I

United States Patent

[151

3,638,525

Sciurba et al.

[451

Feb. 1, 1 972

[54] FINGER GLIDE BAR

1,748,053

[72] Inventors: pone

Edward
Benvlue
Sciurha,
bothLyndhurst;
of N'J'
Sal Chiap-

Primary
2248542
Examiner-Richard
7/194 McDamel
B. Wilkinson
et al'

[73] Assignee: Ring Products, Newark, NJ,

_
[22] Filed:
Sept. 21, 1970
[21] Appl. No.: 73,941

2/l930

Blair ...................................... ..84/3 I9

Assistant ExaminerLawrence R. Franklin

Attorney-Howard T. .leandron

[57]

ABSTRACT

us. Cl ................................................. ..s4 319 84 322

A guitar steel or glide bar for the ?nger of a guitar player in

which he bdy f the gum" Steel Y glide bar is lng ""8h

:51;

ML CL . . _ _ _ ' ' _ _ _

on its face to cover the fret board of the guitar and the body is

[58]

Field 0 Sea'rch _

52

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[56]

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['0], 2/00
I9 322 315
'

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References Cited

half round in form with a resilient ?nger ?tting ring that may
be elastic or a split plastic to permit mounting on the ?nger

but retain a frictional grip, said guitar steel or glide bar formed
of a hard material such as metal or plastic to present a friction

UNITED STATES PATENTS

D3l,l5l

7/1899

Richards ............................ ..84/322 X

less face in contact with the strings of the musical instrument.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures

PATENTEB FEB I i972

3.638.525

'

INVENTORS

sow/mo sauna/a
SAL CHJAPPDNE

3,638,525
2

FINGER GLIDE BAR

FIG. 2 thus permitting the glide bar to remain in an accessible

position to change back to the other style of music as desired
and in this position as illustrated in FIG. 2, it does not inhibit

This invention relates to a guitar steel or glide bar that is af

?xed to the ?ner for holding the guitar strings down against
the ?ngerboard and for sliding the guitar steel along the ?n

the normal action of the ?nger during playing of the guitar.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 the glide bar 10 may be formed
half round to ?t the con?guration of a ?nger and the holding
ring 11 is cemented to the interior surface of the glide bar as il
lustrated. The ring 11 may be a stretchable material to provide
a good gripping relation with the ?nger. Or, the ring 11 may be
a split ring having a resiliency so that it may be opened for
mounting u n the ?n er but retain a ti ht grip ing relation

gerboard to produce the Hawaiian sound effect and more par

ticularly the design of the guitar steel that is open on one side
and closed on the opposite side and is adjustable to either

position to permit normal ?ngering of the fret board when in

an open position and slide ?ngering of the fret board when in a

closed position.

ship upon t e ?nger.

e ring may be 0 a resl rent metal or
Guitar steels have been designed in various forms such as
the ring may be of a resilient plastic.
the straight round (solid or hollow) bar that is held in the hand
It is to be noted that the metal body 10 of the glide bar may
to slide over the strings to provide certain sound effects with
the strings and in another form a semicircular ?nger form 15 be shaped on the inner surface or may be perfectly half round
as shown to provide a comfortable ?tting relationship with the
retained on the ?nger by a resilient spring as shown in U.S.
?nger and the exterior surface of the glide bar must be
Pat. No. 2,466,344. The ?nger form is retained in a tight ?t
?nished to a highly polished surface such as by plating and
with the ?nger to preclude endwise movement and being long
polishing to reduce any degree of friction with the strings and
does not permit bending of the ?nger at the joint.
It is an object of this invention to provide a guitar steel that 20 reduce all wear in its normal use. The size of the glide bar may
be varied to produce a ?tting glide bar for a small, a medium
is long enough on its face to cover the fret board and a solid
or a large ?nger or the glide bar may be the same in form but
metallic face on its playing side but open on its opposite side
the ring 11 varied to permit the proper ?tting according to the
and retained on the ?nger in a frictional gripping relationship
?nger.
by a resilient plastic band that is spreadable for mounting on
Although we have illustrated a glide bar of a particular size,
25
the ?nger.
the size may be varied without departing from the spirit of this
A further object of this invention is to provide a guitar steel
invention and although we have illustrated a guitar neck and
that is long enough on its face to cover the fret board and a

strings, the glide bar may be used with any stringed instrument

solid metallic face on its playing side but open on its opposite
side and retained on the ?nger in a frictional gripping relation

as desired and although we have speci?ed that the glide bar is

formed of a highly polished metal, the glide bar may also be

ship so that it may be used for playing Hawaiian style and by

simply turning l80, the ?nger is bendable and usable to ?nger

made with a plastic as long as the surface retains a highly

polished ?nish without departing from the spirit of this inven

the strings for normal playing.

tion and although we have illustrated the glide bar as half

Other objects of this invention will be apparent by reference
round in form, the glide bar may be more than half round in
to the accompanying detailed description and the drawings in 35 fact it may be shaped to a full round position at the one end
which:
.

with a split to permit mounting on the ?nger as illustrated in

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the guitar glide bar mounted
the drawings without departing from the spirit of this inven
on a ?nger for Hawaiian-style sound effects;
tion.
FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view with the glide bar
The invention described in detail in the foregoing specifica
rotated l80 to permit normal ?ngering of the frets without 40 tion is subject to changes and modi?cations without departing

removing the glide bar from the finger;

from the principle and spirit thereof. The terminology used is

FIG. 3 is an end view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

for purposes of description and not of limitation; the scope of

the invention being de?ned in the claims.
-'
FIG. 5 is an end view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.
What is claimed is:
In playing a guitar there are two methods of ?ngering used. 45
1. A guitar glide bar comprising a body of semicircular cross

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the glide bar; and

The usual ?ngering of the strings between frets for producing

section elongated to conformably receive a major portion of

the underside of a players ?nger, the rear end of said body
being open and the forward end of said body being closed by a

a desired tone is the old method and the use of a guitar steel or

glide bar to slide over the strings to produce the Hawaiian

sound effect is the other method utilized. In this invention ap
semicircular segmental portion to comformably receive the tip
plicants have provided a glide bar that is ?tted to one of the 50 of the players ?nger, the rear end of said body provided with a

?ngers of the hand that is controlling the action of the strings

in producing thelvariations in sound.

ring-shaped band to ?t a ?nger and retain said body engaged

with the underside of the player's ?nger.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 there is illustrated a glide bar

2. In a device according to claim 1 in which said ring-shaped
10 that is half round in form and the glide bar is provided with
body is resilient and af?xed to the internal surface of said glide
a ?exible split ring 11 that is af?xed to the inner half-round 55 bar.
surface of the glide bar at one end thereof. Thus the glide bar
3. In a device according to claim 1 in which said ring-shaped
and ring 11 is easily slipped over the ?nger to retain the glide
body is a split ring of resilient material to expand for mounting
bar in a playing position as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus the front
about said ?nger and af?xed to the internal surface of said
glide bar.
face of the ?nger will press the glide bar into a pressing posi
tion upon the strings 12 on the neck 14 of the guitar to permit 60

producing the Hawaiian sound effect by moving the glide bar

4. In a device according to claim 1 in which said ring-shaped

body is resiliently mounted on said ?nger to permit turning

said glide bar into a nonplaying position but easily accessible
for returning to a playing position.

in a sliding fashion over the strings. When it is desired to

change the sound effect to the normal ?ngering of the strings

12, the glide bar is rotated 180 on the ?nger as illustrated in
65

70

75