Setting up an RS-2 for slide

[kidsmoke]

Set up input welcome. You know who you are

I've not done much more than mess around with a slide, enough mostly to feel compelled to genuflect in the direction of Allman, George, Landreth, and Trucks.

I'm in a "class" right now covering Faces, (think school of rock for adults) and was asked to bring my slide since the teacher, also a friend, knows I unabashedly worship at the the altar of Lowell George in all regards, songwriting, singing, and of course, guitar.

My RS-2 is set up wonderfully. the G3 buckers are PERFECT for this genre....so if I want to be able to noodle with a slide, what would be the best, least drastic adjustment to the guitar to make it better suited to that?

My thought was to raise the TOM bridge equal amounts on each post, maybe 1/32 to 1/16, just to give me a tad more room. Should I also consider a light shim under the nut? What do guys like Haynes, who seem to use one guitar with or without a slide equally well, do in regards to a setup?

 

[piebaldpython]

IMHO.....I would bring your RS-2 to the teacher and ask him for his opinion. Unless you have ridiculously low action, you might be able to get away with the action that you currently have. It may require a light touch but probably worth learning that way.......or at least trying it.......before resorting to "operating".

Derek has very low action and a phenomenal light touch. Haynes frets/slides with the same git so his action can't be all that high to do the fretting that he does.

Give yourself a month or two of "consistent" slide practice (15 minutes a day for 4 days/wk) before baling out and changing your action.

 

[mrmudcat]

keep it simple.ring finger ,glass slide,action can be set a lil high to begin with, non coated strings .I love pure nickel 10 or 11's slide in and out btween 12-15 and live there until you get a sense .........then you can explore the nether regions,different tunings etc etc .................start with open e tuning...........enjoy brother

 

[kidsmoke]

you might be able to get away with the action that you currently have. It may require a light touch but probably worth learning that way.......or at least trying it.......before resorting to "operating".

this ^

Turns out the hybrid strings 10 - 50 with a wound G (20) is a pretty stout set, beefier than a typical set of 11's. So yours is the approach I'm taking. I think i've evolved quite a bit since the last time I tried slide, because it's coming much easier for me.


Muddy, I know it's heresy to some, but Lowell George is my guy, so don't you know I'm using a craftsman socket on my pinky, and It's sounding pretty damn good.

The two pieces I'm working on now are Faces/stay with me and Stewart/Mandolin Wind. Both Ron Woods, both in open E. on stay with me, at one point, I'm above the fretboard hittin' a high D. What a blast!

Oh, and I've ended up using the tele for this. It's sounding great.

Feedback appreciated.

 

[piebaldpython]

Congrats on playing/enjoying slide! Teles are great for slide....I've got one in Low Bass Open G (lo-to-hi; D-G-D-G-B-D) for that vintage Keef stuff.

I slide off the middle finger. As you probably know, Lowell did his slidin' mostly in Open A (Low Bass Open G capoed up 2 frets).

Tube or SS amp? Love to slide with tubes. You using a compressor? Bonnie and Lowell both use(d) compressors to increase sustain.

Open G and Open E both are great rock/blues tunings. What Muddy said about frets 12-15 is true.....and you can have some fun around frets 03-05 and a sweet little box at frets 10-12 on your three highest strings.

Experiment with sliding up and sliding down into notes

 

[kidsmoke]

Congrats on playing/enjoying slide! Teles are great for slide....I've got one in Low Bass Open G (lo-to-hi; D-G-D-G-B-D) for that vintage Keef stuff.

I slide off the middle finger. As you probably know, Lowell did his slidin' mostly in Open A (Low Bass Open G capoed up 2 frets).

Tube or SS amp? Love to slide with tubes. You using a compressor? Bonnie and Lowell both use(d) compressors to increase sustain.

Open G and Open E both are great rock/blues tunings. What Muddy said about frets 12-15 is true.....and you can have some fun around frets 03-05 and a sweet little box at frets 10-12 on your three highest strings.

Experiment with sliding up and sliding down into notes

Alright man!! I'll be sure to hit you up as I progress. really enjoying it. I had heard an interview of George where he talked about playing in open G, never heard that about open A. I did know he was high on his compressor (as well as a few other things.) Right now I'm hanging out in Open E. Focusing on

I took a class a while back with a dude here in Chicago who's know as a George disciple. He's a pro/journeyman. In that class I sang mostly, and learned to play with a pick on standard tuning while he was wailing away on a strat with Duncan JB stacked humbucker in the bridge, through a keeley, into a original 63 Deluxe Reverb with a Weber. Fantastic tone. At the time I was bringing my Little Lanilei to class (I know you know the amp, PBP) He took a turn on that amp, and ordered one from Tris Mahaffay the next day. He said with that little 6.5" speaker and the tube tone, he didn't even need a compressor pedal, it presented that "compressed" sound. Now that's what he brings to classes, rather than dragging his 50 yr old gigging amp everywhere.

So, yes on the tubes. Actually though, while that Lanilei is great and convenient, I'm using the Champlifier, which I bought from DVM, and also the Klon Centaur clone i bought from him. My tele has Bill Lawrence L-200's in it, and they are a bit "meatier" than standard tele p'ups, and with the pedal and the 10" weber in my champ, I NAIL the Faces tone I need at the moment.

think the opening to "Stay with me". Believe it or not, my rig Tele-Klon-Champlifier, is to die for. Hit that opening and drop right into the slide.

If I ever get to where I'm doing more of the sustained single note/lead stuff,(Allman/George/Trucks/Cooder) I can see adding the compressor, but for the open chord/triplets stuff needed for faces, this rig is delivering right now.

Lot of fun to have this open up the way it has in just the last week or two.

 

[piebaldpython]

Tio, that is great news. I bet that Champlifier just kills on slide. Yeah, DVM builds some great gear.

Just so long as you're having FUN. Slide is a whole different avenue of GIT playing....in that you want to DRAW out certain notes.....let them ring out.....short phrasing (like a guy blowin' a mean blues harp). A style of playing where less is more.

Hey, on that Little Lanilei, did you and your teacher both get the 3350LT (Fender/Brit combo with gain) or the Super 50 (Fender with very little gain)?

Keep me posted on how you're doing.

 

[kidsmoke]

We've both got the 3350LT. I recently re-tubed it and it sounds even better.
A friend of mine recently purchased the HiLO Watt Plexi, and reported it's *^#@$ awesome. But I've not gotten my hands on it.

That Super 50 is the newest addition to the lineup. I'd LOVE to have a go at it, with a pedal I bet it's amazing. I find i back WAY off on the guitar volume when using the Lanilei in order to clean it up.

I'm not a HIGH gain person, and that's what this amp wants to do. But it's so convenient, and with a little work, pretty versatile, and paid for!

 

[piebaldpython]

Thanks for the info. What did you re-tube it with?

On the Lowell George interview (with a German TV/radio station), Lowell gets a little mixed up about the tuning but it's essentially Open A (low-to-hi---E-A-E-A-C#-E). Think of it as Low Bass Open G (D-G-D-G-B-D) capoed up two frets.

For those who may be wondering, I make the distinction of Low Bass Open G to differentiate it from High Bass Open G (G-B-D-G-B-D), also referred to as Dobro Bluegrass Open G.

 

[mrmudcat]

Good stuff Pie and Tio!! I am enjoying reading your thread Tio about my favorite guitar topic and detecting the happiness you seem to be having. Pie you have officially been passed the slide torch as im getting to damn old to damn fast and im tired but happy and managing my time............never enough time. You make a papa proud brother!!!:socool:applause

 

[piebaldpython]

TORCH gladly accepted brother Mud. As soon as I hear a slide in music I don't know, I get instantly curious and just have to listen real closely to what they're doing. I'm drawn to the sound of slide like a moth to a flame. Sorry for the cliche' but it is what it is.

 

[kidsmoke]

Nice timing on the bump, Muddy. Just last night I got together with the folks I'm in this Faces project with. That means I had the tele, the champ, the 11/16" socket and a cold one going. Made for a righteous evening.

this rig is a match made in heaven for this genre. One of the guys there last night had missed the previous few gatherings and wasn't aware of what I'd settled on. Everyone in the group had big old toothy grins going when we broke into Mandolin Wind and I was way up there on 17 - 12 - 19. Really a lot of fun. Had mostly acoustics for a change, so even in a full room, the Champ and the Bridge p'up were big sound.

And yes, Pie has been super encouraging and helpful. another mutual "friend" from another forum is "making" me some true bottleneck slides in a few sizes for me to mess with.

Truly a case of the journey being at least as worthwhile as the destination. I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.

hey, do you guys use a pick when playing slide on a regular guitar, or stick to your fingers, a la Trucks? What did Allman do? I'm under the impression George played mostly with a pick. I'm trying to do a hybrid.

 

[piebaldpython]

hey, do you guys use a pick when playing slide on a regular guitar, or stick to your fingers, a la Trucks? What did Allman do? I'm under the impression George played mostly with a pick. I'm trying to do a hybrid.

Duane used bare fingers.....Bonnie uses plastic thumbpick and 3 plastic fingerpicks.....Ry Cooder uses bare fingers.......Lowell mostly used a flatpick but at times went to bare fingers in the middle of a tune and then back to the pick.......Sonny Landreth uses a Herco thumbpick and bare fingers....Thorogood uses a plastic thumbpick and one plastic fingerpick.

FYI....as to slides for the aforementioned players it would be (in order) Coricidin bottle, Dunlop glass, glass, Craftsman socket, glass and copper tubing after being rubbed with emory cloth.

I settled on a plastic thumbpick and bare fingers.

 

[mrmudcat]

I use fingers but chase has been messing with the thumbpick bare fingers or hybrid picking but goes back to fingers!! Bottles and dunlop or similiar glass from there! Only metal slides I use were for lappy!