Acoustic resonator

[rrr]

;)OK this is different. I have a Republic Minolian resonator and was thinking about putting on medium gauge coated strings, for a smoother slide sound .......anyone have an opinion about that?

[Deleted]

Personally, I have tried coated strings (elixirs) twice now and both times they have "shed" that coating in a stringy mess. I have wondered about flatwounds on a slide guitar but haven't tried it yet.

[Deleted]

For me it depends on what style Im playing. For playing really fast percussive slide stuff, I prefer smoother strings.
TT

[gaucho]

It's mostly a matter of technique. Try a product called Fast Fret on your strings. A super smooth slide makes a difference too. The quietest ones I have tried are Diamond Bottleneck's Blue Diamond and highly polished steel or brass slides. I haven't heard anything good about coated strings for slide playing.

[Michael Messer]

Hello rrr,

Welcome to our forum.

Personally speaking; I don't like coated strings on any guitar as I think although they last longer, they don't sound good and they feel weird.
I especially don't like coated strings on resophonic guitars used for slide playing.

If you want a smooth sound you should find the right slide for you and develop your technique. No amount of string coating will cover inexperienced technique and a scratchy sounding slide. Having said that, Fast Fret, the product that Gaucho recommended is very good for keeping strings smooth and stopping them from corroding, making them last much longer than they would without it. I don't use it on a regular basis, but I have tried it and really ought to keep some in my guitar case. I was told about Fast Fret by Debashish Bhattacharya, so I know it is good stuff.

Flatwound strings are just no good at all on acoustic or resophonic guitars, I just wouldn't even think about them. They are okay for some styles of playing on electric lap steels, but even then I prefer to use regular strings and good technique.

Developing your technique is the most important thing you need to do to get a powerful smooth sweet tone with very little string noise. I should add that regular strings smooth down with slide playing. After a few days playing they should be worn down enough to give a smoother sound. You will also find that your guitar will open up and the cone will sweeten as time goes by.

Regarding slides; Gaucho is correct about Diamond Bottlenecks Blue Diamond. You should also take a look at Tribotone Slides. Made by Eric Ebner in Austin, these are the smoothest and most string-noiseless slides you will find. They are not cheap, but they are very good and although I love my steel and glass slides, there will always be a Tribotone in my kit.

I hope all that makes some sense and is helpful to you. Hopefully a few other forum members will give you their thoughts on the subject and if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask. There is usually someone around that can help.

Shine On
Michael.