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One Blues Lover, One 1937 Gibson L-0, One Bottleneck!


BluesKing777

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Freekin' good. Very soulful. You kill me.

 

I just gave up on electric lap steels because my '31 L0 sounds so great open tuned w/o electrifying it. Add a sound hole PU and you get electric, but I love playing a guitar that can do slide w/o amplification. I installed a zero fret setup on it with a little taller string height and it has a sweet raw sound. I think it will stay on as my lap player as the string height is a little high and I have enough guitars hanging around.

 

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Thanks JZ!

 

Yep, electricity ruins it...just took my pickup out and....here we are....

 

Yes, the old girl is getting a bit high and hard to get on with [laugh], hence it now sits in Open G, well down 2 frets worth to Open F actually.

 

So I have that and my 52 LG1 in Open D. It was probably meant to be that way and I don’t want to wait who knows how long for my luthier to do a reset. My Waterloo X braced sounds more like an L-00 than the real thing....

 

My new Waterloo ladder brace sounds fabulous with bottleneck but is too low. Incredibly sounds like an old guitar already, so I’m sure with a bit of time it will bend in that bottleneck friendly direction, if you know what I mean.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Thanks Murph and Billroy!

 

 

That old mahogany top looks great, not a huge outlay really.

 

I am not sure of playing slide on a 12 fretter, not enough real estate unless played lap style and I would keep smashing my hand on the end of the body when playing the famous 12th fret slide riffs. (not to worry me, because CITES would make it a PITA to get here, but I could get the great sounding new Waterloo 14 fret version in all mahogany that I played at a shop here.....could get a 14 fret AND a 12 fret for the same price as the Gibson.)

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Nicely done BK and no mean feat since Blind Willie (like Leadbelly) never quite sounds right without a 12 string. Throw Barbecue Bob in the mix and it is easy to see why I always keep one around.

 

But the day has not dawned that I will lose my two lap steels (a single and a double neck). I play them with a bottleneck on one finger and a Will Ray Stealth slide on my little finger. The "strings though" pickups both have can produce sounds that at times seem downright unworldly.

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Instead of a store bought slide you should make your own. Not quite as easy though as many make it out to be.

 

Yeah, careful with guitar fingers and cut glass, bottleneck makers! Not that good a companion but good for the blues face, playing with cuts all over your fingers...could start a new act!

 

While I have not personally made my own bottleneck, a few friends have made them for me over the years, but we should have been more exacting in the details and measurements. No good. Binned. Tone is important too, beer bottles not much good....

 

So, very fancy perhaps, but my Blue Diamond is a custom made slide from Ian at Diamond Bottlenecks in the craft centre in the Midlands of England, including glass makers and blowers and other small craftsmen. My Blue Diamond is from a blue Murano Glass bottle, cut, polished, bevelled with about 25 different glass machines all to my exact specs to fit my pinky! No seam anymore! Doesn’t get stuck, doesn’t fall off...just the right amount of ‘grit’ to catch the strings without sticking....blue soda glass.....perfect for swinging around the guitar wildly! Sent in a little black mojo bag!

 

After I ran that puppy along my strings when it arrived a few years back, after realising what a great job they had done and slightly falling in love, I ordered a spare Blue Diamond in case I lose or break the other one. And then 2 each of some other of their models......but the Blue Diamond is my best one.

 

 

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machine polished inside and out and bevelled both ends inside and out

 

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Fits nice on pinkster but covers 6 strings....

 

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BluesKing777.

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My Blue Diamond is from a blue Murano Glass bottle,

 

 

3 kids, 2 dogs, and a touch of adhd, I have a tendency to have things broken. so my rule of thumb is glass breaks, brass doesn't... I've adapted to survive this world ; ) (you're stuff still sounds pretty good though bk)

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Thanks Billroy...

 

 

I don't think the kiddies/dogs could break this bottleneck - it is the tough end and pretty thick. I suppose they could try throwing across the yard towards some cement.

 

But yes, I think drive over my (Dunlop??) brass slide.

 

 

You probably need to invest some more time in training those dogs to appreciate things a bit more! [tongue]

 

 

I mean, look at my angel dog, waiting for master to stop playing and go to train station to pickup Better Half and get dinner etc...:

 

 

f9hsJROh.jpg

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Lol - I've got many balls, shoes, socks... that look the same.

 

 

I had a dog years back that stole one sock of the pair and buried them. I think they must still be in the garden.

 

The next dog dug massive holes, I mean foxhole WW1 size.

 

And the latest rips balls to bits. Even one from the doggie shop deemed indestructable. Photo coming.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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