Who uses a slide?

therose789

I think I'm going to buy a slide but I don't know the difference between them all!

I had a metal one a long time ago but never really used it but I think I would now!

What would you recomend? What is good for what?

I don't play contry music tho...

not_the_dj

I'm rubbish playing slide...but I do prefer a glass slide to a metal one.

mart

Used to have one of these

http://www.littletikes.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/800x533/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/7/172403e3_first_slide_blue_3.jpg

Metal ones are ok, but tend to get very hot in summer.

BigMonka

I think heavier ones give a better tone but you have to balance that against ease of playing.

Also think about how you'll use it, i.e. a half slide for your little finger might be more useable for part way through a song where you need the rest of your fingers free.

Neil

I'm pretty rubbish at slide (not enough practise) but I did find that a half length glass job was best for me. 

Best to go to a shop to find what suits/fits you best. 

impmann

Tbh, I actually prefer the Dunlop chrome slides that everyone else think are crap and can't make a nice noise with a glass one... so it pays to try a few.

FWIW - glass can be smoother sounding, chrome ones are a bit more scratchy and metallic and the brass ones seem to be the scratchiest of all... but that's just with me playing with one. You may find something completely different.

DartmoorHedgehog

I've got a thinnish glass one.  People say thicker, heavier ones sound better but as a fairly occasional slide dabbler I find the lighter one easier to use, and it sounds fine to me.

english_bob

You'd normally wear the slide on your ring or pinky finger.

Glass has a brighter, thinner tone than metal.

The length and uh... girth of the slide are a matter of comfort and personal preference.

As @BigMonka says, a heavier slide should give better tone and more sustain, but will be heavier and might be harder to control.

Slide works best with a slightly higher action. You don't have to go nuts and make the guitar unplayable as a fretted instrument, but a really low action will probably lead to the slide crashing in to the frets, which is not cool.

Roland

The type of slide you want depends on what you're going to play with it. Years ago I decided not to deviate from standard tuning, which limits my slide playing. I suppose I could change that decision, but I don't play enough slide to merit it. I've got three different slides for different purposes. Heavy brass for the lower strings, and when using overdrive. A light weight, short length chrome which I use just on the top two. Being a short length I can also play some chords whilst wearing it. Lastly I've got a glass slide, which has a sweeter tone, and suits cleaner tones.

My advice is to get several different slides and try them over a couple of weeks.

Voxman

I have three, Brass, Chrome & Glass.  

You're quite right that different materials give different tones. Very much depends on my mood.  If I want a 'smoother' gentler and more 'refined' blues tone I'll use glass - if I want a more 'aggressive' tone then I'll use Brass or Chrome.  Brass is the heaviest slide I have.  It's not so much about sustain, just that the brass and chrome have different 'timbres' - the Chrome gives more top end and is brighter, the Brass is a little fuller sounding but not as bright.  I use the slide on my pinky because it releases my 1st, 2nd & 3rd fingers for fingering.   

Bit of slide here at 08:27 using the Brass slide and a double drop D tuning (kinda of pinched the main riff from 'Travelling Riverside Blues).  Guitar was a Vox SC55 that I had on loan for a while:

On his one I used a chrome slide - you should be able to hear that it's a little brighter with a slightly more 'tinny' quality that works nicely for rock blues. 

 

Lexie1

Where's Lew when we need him. 

WezV

I have a heavy polished brass one from Dunlop and a paloma stone slide.

The ceramic one is great, really smooth and whist its quite chunky its very light for its size. A light touch works well

The heavy brass is a lot raspier but that rawness works well for some things.

But really I prefer lapsteel, and they need a heavy chromed brass tonebar

richardhomer

Whatever you do, avoid 'thin' anything. Regardless of the material they are made from, thin walled slides sound thin and weak.

I personally find metal ones too bright; heavy glass always works well for me.

If you use high levels of gain, you may find a metal one better in terms of clarity/definition.

GuitarMonkey

I use one of those pill bottles which works for me.

english_bob

GuitarMonkey said:

I use one of those pill bottles which works for me.

Coricidin. Good enough for Duane Allman and Derek Trucks. Several people make replicas now, since aspirin hasn't come in glass bottles in my lifetime, and I'm 35 1/2.

Nomad

Most important thing is to get one that fits around the finger you intend to use. When they're too small, they're much easier to put on than they are to get off - and when you have to get the soapy liquid out to get the thing off, all the other slide guitarists will laugh at you and kick sand in your face.

If the guitar action is marginal, I find that glass is less likely to hit the frets than brass (a bit easier to control the reduced mass of glass). To me, glass sounds a bit sweeter than brass, especially on acoustic.

equalsql

I use glass or brass. I play with the slide on my ring-finger and favour Jim Dunlop 218 which is their medium length heavy glass version.
I find that lighter glass slide tend to sap the tone and sustain.

I also use one of their tapered heavy brass slides and this works really well on my resonator and parlour acoustics. I personally find the brass ones too heavy for use on electric though due to the lighter string gauges. 

I'm not a fan of the lighter chrome slides... they just feel and sound insipid.

bandmaster188

Once again have to recommend http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/ the ultimates which are a bit pricey are made from lead crystal and have a very smooth tone. They can be quite weighty if you go for a heavy walled one. I've got a couple, the thickest being about 6mm. The standard range ones are good too. Oh, and made to measure!

therose789

So what would ou all recomend for someone with sausage fingers?

bandmaster188

Just whatever fits and feels comfortable. Maybe worth buying a cheapy slide to see how you get on then go from there!

koneguitarist

Ceramic or Glass for me, but I do have brass ones as well. Depends more on gauge of strings, light strings use a light slide, heavier gauge, use a heavier slide.