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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:09 am
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I can't help you with that specifically, but I can tell you that I have had many good experiences using YouTube to search for examples and lessons. It's a great resource.

My son has played slide some and he uses a stock Stratocaster with no modifications favoring slide playing. He worked at it for quite a while to get a pretty good sound.

From what I have read, many professionals like to have a dedicated slide guitar, but that seems to be a refinement not a necessity.


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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:18 am
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Hi Nevin: I'm not the biggest slide player out there so I just use my regular guitars, usually in standard tuning. Still, there are some players who really are very good at slide - such as Buddy Whittington - who do that too so I guess it's OK.

None of my guitars are set up specifically for bottleneck (essentially, very high action) but there was a gentleman here last winter who had the frets removed from a Strat to use it for slide. I was rather intrigued by that, and as it happens I have an old neck lying around that isn't much worth for anything else, so in the fullness of time I plan a fretless Strat project for the Forum.

Several other projects to get through first, though.

One thing I've seen is these gizmos for raising the action at the nut for slide work, so's you can do that without permanent alterations:

http://www.stewmac.com/?PCR=1%3A100%3A1 ... rencyid=17

Never tried that one, but it's an experiment that wouldn't break the bank...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:32 pm
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Mister Landreth is a master.... 8) Mike

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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:40 pm
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cherokee747 wrote:
Mister Landreth is a master.... 8) Mike


+1

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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:28 am
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Nevin1985 wrote:
The stewmac link did not work for me, but I imagine it is one of those metal nuts that you put over your existing nut in order to raise the action.

They usually end up denting or scuffing the guitar though if left under tension for long periods.


Oh - no, it's not working for me either. Odd - sorry 'bout that. I'll try again, just in case someone is interested:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddl ... n_Nut.html

I hadn't heard they did harm: that's a useful warning.

Cheers - C

EDIT: there, that link works I think...?


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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:16 am
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always use my x, I have 11's on there, rarely write slide parts to show the guitar player, its not the easiest playing style for me but worth the effort every time. I like your idea about heavier strings, let us know when you test drive those, if you don't mess with the action fretting should be a breeze.

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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:37 am
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Like everybody else in the world, I really think you should listen to me. :lol:

This time, I am a little serious (fair warning alert) because I am a "normal" electric player with some experience that has spent some time studying electric slide.

First:

http://michaelmesser.proboards.com/index.cgi

This guy is the shanizzle and he will actually show up on his site and interact with you if he has something to say.

Unrelated sidenote: See the amp Michael is sitting on in some of his pictures? It's about a 1938 National amp. I have one just like it.

Anyway, I would stay away from the extention nuts. Good luck playing w/o raising the action. Don't pay for the job, because you will just get it home and find out that it is wrong for you. Raise the strings enough to get away from "clattering" your slide on the neck, but low enough where you can bar note with you free fingers or play a single note run w/o being out of tune. Go to heavier strings. Start with 10 to 52. I would stop with 11's. No, you won't need to mess with the truss rod with a rock-maple Fender neck.

I think you will have a lot more success playing in a slide tuning. A lot of people will tell you to use E, but try G as well.

Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7oPHLzEc3Q

Lowell uses G. By the way, if Lowell doesn't reach you, stop listening to me right now, because I am leading you down the wrong path. :)

I had trouble controling the slide on my little finger. Don't think you have to place the slide there. Check out Bonnie Raitt.

Use some nice hand vibrato like Lowell. If you don't, you will sound out of tune even if you are exactly on the note. Freebird by Lynard Sknard is a great example of how not to sound, IMHO.

In the end, I was coming along fine on the slide, but the time I spent took away from my practice time playing standard tuning guitar. I also had a strat dedicated to slide (tuning, action, strings) that meant that it was unavailable as a back-up in the unlikely chance that I needed it in a pro situation.

Good luck, pal. Enjoy yourself. :)


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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:46 am
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I just started slide in the last few weeks. I was listening to feelin' bad blues (Ry Cooder) from the Crossroads movie and became inspired.

Actually I am not too bad for a beginner.....I tuned to open E, metal slide, and no pick - just fingers......I am sitting down which is most comfortable to me - playing a Fender Telecaster.

I am having mucho fun and getting better all of the time. Just like anything else, practice, practice, practice. At my age though practice is fun!

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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:54 am
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cherokee747 wrote:
Mister Landreth is a master.... 8) Mike


I've seen Sonny 3 times... without a doubt he is THE slide player today.
A little bit of advice regarding slide playing - listen to a really good singer that you enjoy and try to imitate them. If you have never hrard this, get Rory Gallagher's second solo album, appropriately called "Deuce". This has possibly the greatest slide solo ever on a song "Crest of a Wave". Gallaghers' slide starts off sounding like a soprano singing and changes into growls, howls, shrieks. He has his amp & guitar turned totally up and you can hear after each phrase feedback starting - it's one (two actually) cool solo. If anyone wants to really hear some AWESOME playing, get this !!!!


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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:56 pm
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if it's an original '52 tele, you shouldn't even think about setting it up yourself (no offense, i wouldn't.) if you mess it up, there goes, like, 20 grand


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