Looking to buy a slide for a 4 string CBG. Not sure if I will be using it on pinky or ring finger. I'll probably have to get a few to try out. Thinking either glass, ceramic, bone or ??? other than metal. Not sure if I should get a short/stubby one or not. Anyways any suggestions? There's no guitar shop near where I live so I gotta shoot in the dark here. 

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • Think it might be a combo of string height and that perhaps not all strings are level with each other. 

    • Slide noise  can  depend  on alot of things ..  different people  hold  a slide   at  different  angles     and with    different  fingers  . 

      even  different  slides  ..  if your angle  is  not  flat across   ,,   you    may   get   rattle on  either  end string  ,,     if  by  nature  you  cant  break  the habit  of your      finger  / wrist angle  ..  try a tapered slide  , like  a  bottle  neck  ..  try  it   both  ways  too. taperd  back  and  foward  . 

      some folks also     use   their    trail   fingers to  mute the strings  behind  the slide  abit  ..  because  you are bound to  get some rattle    no  matter  what  . ( or palm  mute .)

       also  there  is the     "approach"   to  the  string     , i  say "approach"  because ; think   of the  slide  as an  airplane    landing   on the string    at an  angle,   and  approach  the  string as  such  ..this  will  reduce   rattle  .

         a head on  drop  is  more likely to  produce rattle ,

      the same  with  lift  off    . but  dont  be afraid of  the string approach   even on a drop.

      bottom line  ,  the more  you  play ,  the more  you will  find  out  what works best   for you  . 

      it  will  get  better  . 

      sit up straight  also    , that  helps  . ;-) dont  tilt  the  guitar to  see the  fret markers  , use the side markers  .

      then again  ..  some  folks  let  it  rattle away     and  call  it  "character"  ;-)

       that works too. 

    • I got a stubby king slide from Shane a while back and it and my trusty homemade copper are my go tos .  My first slide was from a Thunderbird bottle, still hade the ring from the screw on top.

  • Some things that helped me - lightly drag your first finger (and second if the slide is on the third) to dampen sounds from the upper neck. High action is a lot easier to avoid clunking the neck. A bevel on the edge of the fretboard helps so you have more room vs a sharp corner.
    • Hi, what find is that if the outside strings are too far in from the edge of the fingerboard, then there is more chance of hitting fret ends with the slide.

      Raising the action helps as mentioned. Raise at both ends, set intonation for fingering, which for me is mainly at the nut end. I adjust my slide positioning over the high end frets, for correct intonation up higher.

      Dont try to stop over the fret. Developed a wrist action that keeps the slide moving very slightly back and forth over the fret, but maintains the note you want. I think one has to develope ones hearing, as well as techniques.

      Also try heavier strings.

      And.....don't try to play too fast too soon, get it right and move on.

      Good luck, Taff

  • It shouldn’t be about pressure, it should just be sliding over the fret evenly. Takes some practice getting used to getting clear notes, shouldn’t be much work like you’re saying. Maybe if you posted a video, you’ll get some feedback? Good luck

  • So I've been working with the glass slide I bought. Not sure if it's guitar's setup or merely technique but I find that I have to execute a lot of control in order for my slides to not sound horrendous. Like I watch videos and it sounds so smooth and rich and I'm struggling to not have this horrible clanking sound. I change my pressure and position and it's a lot of work, A LOT, to get the sound to be smooth and precise. I see videos of others play slide and I seriously wonder what I'm doing wrong. I try to get the pressure just right across all strings right over the fret but it seems to require a huge effort in precision. 

  • I have a set of Draper sockets which are perfectly cylindrical and made for the job. Probably a bit heavy for your pinky but I mostly play lap steel style so the weight is less of an issue.
  •  Here’s a link to a simple video 

    http://soundboxguitars.com/how-to-2/make-a-bottle-neck-slide/

This reply was deleted.