Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on February 11, 2016 at 5:01pm

I have always wanted to try flatwound strings...

If you aren't already, you should drag a finger behind the slide on the strings... That helps, too...

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on February 11, 2016 at 9:37pm

The "rasping" sound is most likely your slide technique rather than the strings. It moment the slide makes contact with the string is critical, and getting rid of the overtones by trailing a finger behind the slide (known as damping behind the slide) is the best way of doing this. It takes a while to get the hang of.

Flatwound strings don't really offer any advantage for slide, as they cut a lot of  top end frequencies and tend not to sustain as well as ordinary roundwound strings. If you want a very mellow bassy sound with little top end bite then they might be for you, but bear in mind they are generally used by jazz players on hollowbody guitars to help give that warm, mellow tone, that tells you about the sound you'll get from them

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Permalink Reply by Oli on February 11, 2016 at 9:55pm

Thanks, that means: practice, practice, practice

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on February 11, 2016 at 11:03pm

Yes, give it another 10 years is what I tell people...

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on February 13, 2016 at 3:53pm

I use both, but find nickel wound electrics to sound best for me.   Chicken Bone John taught me several things that help me a lot. 

1.  the importance of dragging a finger on the string behind the slide

2.  Good body and guitar posture keeping the slide flat and even over the strings. 

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Permalink Reply by Bristol Blue on February 13, 2016 at 5:37pm

In my experience, nickel electric strings and not too light a gauge, high as practical action and a glass slide. If you're fretless especially ,this combination should now sound smooth as butter ! 

Also as the others guys have said , make sure your slide is nice n parallel & flat on  the strings and damp the strings behind the slide. I find if I play guitar style, the slide (one of Toelar's Blues Bottles) is on my ring finger and if I'm lap style (I don't have a tone bar anyway) the slide (Jim Dunlop 210) is on my index finger. 

I recently aquired a 4 string fretless Hubcap guitar I have issues with . It's short scale tuned DADA and that low D flaps like hell. Ok with distortion but clean you gotta be careful. Just thought I would throw that in .... 

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on February 13, 2016 at 8:47pm

As high an action as practical is the opposite of what I recommend for slide. In terms of the set-up, the most important thing is a decently high string tension, which means fairly heavy gauge stirngs. This helps resist the pressure of the slide, reducing the tendency to "clunk" the strings and slide on the frets. With a good set of strings, I shoot for about 1mm action at the 1st fret and 3mm at the  12th fret, and that's plenty high enough for side, yet low enough not to have to wrestle the strings down to the frets. With a fretless gutar you can go lower, especially at the nut, as there are no frets to worry about gettign rattles off.

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Permalink Reply by Bristol Blue on February 14, 2016 at 12:28am

Hi John, to me 1mm feels impossibly low for slide on anything ,but anyway, taking on board your recommendation ,I tried sliding on my '52 AVRI Tele which has got std Fender nickel 10's & a low action and found it ok in std tuning, so maybe my technique is improving! On the other hand I have a cheapo Harley Benton Reso with about 2.5mm at the 1st fret which I encounter the wrestling you mention to the point I hardly touch it now as I have no clue how to lower the height of the biscuit ! 

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