Post by resolive on Nov 4, 2017 22:47:52 GMT
I got the guitar back a couple of days ago. It's strung with 13-56 gauge John Pearse 300M bronze strings if my memory is correct (I should have noted what I gave the guy :-D I always forget but after a quick search through my Amazon orders I think I'm pretty sure it's that set because the other John Pearse sets I had ordered were lighter gauge, like the one I currently had on, and I picked that specific set (I had it laying around) to increase the gauge to play slide). They cut the new saddle very nicely. New action is roughly 2.5mm at the low E string and 2mm at the high E string (at the 12th fret). Frankly I don't know much much about slide playing and how high the action should be so I have no idea if it's adequate, I just told the guy to set it up for slide playing so hopefully the action is right. I am guessing the action does not need to be sky high and I need to learn to control how much pressure i put on the string so I don't hit the neck & frets with the slide (which I mostly don't so I guess I'm getting the hang of it :-D). Or is 13-56 just too light for slide? Should I get something heavier?
I've been messing with it using the two slides I have (one glass Dunlop 210 and one Rock slide, made of brass, medium size). I'm kind of torn because I really, really love how the Rock slide fits on my pinky, it's nice and snug and I think it's tapered inside so it fits really, really well, and it's got a cutout at the bottom so it's easier to bend the finger, but at the same time it's a tad short (which is nice in a way because I can use my pinky to fret some notes, but if I want to pluck like 5 strings at once it makes it a little bit harder, it's definitely easier with the glass slide), and its surface is not as smooth as glass so it's a little noisier (mostly perpendicular to the strings though so it's not a huge deal, there's very little movement that way and when I get better there probably won't be any). By comparison the glass slide is a little bit bigger, it's not too much of a deal I bend my pinky to keep it on, and the surface is a lot smoother... I'll keep experimenting with both. Maybe I need a slightly smaller glass slide so that it fits on my pinky like the Rock slide? I'm not sure... I guess it takes a while and lots of trial and error to find the perfect slide, if anyone has any advice I'm all ears!
Anyway, it's really fun! :-)
Also, do you guys use finger picks for slide playing? I find them very awkward (except the Alaska pik picks, but they're still a bit of a pain), I try to keep my nails a little bit long instead to pluck the strings and it's mostly OK...
I've been messing with it using the two slides I have (one glass Dunlop 210 and one Rock slide, made of brass, medium size). I'm kind of torn because I really, really love how the Rock slide fits on my pinky, it's nice and snug and I think it's tapered inside so it fits really, really well, and it's got a cutout at the bottom so it's easier to bend the finger, but at the same time it's a tad short (which is nice in a way because I can use my pinky to fret some notes, but if I want to pluck like 5 strings at once it makes it a little bit harder, it's definitely easier with the glass slide), and its surface is not as smooth as glass so it's a little noisier (mostly perpendicular to the strings though so it's not a huge deal, there's very little movement that way and when I get better there probably won't be any). By comparison the glass slide is a little bit bigger, it's not too much of a deal I bend my pinky to keep it on, and the surface is a lot smoother... I'll keep experimenting with both. Maybe I need a slightly smaller glass slide so that it fits on my pinky like the Rock slide? I'm not sure... I guess it takes a while and lots of trial and error to find the perfect slide, if anyone has any advice I'm all ears!
Anyway, it's really fun! :-)
Also, do you guys use finger picks for slide playing? I find them very awkward (except the Alaska pik picks, but they're still a bit of a pain), I try to keep my nails a little bit long instead to pluck the strings and it's mostly OK...