Guitar slide

• US 7,557,283 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frank N. Moncrief
• Original Assignee: Frank N. Moncrief
• Inventors: Moncrief, Frank N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qin; Jianchun
• Application Number:
  US11/755,438
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 843/19, 843/15, 843/22, 843/95, 844/53, 844/85.R
• US Class Current: 84/319
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 3/00 Details of, or accessories for, stringed musical instruments, e.g. slide-bars

Abstract

A musical instrument slide including a body portion and a light source. The light source includes a switch for selective activation, enabling the slide body to emit light when activated. As the musician moves the slide across the strings as the instrument, such as a guitar, is played, a visual effect is created by the movement of the light. The body portion preferably is constructed of a material to pass light therethrough, and can be either wholly or partially clear or translucent, or a combination of both. Alternatively or in addition to the light source, the slide body can include an eccentric motor that causes the slide body to vibrate. This vibration, in turn, causes vibration of the guitar strings, or other sting instrument, as the slide is positioned on the strings, or moved along the strings, by the musician.

Claims

1. A guitar slide comprising:

an elongate slide body defining an outer wall, the slide body also defining an inner chamber sized and shaped to receive a finger of a user, for manual movement along the strings of a guitar as the strings vibrate, the slide body applied to a string to produce sound;

a light source attached to said slide body, said light source comprising at least one light emitting diode and being positioned and oriented to illuminate a portion of said slide body;

a battery coupled to said light emitting diode to provide current to said diode, wherein said at least one light emitting diode is positioned to project light into the inner chamber defined by said slide body.

2. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising a switch coupled to said battery and said light emitting diode for selectively illuminating said light emitting diode.

3. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 1 and wherein said slide body is generally elongated in shape having first and second end portions.

4. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 3 and wherein said at least one light emitting diode is positioned at one end portion of said slide body.

5. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 4 and wherein said slide body is either translucent or transparent.

6. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 5 and further comprising an LED holder mounted on the one end portion of said slide body, said at least one light emitting diode being disposed in said LED holder.

7. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 6 and further comprising a switch holder mounted to said LED holder and a battery in said switch holder coupled to said at least one light emitting diode.

8. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 7 and further comprising a switch disposed in said switch holder, said switch coupled to said battery and said at least one light emitting diode for selectively lighting said at least one light emitting diode.

9. A guitar slide comprising a slide body having an interior passageway sized to receive a finger of a musician and a light source on said slide body, a power source electrically connected to said light source for providing current to said light source, a switch electrically coupled to said power source for selectively switching the current to said light source, said light source being positioned and arranged to illuminate at least a portion of said slide body upon activation of said light source, said slide body being applied to a guitar string to produce sound.

10. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 9 and wherein said power source comprises a battery mounted on said slide body.

11. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 9 and wherein said slide body has an at least partially translucent portion, said light source, when activated, projecting light into said at least partially translucent portion.

12. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 11 and wherein said slide body is entirely translucent.

13. A guitar slide as claimed in claim 9 and wherein said slide body has an at least partially transparent portion, said light source, when activated, projecting light into said at least partially transparent portion.

14. A guitar slide as claimed in claimed in claim 9 and further comprising a control circuit for flashing said light source at predetermined rates.