Brass Slides

[TRU]

Just like learning guitar on a crappy instrument with poor action, learning to play slide with a slide that doesn't fit can really bog ya down and not let ya out of the gate very easily.

I play with my pinky and prefer brass.

Can some folks here reply with their preferred make/model, please?

[WordMan]

I love the slide made by Kirk Lorange a brilliant Aussie player.

http://www.bottleneckguitar.com

Nice and heavy, but with a shaped internal cross-section that fits your pinky - the finger it was designed for - snugly.

[Highway_61]

Originally Posted by TRU

Just like learning guitar on a crappy instrument with poor action, learning to play slide with a slide that doesn't fit can really bog ya down and not let ya out of the gate very easily.

I play with my pinky and prefer brass.

Can some folks here reply with their preferred make/model, please?

http://www.therockslide.com/shop/

[TRU]

Originally Posted by Highway_61

http://www.therockslide.com/shop/

yeah...but which one?

[Long Jon]

You can get made to measure here, ( http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/ ) but they are glass, not brass ...

[mstuartev]

Don't restrict yourself. Try a bunch. Diamond glass are killer. I had a Dunlop Mudslide (blue chips (blue ceramic) that sounded sweet. Also had a generic steel tube that was nice. Each have their own vibe.

[Bingoccc]

My limited experience with slides has taught me that they are like strings and picks. There are a lot to choose from, they produce different sounds that sound best to certain ears, on certain guitars, on certain strings. You need to try a bunch and find what does it for you. I have glass, ceramic and even a spark plug socket.

[modgar]

AcoustaGlide:

http://latchlakemusic.com/slides/

Gary

[Gypsyblue]

I have a jillion slides.

Brass seems to heavy for my electric guitars with .010 - .046 strings, and it presses the strings down to far and rattles against the frets sometimes.

On my electrics I use a Coricidin bottle and get a much nicer sound...but that's a bit to light to use on my acoustic slide guitars with heavier strings.

For my acoustic slide guitars I do sometimes use a brass slide, but usually I use a Dunlop glass slide that's about the same size as the Coricidin bottle but made from thicker glass.

So light glass for my electric guitars and heavier glass for my acoustics.

I want to order a Derek Trucks glass slide. It's like a Coricidin bottle but heavier.

[Wolfram]

Check out Jan Simon (Daddyslide). He doesn't use brass, but makes a good slide from German silver, bronze or phosphor bronze. Bronze or German silver (which I find to respond similarly to brass) would be worth considering. And Jan makes a proper slide - to your specs, turned from a solid bar, not cut from a pre-formed tube.

I debuted a new Wolfram slide, made from hand-polished marine grade stainless steel, at the London Acoustic Show a couple of weekends ago, but I don't currently intend on using brass. I aim to achieve a clear, precise and controllable tone with maximum playability from a low-friction surface; brass has a somewhat darker tone, with a lot more drag on the strings.

Response at the show to the new slides was fantastic, so they're about to go into production. And while they will not match the performance of my Signature solid tungsten carbide slides, stainless steel is a lot easier to work with (they don't take 8 weeks to make!) so they will cost a fraction of the price. I'll make an announcement on AGF when they are available.

Cheers,
David

[jaybones]

I'm fortunate enough to have an antique aspirin bottle that I use for slide. Its green, and Duane's is clear, but other than that they're the same. Also tried many different materials (glass, metal), and items not meant to be slides (deep sockets, diposable lighters, even a real beer bottle). And I've found the aspirin bottle to be the best fit and tone for me.

[aknow]

Rock-slide ... heavy

[Acoustigator]

Along with trying different materials and weights also try different lengths. I personally find the average length slides (3" or whatever they are) that all music stores stock too long and cumbersome for my playing.

I'm a blues player and I went through a half dozen slides trying to hit on something that would allow me to play slide whilst chording around the slide (a la Robert Johnson). Then I read that Johnson played with an unusually short slide. So I bought a Dunlop 212 (2" pyrex) and bingo! The shorter length means that it hugs my finger and stays out of my way when I want to wear it for rhythm playing between slide licks.

That won't work for everyone -- but keep experimenting and you'll find what works for you.

[krisls]

I will second the brass slide that Kirk Lorange sells, thick and heavy and very well made. I use a piece of a neoprene can holder cut and stitched to fit inside so it's more snug.

Tried many, metal and glass, the metal are too raspy and the glass... well having dropped a few they're messy and sound a little harsh anyway. Brass works for me, not that I do a lot of slide, but hey...

Kris

[syrynx]

TRU, I use the largest of the three Dunlop Harris Slides, the model 232. The inside fits my pinky very well, and the concave outside works well for me on fingerboard radii from 9.5" to 12". I had previously used a Lowell George-approved 11/16" socket wrench for many years. I was very pleased at how much better the Dunlop slide performs (on my pinky, at least) with light strings and low action.

(The Dunlop page contradicts itself. At the top, it says, "Available in three sizes;" down below, it states, "Available in two sizes." But at least one vendor still offers the smallest of the three, the model 230, in addition to the 231 and 232.)