Multi-finger guitar slide

[Tymus]

Searching in Google Patents can reveal all sorts of whacky inventions!

I just found this patent for a glove with small slides attached to each fingertip, I can’t decide if it’s ingenious or not but it’s certainly intriguing.

Personally I’m struggling enough with a normal slide but I imagine in the hands or should I say "on the hand" of an expert it could deliver some interesting sounds.

Michael perhaps this is what’s been missing from your slide collection!







Here’s a link to the full patent
www.google.com/patents/US20070175311?printsec=drawing&dq=slide+guitar&ei=YdZNUK_OCOfT0QXG6IGoBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Tymus.

[bluesbottle]

Ha ha intriguing alright.
Interesting how the first digit insert is orientated differently to the rest!
Not sure if the inventor had actually tried it out? ;D

[Michael Messer]

Thanks Tymus, I could definitely do with one of those in my slide collection.

When I first looked at it I thought it was an old 1920s eccentric invention, but then I realised the patent application was in 2007!

I would like to see Mr Sloan demonstrate his 'multi finger guitar slide'

Shine On
Michael

[Ian McWee]

C'mon ~ give the felllow a 'big hand' (Groan!) There are several slide patents currently in circulation (mostly in the U.S) ~ some sublime, others ridiculous ~ but although the inventors pay out to obtain these patents....they're never actually created for players to try!!

Slide On!

Ian.

[mikenewport]

Like this?

[Michael Messer]

The lap steel technique using two slides is cool and can give you a whole new palette, but the glove!!!

Shine On
Michael

[Tymus]

The other glove from the pair could have picks attached to it!

Tymus.

[leeophonic]

Ted Hawkins may have had some use for the glove!
Lee

[Michael Messer]

Ted did like to wear a leather glove to play guitar, but I am not sure about one with fingertip slides. That might be a bit too weird, even for Ted!

Bless him. Ted was great and I enjoyed my time working with him. I wouldn't change that for anything.

Shine On
Michael

[Tymus]

Since I came across this patent I kept wondering if it would work or be of any real use, so in order to answer my curiosity I had to make one!


Attachment Deleted

The pads are 1p coins, domed shaped and polished, they are glued in place on the tight fitting glove with epoxy resin.





Much to my surprise the glove is far easier to use than I had expected, although I think it would take a long while to master! I found it to be better suited to standard tuning than open tunings, normal chord shapes where easy to make and the glove allows for both fretting and sliding notes.


Attachment Deleted

The downside is it doesn’t sound all that good, weak notes and lack of sustain, probably due in part to having copper pads but mainly I guess due to a lack of mass, I’m sure this could be improved by using thicker harder heavier pads.

My testing so far has been on a wooden bodied single cone and a brass tricone.

I think that it might deliver better results on a high gain electric set up!

Tymus.

[Deleted]

Heroic effort! Of course you must tell us about the guitar now.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Tymus,

I am with TT on this - the gloves are cool, but what about the guitar?

Shine On
Michael

[mikenewport]

There is also a version for bass players

[Tymus]

Hi Deuce and Michael,
that’s a hard question to answer quickly! There are actually two different guitars but I guess the one you’re referring to is Frankie (christened Frankenstein by a friend), it’s not really a guitar but more of a guitar shaped test rig! The photo with the glove in “action” is my unknown brand Faux Reso that’s now fitted with a cone but that’s another story!

I built Frankie about 14 years ago when I was doing some research into acoustic guitar soundboard bracing patterns etc. At that time all of the information I could find on this area of acoustics dealt with the soundboard alone and unattached from an instrument, I questioned the quality of this info as the plate was vibrating with a free not fixed edge also there was no interaction with air inside a body and the associated standing waves, Helmholtz etc. and no string tension applied to the soundboard. It seemed logical to me that the only way to gain useful information was to build a rig so that I could test soundboards in their normal working environment! The front and back can be easily removed to allow alterations to be made to the bracing between tests. Originally for the tests Frankie had an electronic plectrum and a tripod microphone attachment.



After the testing the instrument ended up as a good busking/party guitar as it had a great sound and I wasn’t worried about it coming to any harm, there is still an old busking song list stuck to its side.

Last summer just for the hell of it I made a new plywood top and dropped in a cone, it sounds quite good but a little woolly probably due to it having no neck stick or pit props, sometime I might get around to fitting some!



Frankie with two of the surviving test soundboards, if you look closely at the X braced one you can see the “shadows” of where other braces had been fitted and removed.



You probably noticed the different tail pieces, I changed the trapeze one for the National style one partly to get a little more break angle over the saddle but also as I needed the trapeze one for another project.

In a nutshell I hope that answers your question.

Cheers Tymus.

[oldnick]

Wow Thymus, that is impressive. How did you assess the results of the different bracings, was it by ear or did you use some other means.

Nick