SlideRig......

[Michael Messer]

As some of you will remember, a few weeks ago a new forum member, Simon Keats, posted an advert for an effects pedal, which I immediately deleted because of the 'no advertising' rule we have on the forum. After deleting the advert, my curiosity got the better of me and I checked out the product called a SlideRig which intrigued me.

I found a website and contacted Simon to find out more. After a conversation about my 'no adverts' rule, we got talking and it turned out that Simon lives only 20 minutes drive from me, so he dropped round with a SlideRig for me to try. We had great couple of hours plugging in electric guitars and making a lot of noise....as you do! I was very impressed with it and to cut a long story short, I now own my very own SlideRig.

The unit is a compressor/limiter which has been designed specifically to give electric slide players the Lowell George Dixie Chicken slide guitar sound. Whether one wants to sound like Lowell George or not, it is an amazing box of tricks for slide. I have been using it all week with my Tele-Coodercaster and National lap steel, and I love what it does. This is no ordinary effects-box compressor, it is a warm sounding analogue compressor/limiter that gives me an on-stage sound that I have only ever been able to achieve in a recording studio with analogue compressors. The sustain this thing gives is amazing, and it does it without converting my lovely old guitar and amp sound into a nasty modern digital effect which I hate. I am really impressed with this machine and I don't like effects boxes!

It is a shame Simon's connection to this forum started with an advert that shouldn't have been posted. He is a nice guy with great product. He plays slide guitar and is working alone to get a one-man business off the ground (literally just getting started), so rather than just delete his advert and alienate him from our community, I thought I would write something.

When I met Simon he mentioned that he had been working with slide guitarist and forum member, Chris Eaton, on a promo video for Youtube, so to round off I will leave it with Simon and Chris to give us a demo of this new box of tricks....





It sounds great with Chris's lovely playing and clean amp sound. I have been running it though my little 50s National amp that is not clean....and it sounds really good.

Shine On
Michael

[Pickers Ditch]

Thanks Michael and Chris, another GAS attack is coming on!
I now know where my next lot of gig money is going.

[slidenpickit]

Hi Michael,
This piece of kit seems very good (if you like the Lowell George sound) but is quite pricey. I don't know if it would be of benefit to me. I find the most important link in the signal chain seems to be the Electric Slide Classics (15 to 56) for a great fat smooth clear clean sound. I use a Boss compressor now and again which works really well with the Strat. But generally, just the strings and a good valve amp get the 'sound' (for me anyway).

[slidenpickit]

I know you are not easily impressed with kit, so there is obviously something more to it.

[gaucho]

Is that only available in the UK?

[Jaco]

I'm with Gaucho. This is something I'd be interested in owning down the road. As SlideFever say's if Michael values this it must be a nice kit.

Jaco

[growler]

HI everyone. I checked out the price of the Sliderig and was pleasantly surprised, I think it is a very affordable price to pay for this piece of kit. If I compare it with the price I paid for the Digitech JamMan to get that 'loopeffect' , the JamMan was more money, a pain to use, and that's why it is sitting on the shelf, gathering dust.
The Sliderig looks easier to work with and it sounds really good, I may be interested in buying one ..........any offers on the JamMan.

Regards

Growler

[gouranga]

Nice stuff. Sweet as anything.
Give us a nice demo Michael please.
Nice playing Chris E. Could have listened all day if I had the time.

Thank you.

Gouranga

[Michael Messer]

Chris, you're right, I am very rarely impressed with new kit.

I also totally agree that the guitar, strings and valve/tube amplifier, are THE sound. For certainly the past fifteen years I have not used any effects or anything with my electric guitar on stage, but I do like to use good analogue/analogue sounding compressors when I am recording electric guitars. Not on everything, but when used right, it sounds amazing. Quite a few of the electric guitar sounds on my albums are compressed.

I have never got into using compressors on stage because I don't like the sound of of anything I have tried, or the way they react to my playing. Digital!!! Something happens that I find gets in the way of the pure tone of the guitar and amp. The SlideRig doesn't do that, it sounds and reacts like a proper one and doesn't touch the tone of the guitar and amp. It helps to bring out the notes and sustain them for as long as you want, and it does it in what I can only describe as a musical way. It's very cool.

Chris's video demo is excellent, but it only shows a part of what the SlideRig can do. It sounds great through my little 50s valve amps turned up to get a warm distortion, I get a lovely singing vocal-sounding sustain. It also sounds great pushed to the point where it is on the edge of feedback.

With the two compressors in one unit you can have one set for a rhythm guitar sound and one for solos. That is really good, sometimes a rhythm guitar can sound cool with a touch of compression and the two settings make it very useable. I have also been using it with my 1930s National lap steel, and with gentle compression it really does enhance the old sounding guitar.

Last week BJ Cole came round for a cup' and was also mightily impressed. BJ brought his 1930s Rickenbacher lap steel and we had a a lot of fun making too much noise! I am not sure, but I think he has ordered one.

For me, I think the SlideRig is a lovely addition to my electric guitar rig, which at the moment is…guitar, strings, slide, amplifier. I won't use it all the time, but when I do it will really add to the sound and it pushes me in a different direction, which I am finding interesting.

Gouranga - When I get some time I will record something and post it on here.

For a 'boutique' box of tricks designed and made by a small UK company, I think it is well priced. This is a high-end classy professional tool.

I hope that makes some sense.

Gaucho - you need to ask Simon where it is available. Drop him an email.

Shine On
Michael

[Mairena Red]

Hello Michael,

As a huge Lowell George fan, I have been looking for that sound for years. I have experimented with a Boss CS-3 but never been entirely satisfied, so this piece of kit is just what I am looking for and I will be ordering one straight away.

Lovely piece of playing by Chris E. I seem to remember him playing a version of Ry Cooder's "Feelin' Bad Blues" a while ago which was chillingly close to the original. Any idea what sort of a rig he is using? Looks like a set of Seymour Duncan Hot Rails on the Strat but I cannot identify the Fender amp.

Many thanks for flagging this up.

All the best,

Joe

PS I will be over for Farnborough again in July. Any chance of catching you live in the area?

[Michael Messer]

Hello Joe,

It's been a long time - great to hear from you!

You won't be disappointed, the SlideRig is superb.

Let me know when it arrives how you get on with it.

Next time I speak to Chris I will ask him to leave a note on here about what rig he used in the video clip.

Best wishes,

Shine On
Michael.

[mitchfit]

Michael,

per your original posting:

..."which I immediately deleted because of the 'no advertising' rule we have on the forum."...

to my big time embarrassment i recall that i ALSO have posted advertisements. one for a mic pre-amp for slideguitargirl's stage gear question, and numerous links to flea-bay guitars that i felt others might find of interest.

as same weren't deleted, was the difference that there was no profit in it for me, with itself not being the seller? or did you just let yet another illiterate member slide seeing that there was no $elf promotion involved?

gotta cop to NOT reading the rules before joining, feeling that most are common sense and/or common courtesy guidelines.

i know that often those two terms are self contradictory.

but now that it has been brought to the forefront of my foggy attention, i do wish to comply and remain in good standing at this excellent site.

at least in the future....

my bad,
mitchfit

[Michael Messer]

Hi Mitchfit,

You are correct in your assumption that your posts were not commercial adverts because they were not (a) a commercial company advertising their product, and (b) not for your own $elf promotion. A private sale of a guitar, amp, record, slide...etc... is fine in the Tin Can Alley section of the forum, because it is not a commercial advert. However if you advertise Mitchfit boutique amplifiers, or Mitchfit's new CD, that would be a commercial advert and would be deleted. I also apply the rule to gigs; a member can post and promote a gig that is free entry as is not commercial, but if there is a door charge, then that is a commercial venture and cannot be advertised by the artist, record company, manager, promoter, or venue. However, if a forum member, for example...you, wish to tell the forum about an upcoming commercial gig or tour that would be of interest to forum members and visitors, you are welcome to post the details. Equally, it is fine for you to post information and links to an interesting guitar or amp that you have seen on eBay, or in your local music store. This is 'news' not advertising.

I was cautious about starting this thread because I did not want it to appear as if I was advertising Simon's product. The problem was that I REALLY wanted to tell everyone about the SlideRig because I am so impressed with it. So I thought the best approach was an honest one as a 'news' item, which is what I wrote.

I really do try to keep the 'one rule for everyone', so there are no favours or favourites. The only actual advertising on here at the moment is in the Main Street section of the forum, and all of those adverts are for my own products, tours and activities.

With over 1500 members and approximately 600 visitors per day reading this forum, it has become a desirable place to advertise and reach a target audience. I am considering various possibilities and ways that commercial advertising could work, but I have not yet found a solution. While I would be happy for a company to advertise their guitar cases, amplifiers and capos, I would not be too eager to allow a company selling budget-priced resonator guitars, or handmade resonator guitar strings, that are in direct competition with my own products.

I hope that makes sense.

.....meanwhile.....back to Lowell George and his compressors...!

Shine On
Michael.

[slidenpickit]

Hi Michael,

Thank's for explaining your reasoning behind buying a Sliderig. It's just occurred to me that it may be the ideal thing to use with my NRP Resolectric, which can be short on sustain sometimes when playing certain notes higher up the fretboard. Did you experiment with anything acoustic?

Regards

[Michael Messer]

Hi Chris,

I haven't tried the SlideRig with any acoustic or resophonic guitars, just because I never plug them into guitar amps. I also don't have a Resolectric-type of guitar with a magnetic pickup.

I think it would work as well as it does with a regular electric guitar. You can change settings inside the unit to cut or boost treble, I would think the treble cut would be good as resolectrics can be on the bright side, and it would make your guitar sustain as well as it does on any guitar. You could check this with Simon, I would drop him an email, or even better give him a call.

Knowing your playing style as I do, I think this unit would be good for you, especially on some of your melodic electric slide pieces.

It is hard to explain sound, it's so much easier to plug in and have a try.

Shine On
Michael.