost of manufacture, and a goodtone. The sounding board was glued to ply-wood sides with a kerfed lining and the neckwas attached with glue and a wood screw.Patent No. 1,757,577 was granted on May 6,1930. (see also Patent No. 1,750,843)

The head of Edwin Smullins’ miniaturebanjo ukulele was made from a bottle capthat could be imprinted with “advertising orother suitable indicia.” The instrument wassecured to a “digit of the hand, such as thethumb” and strummed with a tiny plectrum.The instrument was apparently intended tobe tuned to an open chord, the strings beingstopped with a single finger. Patent No.2,039,985 was granted on May 5, 1936.

Anthony Cox thought that coconuts werethe key to an ukulele with superlative sound.“Heretofore ukeleles have been made ofmahogany, ohia, monkey-pod or redwood,”Cox wrote, “and, in spite of the exhaustiveefforts made, fine tonal qualities have notbeen obtained.” Popularly known as the“Cocolele,” Patent No. 2,098,701 was grant-ed on Nov. 9, 1937. (see also Design PatentNo. 114,129)

The “sounding board” patents of HenryMoertel are studies in contrast. Patent No.2,167,486, granted July 25, 1939, enter-tained the idea that “the circular apertures[soundholes] that are used in soundingboards of the present day stringed instru-ments do not provide enough flexibility inthe sounding board to cause the requiredvibration that is necessary to amlify the toneto its fullest extent.” Conversely, Patent No.2,186,424, granted Jan. 9, 1940, suggestedthat an improved sound could be created bystiffening the soundboard with an additionalrib beneath the bridge!

George Finder’s tuning peg, used onmolded plastic instruments, used a “resilientbushing, which was pressed into the head ofthe instrument” to maintain string tension.Patent No. 2,583,478 was granted on Jan. 22,1952. (see also Patent No. 2,588,101)

Finder’s injection molded ukulele was“substantially completed by the assembly oftwo castings.” Registered nearly 3 monthsprior to Mario Maccaferri’s patent for amolded ukulele, Finder applied for a reissuedpatent in July 1952 based on additionalimprovements in the soundboard design.Patent No. 2,588,101 was granted on Mar. 4,1952.

The wildly successful plastic ukuleles ofMario Maccaferri were protected by no lessthan five U.S. patents. In contrast to Finder’stwo piece uke, the Maccaferri was assembledfrom eight major components, excluding thestrings and tuning pegs. Patents coveredindividual parts including the nut, bridge,fingerboard, and soundboard. The instru-ments were made of Dow Styron poly-styrene, fitted with DuPont Nylon stringsmanufactured by the National Musical StringCompany, and packaged in reusable clearpolyethylene bags. Patents covering theMaccaferri plastic ukulele were: No.2,597,154 granted May 20, 1952; No.2,614,448 granted Oct. 21, 1952; No.

U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS xxvii

U. S. TRADEMARKS16

Reg. No. 1,521,747. KAMAN MUSIC CORPORATION,Bloomfield, CT. Registered Jan. 24, 1989.

For Ukeleles. First use June 15, 1986.

KMD

Reg. No. 787,181. KAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO., ElkGrove Village, IL. Registered Mar. 23, 1965.

For Ukuleles. First use in or about July 1956.

Reg. No. 787,182. KAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO., ElkGrove Village, IL. Registered Mar. 23, 1965.

For Ukuleles. First use on or about Dec. 1, 1963.

Reg. No. 1,287,064. K.H.S. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,LTD., Taiwan. Registered July 24, 1984.

For Ukeleles. First use May 1982.

Reg. No. 1,287,065. K.H.S. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,LTD., Taiwan. Registered July 24, 1984.

For Ukeleles. First use May 1982.

Reg. No. 1,287,870. K.H.S. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CO.,LTD., Taiwan. Registered July 31, 1984.

For Ukeleles. First use May 1982.

Reg. No. 220,310. K & T IMPORT CORPORATION, New York,NY. Registered Nov. 9, 1926.

For Ukuleles. First use June 14, 1926.

Reg. No. 92,542. LARS. L. FILSTRUP, Benton Harbor, MI.Registered July 15, 1913.

For Key for Stringed Instruments. First use Jan. 1,1885.

Reg. No. 212,946. LEONARDO NUNES, Los Angeles, CA.Registered May 18, 1926.

For Ukuleles. First use Oct. 21, 1925.

Reg. No. 201,960. LIBERTY RAWHIDE MFG. CO. INC.,Chicago, IL. Registered Aug. 11, 1925.

For Banjo Heads. First use 1919.

U. S. TRADEMARKS 17

Reg. No. 121,957. LOUIS C. SCHERMERHORN, Paterson, NJ.Registered June 11, 1918.

For Ukuleles. First use April 1913.

Reg. No. 360,215. LOUIS SORKIN, New York, NY.Registered Sept. 13, 1938.

For Ukuleles. First use 1923.

Reg. No. 49,385. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. RegisteredFeb. 6, 1906.

For Guitars and Mandolins. First use March 1887.

Reg. No. 51,372. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. RegisteredApril 17, 1906.

For Guitars and Mandolins. First use in business ofsaid corporation since Nov. 1904, and since 1895 by thosefrom whom it derived title by mesne assignment.

Reg. No. 57,623. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. RegisteredNov. 20, 1906.

For Strings for Stringed Instruments. First use 1886.

Reg. No. 60,976. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. RegisteredFeb. 26, 1907.

For Strings for Musical Instruments. First use Jan. 1,1906.

Reg. No. 135,272. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. RegisteredSept. 28, 1920.

For Ukulele-Banjos. First use Nov. 11, 1919.

Reg. No. 169,493. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, IL. RegisteredJune 19, 1923.

For Ukuleles. First use Jan. 1921.

Reg. No. 174,345. LYON & HEALY, INC., Chicago, IL.Registered Oct. 16, 1923.

For Ukuleles. First use 1864.

U. S. PATENTS40

U. S. PATENTS 41

U. S. PATENTS132

U. S. PATENTS 133

GranadaGranada (1950)GretschGretsch OverseasGroverHa-HaHarmonyHawaiolinHerwinHollywoodHowardHula Lu (1926)Hula Lu (1951)IMCIndian Head (1925)Indian Head (1948)IslanderIvaleurIvaleur (design)Jazz-er-lo-loJohn JuzekJoo DeeJubileeJupiterKK (in circle)K KK Kamaka UkuleleK KayK KeikiKahalaKamaka HawaiiKamanKapokKentKeystone StateKingstonKleartone (1945)KlearTone (design)KMDKook A La LeeLa CampaniaLa PreferitaLa PrimeraLa Scala

La VeniciaLafayetteLarriveeLe DominoLibertyLightningLily White BrandLindellLinkoLudwigLugenLynbrookLyon & HealyMac YasudaMartinMarveltoneMarwinMasterfonicMastertoneMattelMauna LoaMaurice Lipsky (design only)MaxitoneMay BellMay Singhi BreenMiamiMilburnMudanMusketeerMy-BuddyNationalNippon Gakki (design)Niu KaniNivicoNobilityNormaOahuOhio Art (design)OlympianOrioleOrpheumP’micoPalmerParade-StepParamount

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U. S. TRADEMARKS & PATENTS226

“Harp-like sound.” - Honolulu Star Bulletin

“John King stretches a small instrument to newlengths.” - National Public Radio

“King takes Bach to inspired levels. His playing issuperb.” - The Ukulele Occasional

“King has a virtuoso technique, creating a delicatebeauty that takes these adaptations from simply beingthought of as a novelty to the sublime.” - FIGA News

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHPartita No. 3, BWV 1006for Unaccompanied Ukulele

$15, plus shipping

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