Guitar for slide - advice, please.

Subject: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: GUEST,Joe Moran
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 08:33 AM

I'm after an acoustic guitar to use specfically for slide playing. I've got a budget of about £350/$500. Any advice?

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Stour Delta
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 09:01 AM

Assuming you intend to use a "flat top" and not a Resonator guitar, pretty much any low end (cheaper) guitar would be fine.

What you need is a high action so that the strings don't touch the fret board as you slide up and down, also heavy gauge strings.

Most cheap guitars satisfy both these conditions.

If you are thinking about buying a resonator then you could try copies made by Ozark, Samick or Vintage for about £300--400.
But these are not that good IMO.

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: GUEST,JOe Moran
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 09:14 AM

Stour Delta: Thanks for the advice. I remember Stefan Grossman saying that cheap guitars could be great for slide because many are on the heavy side which leads to greater sustain.

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Bobjack
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 09:18 AM

Another method joe, which I've seen used often is to create a false nut over the first fret by inserting a chrome rod between the strings and the neck, thus raising the string height.Then retune and off you go!

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Stour Delta
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 09:40 AM

Joe, you've obviously seen the same Stefan Grossman video as me.
Infact he makes the point that the heavier the slide the greater the sustain.

That a cheap guitar has less overtones & harmonies than a "good
guitar" so is ideal.
I use an Hohner which has an action like a cheese cutter.

S.G. recommends an old "Harmony Stella"- yeah right as if you're gonna
find one of those easily.

BTW typical tunnings are open G (DGDGBE) and open D (DADF#AD.
Sorry if i'm teaching grandma to suck eggs!

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Stour Delta
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 09:47 AM

That should of course be DGDGBD.

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Mark Clark
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 10:10 AM

Rick Fielding provided a great how-to article on making a little gadget to raise the strings for slide playing. I've made these following Rick's step-by-step instructions and they work great.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: ddw
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 01:11 PM

Actually, Stour Delta, the tuning you put first is a valid tuning — an open G6th — that Skip James used a lot. Paul Geremia and John Cephas use it now when they're playing Skip's tunes.

cheers,

david

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: DADGBE
Date: 30 Jan 04 - 01:18 PM

Hi Joe,

You might want to check out one of those new Johnson resophonics. I picked up their brass body National style knock off and it sounds great! For blues and bottleneck style it's good unmodified right from the shop.

I put a raised nut on it and added a thin leather ring under the rim of the cone and it makes a sweet slide instrument.

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Mark Clark
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 01:12 AM

DADGBE, Please explain “…added a thin leather ring under the rim of the cone…”   Is this a common addition to resophonic instruments? I assume it helps isolate the cone from the body of the instrument. How is the sound changed? How is the volume changed?

Did you make your own thin leather ring or are they commercially available? If you made it, what material did you ask for when buying?

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: GUEST,Mountain Tyme
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 02:12 AM

The raised nut for converting to slide guitar is a readily available chrome plated accessory sold at many music stores. It is a flat plate bent to an acute angle allowing the ends of the plate to rest upon the head stock behind the nut and the fingerboard in front of the nut while supporting the strings in small spacing notches. I paid I think about $0.80 for each of the ones I carry in my case. They can be installed or removed in a minute or two. With a "round neck" guitar optional "finger style" is only minutes away.
Some resonated guitars builders use a felt (as from a vintage mens dress hat) "shim" under the cone. One could be purchased directly from one of these builders as a replacement part. Or, any type "cordage" from a hobby/sewing shop could be tacked about the edge of the hole. This "gasket" is only intended to subdue the risk of probable vibrations of a poorly fitted cone in cheaper instruments. It is not really needed if a good fit is obtained.
My first "resonated" guitar was a Sears catalogue Silvertone (I think made by Gibson) circa 1940's with purchased accessory raised nut and an inverted paint can lid under the bridge.
Very good guitar buys abound when a "neck reset" becomes required. Good cheap place to start for this project. Delete the "finger style" option.
Hope this helps widen the possibilities for you.

Subject: RE: Guitar for slide - advice, please.
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 08:07 AM

Wild Willy Barret used a six inch nail to raise the action of a very beat up guitar for bottleneck/slide playing when he 'did' Uxbridge a couple of years ago. Perhaps it only works if you are as good a musician as Willy.