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Slides

Black Bear

Dances With Bears
Joined
Sep 14, 2001
Messages
1,159
As a budding slide player, I'm wondering what you veteran slide-slingers use. I've used thin-walled glass (sucks), coricidin bottle replicas (fit my fatass finger all wrong), and now I'm trying a moonshine slide-ceramic. The moonshine seems to have a pretty warm sound, less residual noise, and feels good.

I'm interested in everyone's opinions on slides and tone...lemmee have it!
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
SO's a great big spark plug socket. Or a bottle neck. Or even a beer bottle with the label removed- Danny Gatton could rip you a new one just messing around with a beer bottle on stage.
 
R

RICH

Guest
I wonder how an old EL34 would work if you managed to get the guts out of the glass?
 

Lily

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 13, 2001
Messages
8,793
Paging Mr. Pitts!!!! Come in Mr. Pitts! :)spin
 

Ed Rafalko

Les Paul Forum Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
6,287
Thin-walled slides don't seem to be popular, though some people love them. If I was gonna buy a slide, metal or glass, I'd get thick-wall. I have no idea why. People do use thin-walled slides all the time. A Cigar tube, if it were nice and thick walled for a cigar tube, would work well.
But aren't those made of tin? That m,ight not produce a great tone.
 

Black Bear

Dances With Bears
Joined
Sep 14, 2001
Messages
1,159
The thin-walled glass slides I've tried were real noisy, and sounded, well, THIN. I guess they don't have enough mass to "hold' the note??? I'm by no means an authority, but to me, thicker is better, and I seem to like the short lengths better as well...
 
J

jiml

Guest
corricidan

loving the new "duane allman" slide, repro of the originals..

i think dunlop made a slide that was based on the corricidan bottle, but with varying weights and bottle openings..

i have a few that i don't use anymore if you want em, email me...

big heart (?) also makes some really cool stuff, old bottle necks, stuff like that..
 
S

stxrus

Guest
got a coulpe of old pill bottles, the metal inset from a toilet paper dispenser (presley's truck stop vicksberg miss. circa 1972) and the neck of a handblown bottle aprox 150 - 175 years old. good heavy glass, lots of seeds in the glass, somewaht uneven but works really good. my "true" historic

steve
 

Davepaf

Davius J. Pufficus
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
4,250
I like metal slides. Glass sounds too shrill to me. I like the slide to be snug on my pinky, so I try to find the smallest diameter I can find. I still usually have to glue a piece of felt in there though so it doesnt fly off.
 

Black Bear

Dances With Bears
Joined
Sep 14, 2001
Messages
1,159
Like I said I'm relatively a newbie to slide playing, so I'm still figuring out what I like the best. The ceramics are nice because they absorb alot of moisture, and don't slide on your finger.

Hey jiml...are those originals or repros?
 

JoeP

New member
Joined
Jul 23, 2001
Messages
1,168
The heavier the slide, especially glass, the more sustain you'll have,, ofcourse, you will have the weight problem of "adjusting" your intonation. I've used original Coricidian bottles since 1969.. I like the moonshine slide, especially with a really bright guitar, it tends to tame the "shrill" tones down. Metal sounds really good if your going to go for the old delta sound... really raspy. Smooth tones usually are pretty heavy glass bottles. Really rude, raspy sounds are metal, and the "fat warm in between" (how's that Snags!!!) is usually ceramics.. And, the different type of slide you use, you need to adjust your feel on the strings,, lighten your touch, maybe make it heavier,, so on so forth. Alot of folks trying glass don't like it because it's really shrill, but if you barely press down on the strings, that shrillness will go away. That is why, the heavier the glass, the better. I have always used the slide on my ring finger, but lately I've been doing some stuff with it on my pinky, so I can actually play behind the slide, (ala Sonny Landreth).. Just learn to control your slide, that is helpful, but the REAL deal comes in your right hand (if your a right handed guitarist).. That is where you dampen all the unwanted notes,, and leave the ones you do want.. It's all in the RIGHT HAND!!!!!!!!!

But, be warned, ceramics break the first time you drop it.. Glass is forgiving, it may take a few drops to break, but metal, you can use it for a weapon if the need arises.....

And, when all else fails, use a bic liter.. It can play slide and lite the bong at the same time...

JoeP
 

GuitarG

New member
Joined
Jul 16, 2001
Messages
2,648
My favorite glass slides have been ones I made from wine bottles. I use a thick, smooth bottle with little flare to the neck. Unfortunately I broke my favorite one, I had been using it for eight years, and have yet to find a bottle that I like as much. I've been using the 'Duane Allman' slide on my LP and it works well with a light touch. I would love to have an original Coricidan bottle again. It was all I used for years. For metal slides a nice surprise has been the 'rockslide' After seeing an ad in Vintage Guitar Mag, I ordered one and it is very comfortable. It was a nice weight, finish and tone. I think it was $14.95. Their site is http://www.therockslide.com/
http://www.therockslide.com An old standby is always a Craftsman socket. (I think I use an 11/16")
For acoustic and National I use a brass acoustiglide slide. It was a warm tone fairly low string noise.
And I agree with Joe P. It's all in the right hand. When you put a slide on, lose the pick.
 

BKRMON

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2001
Messages
49
GuitarG

Thanks for the link.

Interesting slide. Check out this guy's band Too Slim &The Taildraggers. Their CD "King Size Trouble Makers" is good stuff.
 

Scott Stulken

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
251
If you're doing the psychedelic stuff (a la Syd Barrett, Jimi Hendrix...), you NEED a Zippo. ;)

- Scott
 
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