What Do I Need for Slide Guitar

[Commodore 64]

At the moment, I have several guitars. They are all low-end guitars, but I'm a n00b and I'm learning. I've always liked slide guitar. I'd like to mess around with a slide. I need some advice on setting up one of my guitars for slide.

I've loaned out two of my guitars, but this is what I've got.

I have:

1. A slide, stainless steel, I think.
2. A metal nut that can go over existing nuts to raise them.
3. A Yamaha Pacifica (SSH, the S are Lace Sensor Gold, the H is a DiMarzio Air Zone)
4. A Samick Jazzmaster (2 P90s)
5. A Michael Kelly Patriot Q (2 PAF Plus Humbuckers)

So which guitar should I set up for slide? A guy at the music store said anything with single coils (Especially the P90) will sound "like ****". But in that Blue Sky vid recently posted, I saw that Warren Haynes was using a strat.

How high of an action should I go for?

What size strings?

 

[hubberjub]

I would not listen to the guy in the music store. Slide players have used all kinds of pickups especially P-90s. All you really need to start is a slide. Having higher action helps because you won't be bumping into the frets but there isn't a real need for a metal riser nut. Those are mostly used for playing with the guitar flat on your lap. You could use any of your guitars but I would recommend one with a fixed bridge. That's only if you choose to get into using alternate tunings. For now, buy a slide and just get use to the feel of it.

 

[piebaldpython]

Welcome to the wonderful world of SLIDE. A bunch of us here love to SLIDE. The guy at the music store is nuts. Doesn't matter what pup you have. Lots of people have had stand-out careers sliding with single coil pup Strats (Bonnie Raitt, Sonny Landreth, etc).

Question: do you want to only SLIDE on the git or fret AND slide should the occasion arise? My preference is to ABLE to fret and Slide, so I don't use a nut riser. Get your action high enough so that you aren't buzzing frets when you put a slide to the strings. If you buzz, get your music store to raise the action.

If you have no desire to fret, then by all means, put on the nut riser. MUDCAT here on the forum has a git set up exclusively for slide. Hopefully, he'll chime in.

As to strings, MHO is that you should use nothing under nickel 11's for electric slide. Heavy enough to sustain, thin enough to fret.

I'm not a big fan of stainless steel slides, I don't much care for the sound. I think brass/bronze or glass sounds better. Experiment around with cheapo slides ($10 or under) and once you like one, let us know and we may be able to steer you to a better quality slide.

 

[Commodore 64]

All my guitars have Nickel 11s on them, but the action seems so low on all of them, that it's really tough to use the SS slide and not mash the strings down to the fret. Of course my SS steel slide does seem to be quite heavy.

My MK is my only fixed bridge guitar. It also has the lowest action, though.

My Samick Jazzmaster (P90) has the highest action. Although it has trem arm and vintage style bridge, I've got like 4 springs in there to keep it flat. That was the guitar I was initially thinking for the slide, since I already feel it's suited for some of the bluesy type stuff I'm trying to learn. But the guy at the store just about cried when I told him I was thinking of using the Samick (he loves the Samick).

So, Duane used his ring finger. Billy Gibbons uses his middle finger (i think), and still others use their pinky finger. I do believe I would want to be able to fret a little when equipped with the slide but I really don't know. I guess leaning towards the ring finger, seems to be the most comfortable when I fart around trying to play Free Bird licks.

 

[piebaldpython]

OK, so you need to get the action raised a bit on one of your gits so you can fret and slide.

Nickel 11's will be perfect for that. If for some reason, you would have just played slide, then I would have recommended no lower than 13's with maybe tuning down a step if needed due to stress on the neck.

As to which finger.....if you are sliding MORE than fretting, then you slide with the finger that you feel most comfortable sliding with and the one that gives you the best tone. FWIW, try as I might, I can't slide off my pinky.

If you are fretting A LOT MORE than sliding, then slide off the finger that allows you to fret the best.

As to me.....if I'm fretting and sliding, I use a "shorty" (1.5") on my middle finger. If I'm only sliding, then I'll use a dome-top slide (45mm or 1.75") on my ring finger.

 

[mrmudcat]

Glass,ring finger, lose the nut riser and raise your action on the guitar you are setting up.Work on picking hand technique,using your fingers no picks!! One other thing to work on is the pressure you use while sliding. You mentioned applying a heavy touch with your metal slide some glass should help but you need to work on a lighter touch with the slide:AOK

"A guy at the music store said anything with single coils (Especially the P90) will sound "like ****"."

Dont listen to this guy I am sorry he is an idiot!!!(p-90's have a great raunchy tone for slide as do single coils with a fuzz)

That said I would set up the M.K.(fixed bridge,buckers) as hub suggested easier to explore alternate tunings!

Lastly I use a Coricidin bottle or a (dunlop 272 bottle slide,also a 212 dunlop glass) that stops at the knuckle and only play triads ala D.A. so maybe my skills and advice are primitive,then again that voice keeps playing in my head "keep it simple stupid":what

The samick might do it with p-90's if the bridge is locked down and does not float............strats.teles......make awesome slide machines... Duane used these in studio sessions pre A.B.B.....as mentioned by pie, others also use a strat!!!

I will help anyway I can and there are alot of others here to assist!!!

 

[peachhead]

Don't listen to the salesman. My strat/bad monkey combo works pretty well for me; even though the action is still pretty low, it's high enough up on the neck. I'm thinking M29s texas special that he has for sale would sound great on it.

 

[mrmudcat]

Peach T.S's sound great !!!

M29 is a great trustworthy seller/fretter:dude

 

[mrmudcat]

Commodore : Here are some links to bottles!!

http://www.rbnc.net/

http://bloozebottle.com/

http://www.music123.com/BigHeart,Glass-Slides-Slides.Music123

http://www.music123.com/Slides-Fretted-Instrument-Accessories---Parts.Music123

Some big hearts and others buy from 123 and it helps this sight and Mr big veins:french

 

[Commodore 64]

I played some slide last night on the Samick. I definitely think I want a slide that is shorter, and just goes down to the knuckle. I messed around mostly in standard tuning. I feel still need to raise the action some...

As for right hand technique...I tried to employ the stuff here: http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showpost.php?p=4290327&postcount=8

I took a slide guitar class at National Guitar Workshop last summer from Geoff Hartwell (http://www.geoffhartwell.com/home.html). I'll attempt to describe his right-hand muting technique:

Keep it simple at first. Consider only your thumb, index, and middle fingers. Place your thumb on the G string, your index on the B string, your middle on the E string and mute the lower three strings with the fleshy part of your hand at the base of the thumb. Now use your index finger to pick the open B string WITHOUT lifting the thumb and middle finger off the G and E strings.

Practice that a bit then move the whole thing one string to the treble side. Now your thumb should be on the B string, your index on the E string, and your middle hanging in the air. Now pluck a note on the E string with your index finger.

Then move the whole setup to the D, G, and B strings and add the ring finger to mute the now-open E string. Pluck a note on the G string with your index finger.

Just keep moving back and forth between these three positions at first, plucking the open strings under your index finger. Once you get the feel of that, you can start throwing in slide action with the left hand.

Don't forget to mute the strings between the slide and the nut with a left hand finger to eliminate unwanted tones from the headstock side of the slide.

The idea is to just keep moving the right-hand fingers up and down from string-group to string-group, always picking the string under your index finger with the index finger. It's easier to do than it is to describe so I hope this helps.

This is going to take some getting used to.

Thanks for all the links...I'm definitely going to be order a slide or 2. http://bloozebottle.com/ is awesome, I'm going to get the 4 slide sampler!

 

[piebaldpython]

That's really a great way to start off!! oke In fact, it's probably a great idea to isolate each of your picking fingers in the same fashion, just to get used to doing that damping. Thanks for finding that.

 

[Commodore 64]

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/msg/1577577311.html

Cheap, fixed bridge LP clone. I did tune my Samick to OPe E and th e bridge stayed locked down though, so I probably should leave this one be. Heh.

edit: LOL they are cheaper on Overstock.com...http://www.overstock.com/Gifts-Flowers/Gibson-Baldwin-Talent-Electric-LP-Guitar/2565795/product.html

 

[Kazz]

Listen to muddy.....then go get you some Allman Brothers and listen to Duane, Warren and Derek.

The story I read about how Duane picked up the Corricidin bottle is pretty classic stuff. Necessity really is the mother of invention.

I am a glass guy myself, I use both a corricidin bottle that I picked up years back and a wine bottleneck that an old forum member made for a group of us who wanted to try them out. However some of my favorite slide music is using brass tubing also my guitar guru Frank Hannon uses some sort of polymer tubing for his slide work. It really is a preference thing.

 

[Kazz]

The condensed version from wikipedia:

In 1968, Gregg Allman went to visit Duane, on his 22nd birthday. Duane was sick in bed. Gregg brought along a bottle of Coricidin pills for his fever and the debut album by guitarist Taj Mahal as a gift. "About two hours after I left, my phone rang," Gregg states. "Baby brother, baby brother, get over here now!" When Gregg got there, Duane had poured the pills out of the bottle, washed off the label and was using it as a slide to play "Statesboro Blues," an old Blind Willie McTell song that Taj Mahal covered. "Duane had never played slide before", says Gregg, "he just picked it up and started burnin'. He was a natural." The song would go on to become a part of the Allman Brothers Band's repertoire, and Duane's slide guitar became crucial to their sound.