Notes_Norton Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Hi, My wife just bought me a slide and a Warren Haynes book and although I'm not good enough yet with the slide to make the guitar sing I've already got GAS for another guitar. It seems the Casino (which I love) and the ES-330 might not be best for blues slide guitar. Does anyone have any feelings on that? If not, would a G-400 be better I'd really like an excuse for one of those ;-) Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 My experience with slide guitar playing is reasonably limited (only slide I played regularly were the parts on Free Bird) which I used an unmodified SG for. I have noticed that guitars with a higher action tend to produce better slide tone (the notes seem to "sing" more clearly). Most were set up in such a way that playing traditionally would've been uncomfortable for me. I can't say I've ever tried to find a happy middle ground since, as I said, I don't play much slide. But I'd be inclined to say that an appropriate guitar for slide would depend more on it's set up than it's style. I've yet to find any hard & fast rule about guitars that applied to everyone, so whatever appeals to you is the right answer. There's your excuse...NOW GO BUY YOUR GUITAR!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoobiepatrol Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Well, Derek Trucks uses, or at least used prominently, I haven't checked recently, an SG, and he's one of the best slide players out there today. Most electric slide players seem to trend towards the Les Paul, though. Humbuckers are seen a lot since slides, especially metal ones, make a very bright sound that can border on harsh unless balanced out. Of course, I don't need to tell you that good music is all about experimentation, if that Casino rocks with the slide, I say rock on! Then again, it's hard to go wrong with a corcidin bottle and an LP... What kind of slide do you have? I've broken and/or lost more slides than I care to remember and I'm down to a single Dunlop 220 chrome. One of these days I need to buy a new porcelain one, that was always my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matiac Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Bic Lighters work pretty well for me on just about any guitar I've used, I would think action, and things like that would be subjective, I think Rod Price of Foghat fame uses a P90 doublecut mainly, at least when I saw them last he was. Jimmy Page uses his Danelectro for some slide work, I used to fart around with slide with an old Strat type thing I used to have, I'm thinking the quintessential guitar for slide work would have to be either a Lester, or an SG, but that's just me. I'd try it with that Casino you got, I'm thinkin' that would sound pretty nice. Which is not saying you shouldn't get the G400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexygibson Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 There really is no right or wrong guitar for slide. Yes, Derek Trucks plays a SG and he plays it well, but you play slide on a Les Paul, a Strat, or anything in between. Like with anything else, it all depends on your taste and your ears. Guitars set up for slide will normally have a higher action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Hi' date=' My wife just bought me a slide and a Warren Haynes book and although I'm not good enough yet with the slide to make the guitar sing I've already got GAS for another guitar. It seems the Casino (which I love) and the ES-330 might not be best for blues slide guitar. Does anyone have any feelings on that? If not, would a G-400 be better I'd really like an excuse for one of those ;-) Notes[/quote'] If you want something with a rude tone for slide a danelctro U-2 kicks butt and can be had used for a couple hundred. I think it's a much better sounding slide guitar than a g-400 with stock pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have an unknown brand chrome/steel (???) slide. Leilani also has an ESP/LTD EC-50 that I completely forgot about. (Catalog picture, not our guitar) It's an inexpensive LP-ish guitar that she picked up when she went from acoustic to electric to see if she liked electric guitars. Well she decided she liked electric and bought a Parker putting the LTD in the case where it has remained for years. When I told her about perhaps getting a SG type guitar for the humbucker sound and the solid body sustain, she pointed to the LTD in the case and said "Happy Valentines Day". It has the right "Duane Allman" sound and lots of sustain. The only problem is that it weighs a ton. After about a half hour of experimentation on it, I can make some caterwauling type sounds - it sounds terrible - but learning to control the beast should prove to be fun. Muting all the strings but the one(s) I want to play seems to be the first challenge to overcome. I guess I'll use fingers instead of a pick. I've decided to keep standard tuning. The last thing I need for someone who plays sax, flute, wind synth, keyboards, bass, and guitar is to learn another guitar tuning (I haven't gotten standard tuning down yet <grin>) I haven't decided what finger to use for the slide yet, still thinking about that. Pinky seems to be a little awkward right now, and actually is pretty comfortable on the index finger (and I can still bar chords that way. Does anybody have any pros or cons on which finger to use? I don't see myself becoming Johnny Winters in a hurry, and still see myself playing my Casino on stage for a long time, but I love learning new instruments, and this is bound to provide hours of noisemaking joy. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwpete521281734008 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I agree, there's no right or wrong when it comes to sliding. I do, however, love the sound of a single coil when it comes to playing electric slide guitar (P90s, Danelectro style tubes, Fender Strat, etc...). You can also put a little truss rod relief in the neck for the higher action (but not too much). Heavey slides work much better for acoustic guitars but the light weight glass slide works better for electrics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Heavey slides work much better for acoustic guitars but the light weight glass slide works better for electrics. I gotta agree with Matiac on this issue. I kept losing my slides, but I ALWAYS had my handy dandy Bic lighter in my pocket!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I really like the Dunlop 218 glass slide. It is a heavy glass slide that is shorter than the rest and gives a very warm tone. I've used brass and chrome slides as well, but they are too bright for my taste. Tone really in't that important when you are first learning, the main thing is to mute all strings but the one you are playing. Sometimes easier said than done. I personally don't have a guitar set up specifically for slide. I keep the action fairly low on my guitars and the 218 works without any problem on any of my guitars whether I'm playing my LP, G-400, Strat, Dot, or Martin. There really isn't a right or wrong guitar. There are pluses and minuses to using special tunings though. I use regular tuning because I sometimes only have one guitar on stage and that way I can play slide if needed or not and not need to worry about the tunning. I don't have to learn new positions either. As far as which finger, that it totally up to you. I use my middle finger. I play more rock style and this allows me to play the root and 5th of the chords. I'm usually not doing any jazz chording when I using my slide. I was never able to get the hang of the pinky, but I can use the ring finger as well. The slide just feels more comfortable for me on my middle finger. When starting, I would just work on one string at a time. When you can get the note and tone you are looking for, then try moving from string to string. Playing slide is a lot of fun. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have an unknown brand chrome/steel (???) slide. Leilani also has an ESP/LTD EC-50 that I completely forgot about. (Catalog picture' date=' not our guitar)[/i'] It's an inexpensive LP-ish guitar that she picked up when she went from acoustic to electric to see if she liked electric guitars. Well she decided she liked electric and bought a Parker putting the LTD in the case where it has remained for years. When I told her about perhaps getting a SG type guitar for the humbucker sound and the solid body sustain, she pointed to the LTD in the case and said "Happy Valentines Day". It has the right "Duane Allman" sound and lots of sustain. The only problem is that it weighs a ton. After about a half hour of experimentation on it, I can make some caterwauling type sounds - it sounds terrible - but learning to control the beast should prove to be fun. Muting all the strings but the one(s) I want to play seems to be the first challenge to overcome. I guess I'll use fingers instead of a pick. I've decided to keep standard tuning. The last thing I need for someone who plays sax, flute, wind synth, keyboards, bass, and guitar is to learn another guitar tuning (I haven't gotten standard tuning down yet <grin>) I haven't decided what finger to use for the slide yet, still thinking about that. Pinky seems to be a little awkward right now, and actually is pretty comfortable on the index finger (and I can still bar chords that way. Does anybody have any pros or cons on which finger to use? I don't see myself becoming Johnny Winters in a hurry, and still see myself playing my Casino on stage for a long time, but I love learning new instruments, and this is bound to provide hours of noisemaking joy. Notes Sounds like a good axe to experiment with and the price is right! Watch most great slide players and you'll see that they mostly all use their fingers.....with a pick and a slide you are totally isolated from the instrument. I like my ring finger and glass on an electric guitar....and a nice vibrato helps.....it covers up the intonation boo-boos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwpete521281734008 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 "Does anybody have any pros or cons on which finger to use?" I use my pinky because I can fret with the other fingers. I also find it easier to damp when I use that finger for the slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickblues1 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I messed around with slide a bit. Like to use my index finger so I could also barr cord if needed. Glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suho Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Hmmm, I find myself alternating between my ring finger and the others. About 8 years ago, back in Albany, NY, I saw the Tom Healy band play a local bar. [Tom was a history teacher at the High School, although not mine.] It was him on acoustic (I think) or singing, a bass, drums, and a wicked lead player. He alternated most of the night between his Fender Strat and his Gibson SG. Both guitars sounded great but when he played slide there was no comparison... the Strat just had the fire jumping out of it and the SG seemed kind of muddy and harmonically muted. And when he played Fire on the Bayou, I nearly crapped myself! Man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 If you use 10s for strings, even with low action and a light-touch, any guitar will be fine for slide. I started playing slide about 10 years ago, very seriously in the past 5. A few years ago, I bough Warren Haynes' instructional video on slide and helped my technique a great deal. Previously, I was concentrating entirely on my left hand technique. Warren spends a lot of time on right hand) finger picking and right-hand dampening, which are TREMENDOUS techniques that are not hard to learn. He also uses "standard tuning" which is the tuning I use the most (and the best to learn). When you see him do it, you'll see it's quite simple to emulate, it helps immesarurably and you'll ask yourself "why didn't I figure that out 10 years ago?" BTW, you can find his videos and DVDs in your local music store or on eBay. For slide, it'll be the best investment you'll ever make. And, it'll work on any guitar that doesn;t have super-slinky strings. The only area Warren and I approach differently (other than I'm OK and he's terrific) is that I like thin-wall glass slides (dunlop) and he uses metal or the thick-wall glass bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 All the slide guys use different fingers - Johnny Winter uses his pinky. Warren uses his 4th finger. Dickey Betts uses his middle finger - which I find most effective and comfortable. I think left and right hand technique development will help the most to practice - really, what feels most natural to you, is probably the best finger to use. They say " the way you first pick-up a pencil as a kid, is how you should write." Proabably the same with a slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexygibson Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I prefer my ring finger when playing slide but you have to think, do you want to leave yourself open to playing chords with your slide on ? If so, you may have to opt for a different finger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Bonnie Raitt uses her middle finger and a Strat. That combo seems to work pretty well for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry1281734007 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I've been playing slide for about ten years now, and I'd suggest that you raise your action and put on heavier gauge strings. D'Addario EXL 145s (.12-.054) work pretty well for me. I'd suggest you use your little finger as it makes it easier to play chords . Don't forget to use your ring finger to damp the strings behind the slide. I use a Strat for most gigs, but just recently bought a Casino and I've set it up as well. The P90s sound great for slide. You'll find it easier to start on a flatter fretboard like the Epis have. Your local library can be a good source for instruction videos or DVDs on beginning slide. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwpete521281734008 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Years of playing slide? Well I started playing with a slide in 1963. Am I really that old? I guess so. Time goes by too fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I played slide only when doing covers that required it. I love listening to Betts, Haynes, and Allman but never really developed the desire to do slide improv except when I have to. My Strat seems to be easier to articulate individual notes on because the fretboard radius is higher. The Pauls are a little flatter and I tend to have trouble muting adjacent strings. A little compression goes a long way to prevent note fade on clean passages. I use my ring finger and I'm trying to develop a little finger technique to leave three adjacent fingers open for lead licks. I play with all four fingers of my left hand all the time when playing lead licks. I have noticed over the years that most lead players stretch the 2nd and 3rd fingers to cover the 3rd and 4th frets. And, they do a great job of it. IBut it's so much easier to develop a technique that uses one finger per fret if you have the patience to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 If you dampen the adjacent strings to the one you're playing, with your right hand, you don't need to be as diligent using a left-hand finger behind the slide. It's a different way of approaching it, but it works well, giving you more mobility with the left hand. Something Haynes spends a lot of time explaining in his slide-technique teaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Thank you all for your input. In the book Warren Haynes suggests damping with the right hand (and also the left at times) and they have one picture, but for my eyes it's not enough. Does anyone know where in the web I can see the right hand in action damping the strings so I can get a better idea as to how it's done? Thanks Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Tough to find a picture, but let me try to explain it. Since you're finger-picking without a pick, let's say you're finger-picking the B-string with your index finger. Your thumb and and middle finger and "saddling" the B-string and resting on the high-E and G-strings. This way, you're not getting any unwanted tones from the adjacent strings. Kinda like a tripod. Your thumb, index and middle fingers are touching the highest threee strings, but only your index finger is plucking. The other two digits are dampening as you're plucking the B-string. Hope this helps. I buy all my instruction stuff on eBay - and the Warren DVD is there. Here's a jpg of the cover: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 OK...since a picture's worth 1000 words....... [http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc200/pgazzara/HPIM1431.jpg/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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