Diamond Bottlenecks

[trash116]

Being really new to slide playing I have found this site really useful, one place it has led me to is Diamond Bottlenecks. I know lots of you will already know about Ian & this place - but i just want to recommend them to anyone how doesnt - great slides and a great guy. Ive been playin with my new bottleneck all afternoon ! And would really recommend them

Ian great to meet you & thanks alot - its great - i'll be back for more im sure.

[fibrebundle]

They truly are magnificient! I mean the bottlenecks AND the people making them.

[Deleted]

As I said back in October last year

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I've had the Ultimate Ian made for me for over a month now and am very happy indeed. I had guessed that there would be an improvement in sound, control and general feeling and confidence of movement but I wasn't prepared for how much. It's almost as if my slide playing [which I was fairly proud of anyway] has had the cotton wool removed and starts to sing in a strident and confident way but still with access to subtlety and an overall great sound. He even made my Ultimate to match the colour of my guitar!

Ian is a genius craftsman who provides us all with the opportunity to realise our musical dreams - all we have to do is practise!

[Ian McWee]

Hi Chaps!

Thanks for the lovely words here & it was great to meet trash116 at our workshop ~ hope the new slide is working it's 'mojo' for you

Hope you all don't mind me updating folks about our current situation here at 'Diamond Towers'! My time on the computor is now so limited (due to workload!...not complaining at all!! ) that cruising the forums has gone from a once a day pleasure to once a week now & i'm missing all of the postings, not meaning to appear a miserable git ;D

Our France workshop is almost ready to fire-up ~ it's headed by Brett and is located in Brux, Central France (Karl will know where it is!). Slides should begin being manufactured in Brett's shop by early June, and all mainland European customers will be able to pick up the contact info from our website in due course. Our own re-built workshop here in the Black Country will be ready for us to re-occupy around mid-July time, with D.B's own separate fully fitted-out workshop & a new full-time member of staff (our Tom).

As most folks here probably know, one of my all-time heroes is Rory Gallagher, and we're absolutely chuffed to bits to announce that we're supplying the official commemorative bottlenecks for the 'Going To My Hometown' Rory festival in Ballyshannon (engraved with the festival's name) - so if anyone here is heading to Ballyshannon next month....keep a lookout for the slides ....

Many thanks again ~ with best regards & Slide On!

Ian & the 'D.B's team

[slidenpickit]

Hi Ian,
Any chance of glass a slide with a specific radius in the pipeline (like a Dunlop 227 only glass)?

[Ian McWee]

Hi Chris ~ the answer is yes....and no

We created an exact copy of a Dunlop 227 using one of our thick-walled 'Ultimate' crystal tubes & various concave-radius glass shaping / polishing wheels a few years ago (co-incedentally for a slide-player in Durham for his PRS!)

It took four hours to create this special slide (usual time to make up an 'Ultimate' is 20 minutes) and when we totalled up the hourly labour costs that we should've charged for the work - no-one spoke to me for days!!!!.....I may get lynched if i mention another's in the pipeline

Cheers mate & Slide On!

Ian.

[slidenpickit]

Thanks Ian,

So if a person really wanted such a slide.........................and was prepared to pay the price?

Regards

[growler]

Hi Ian
Brux as the 'Crow flies ' from my place .......150 miles, driving about 200 miles,
I suppose in the scheme of things driving that distance is not far here in France. The only thing you would have to seriously consider over here is driving all that way ....... and finding him shut.

It will be worth a day out though to drive there and try some slides

Regards
Growler

[Ian McWee]

Hi Chaps!

Brett will be making the basic ('Original & Redhouse') bottlenecks to start, and will work up to the crystal stuff when he's settled into the French way of life, so if you're intending to visit him Karl, drop me a line & i'll forward his contact details

Chris ~ i'll p.m. you with more info

Slide On!

Ian.

[DaveRed]

I know that Diamond Bottlenecks have a fantastic reputation in Europe and the US but I have found them to be a disappointment. I ordered a Red House at the end of September last year. I got tired of waiting and got a Rock Slide slide. They're a US company, and make 3 different sizes of slide, the one that I needed for my little finger fits like a glove. Their UK website is www.madisonandfifth.co.uk/rockslide.index.htm

[Deleted]

I have a Rock Slide somewhere or other, but the only two slides I regularly use are both from Diamond Bottlenecks and for me I find the tone and feel far superior....different materials, though, so obviously not a like-for-like comparison

[Ian McWee]

Hi all & thanks again for your kind words here ~ Hey davered - please accept my apologies on behalf of 'D.B's ~ we have no outstanding 'Redhouse' bottlenecks on our order books, and as far as i know all 'Redhouse' orders have been shipped! I'm currently away from the office & workshop until Thursday, but as soon as i return home i'll check it out & contact you directly on the forum P.M. here in regards to getting one out to you as soon as i can ~ no charge!

Slide On from windy Dorset!

Ian (D.B's)

[oldmanblue]

I can only speake from experiance i have found D.B'S to be helpfull above & beyond what can be expected .o.m.b

[Steverb]

Davered, when I went to Slidefest earlier this year I accidentally dropped and chipped one of Ian's crystal glass bars. Not only did he refuse to let me pay for it but he also had his workshop polish one of my home-cut bottlenecks free of charge! As his post suggests, I'm sure Ian will sort you out and I'll be very surprised if you find anything to compare, tone wise.

[DaveRed]

Ian contacted me after my post and apologized for the mistake, saying that nothing like this had happened before.
I had originally ordered a Red House but he can't do it in the size I want so he has offered to make me an Ultimate to my specs at no charge. Now that's service!