skydog52 Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Andbody out there have any information on the best set up for playing slide guitar? Would it be better to leave it to a good tech? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydog Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 A lot depends on whether you can afford to dedicate the guitar to slide only, or if it has to do double duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydog52 Posted December 2, 2007 Author Share Posted December 2, 2007 I am definitely going to dedicate one guitar to slide. Is there a general rule of thumb on string height, or is it a matter of preference and feel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slider313 Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 I use the same guitar, standard tuned, for slide and standard playing. If you open tune then you may want to have a guitar just for slide duty. I find touch and damping are the most important factors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydog52 Posted December 2, 2007 Author Share Posted December 2, 2007 Has anybody ever used an extension nut? I found one at stewmac.com. It's less than $4.00, for that price I guess I can't go wrong trying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCovach Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 I've got an American Tele with a busted truss rod, which leaves the neck pretty bowed. I raised the action and use it for slide--it sounds great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayta Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Andbody out there have any information on the best set up for playing slide guitar?Would it be better to leave it to a good tech? Nah, you can do it. Put a little bow in the neck, raise the saddles a couple mm and tune to an open G. Off ya go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage4 Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Has anybody ever used an extension nut? I found one at stewmac.com.It's less than $4.00, for that price I guess I can't go wrong trying it. I've used one and it works well. Gives you more of a Dobro feel. Personally I use a brass slide with the action a little bit higher but not so high I can't play standard on it in standard tuning. I use a brass slide because for my ears glass and chrome/steel always sounded to thin and lacked sustain. The SG you've got makes a great guitar for slide work in terms of upper fret access and tone. My two cents. Heritage4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydog52 Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 Thanks Heritage 4. I will order one and try it on the SG. What open tunings do you work in? Any tips on getting started? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoslate Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Skydog: After playing quite a while, I'm just coming over to slide. Something really simple that's worked for me and been fun to boot is thus: drop down to open D - G - D - G - B - D. Chords sound great, and the patterns for licks are coming right along, the transitions from one note to the next are very natural to both the ear and the feel. Not planning to acquire the "Robot-Guitar" any time soon, I've dedicated my old Frankenstein Strat (kind of an unstable neck) to slide...easy to pick up and just go. Talented slide players have my sincerest admiration, especially those who wail in standard tuning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage4 Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Skydog, many moons ago when I started playing slide I experimented with several different tunings. The two that I tend to favor are either standard tuning or an open E chord, from low to high: E,B,E,G#,B,E. Works great for blues ("Dust My Broom") and for country. Hope that helps. Heritage4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.