Introduction to the group

[perry]

Hi All, 
Just a quick intro, after spending many years playing with wood and string I finally got around to some heavy metal, the instrument I settled on is a Busker Delta, with a kind of weathered look, I have to say I really like it and am well chuffed with it, I bought some MM Newtone FB strings 13-56, but have yet to fit them as I actually like the strings it came with, it’s not new, and was even a little dusty, but before I purchased it I tried quite a few others and feel I got a good deal, I’m not an expert but I know what I want, it plays well with or without a slide, and although the strings are light, (I measured them with a vernier at 11-47) the action is a little higher than recommended,  2.8mm & 3.4mm which I would guess helps with the light strings, but for now it gives me a good way to acclimatise myself to a different style of playing, as for the guitar itself, it seems nicely put together, it’s steel, has a really nice neck, and comes with a Mojo Gold film pickup, which I know isn’t standard but it’s another option, and doesn’t detract in any way so generally speaking why not, I would welcome anymore info on the Busker, purely out of interest as it doesn’t seem to have any numbers, although I haven’t looked inside ?

[pete1951]

Hi Perry, welcome to the forum. Your Busker should have a serial number stamped on the top edge of the headstock.
Pete

[mrstrellisofnwales]

Welcome to what you will find is a friendly and incredibly knowledgeable forum. Being fairly new to this resonator lark myself I can testify that my knowledge has increased a hundred times over since joining. And congrats on figuring out how to post pics straight away- a feat which I still haven’t mastered. 
Mrs T

[Michael Messer]

Hello Perry,

Welcome to our forum.

11-47s are really a bit too light for a resonator guitar. They work and do play, but you will get more downward pressure on the cone with something a little heavier than those, and that will result in a better tone. Also for playing slide, while there are no rules as such, you will find it easier to play with a bit more weight on the strings.

Shine On
Michael

[Pickers Ditch]

Welcome Perry - heavier strings are the way to go and get yourself over to Diamond Bottlenecks pdq.

www.diamondbottlenecks.com/

[perry]

Hi All,

Well first off I must say thanks for the kind words of welcome, looking forward to some interesting and informative exchanges. So Pete, I had another look and there definitely isn’t a serial number on the instrument that I can find, I’m sure there’s a reason for it but from what I understand they had a fairly short run from 2008 to 2016 so at least I have an an idea of it’s age and that’s ok. And Mrs T, as regards to the pictures, that was my younger brother who helps out when it comes to the computer stuff, I think it’s the third icon along from the bottom right row? I must say it took me a while to figure out how to post in the first place.
And finally Michael, yes I will definitely be putting on that set of 13-56 strings I bought, I’d seen what was recommended so when I checked mine I was quite surprised, I’m fairly sure they’re Nickel based, and I’ve generally had guitars with 9’s or 10’s so when I look at the higher numbers I wonder how I might get on, I opted for the MM Newtone Phosphor Bronze which apparently give a lighter feel, and possibly a very different tone ?

[perry]

Also in reply to Pickers Ditch, I have a couple of Bottle Necks, both glass, one has the top removed and is tapered so It fits perfectly on my little finger,  I’ve tried others even sockets from my tool kit, but I always go back to the glass one, but I’m always open to suggestion.

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Welcome to the forum.
On slide, there are many options - slide material, weight, length, internal & external diameter, AND which finger to put it on.
There is no wrong answer ........ but !

Some slides I have seen in guitar shops are far too long ! You only need one as long as the width of your fretboard, in my opinion.
Any longer, then the extra length is the length that sticks out beyond the end of your finger - adding un-necessary weight that hangs off the end of your finger, and that can make the slide more difficult to control (in my view and experience !).

People get obsessed with finding a slide that "fits" their finger, or what materials they can use to stuff inside the slide to give the slide a tighter fit on your finger.
I think this is completely un-necessary.
I actually believe a slide that is loose on your finger, is actually better - because then you can bend your finger inside the slide - and actively grip the slide from the inside (by keeping your finger bent).
I personally believe the pinky is the best finger for a slide - AND not pushed up your finger "to the hilt".

I think a slide is best on your pinky, up just past your 2nd knuckle (ie. not "up to the hilt"), with the end resting on that fatty tissue finger pad (inner 3rd segment of your pinky).

By bending your pinky, you can place the slide on the guitar strings WITHOUT having to bend your whole wrist around the neck. And your other fingers are free-er to move/bend etc how they want.
If you don't believe me, place a long slide on any finger you want, up to the hilt. You won't be able to bend your knuckles very far
Keeping it there, now try and fret strings with your other fingers. Your other finger movements become limited. This can't be good !

Also, keep your thumb around the back of the neck for stability - EVEN when you bring the slide up to the top of the neck.
Makes it easier to do a good vibrato, if your thumb is resting & swinging on bass side of the neck.

Lastly, I highly recommend German glass slides from Diamond Bottlenecks - with nice THICK glass walls. Plus, they look super-cool !
I truly believe you get better slide tone (fatter & more sustain) with a big fat slide (large outer diameter) - I think you get better string contact (the larger the external diameter, the flatter the slide surface the string rests on.

The larger the slide (external diameter), the heavier the slide will probably be, so another reason not to have a slide any longer than you really need (no longer than the width of the fretboard).

My favourite slides are Diamond's German glass slides - with circa 18-19mm internal diameter, (even for my slim pinky) and really fat glass for decent weight, but only 50mm - 55mm long (so not too heavy/long). At this length, a really fat slide is super easy to control and sounds fantastic.

Just my thoughts/recommendations.

[perry]

Hello Snakehips,

I would have to say I totally agree with everything you said regarding Slides, I couldn’t tell you what slides I have only that they are both Green glass, I’ve had them for more years than I can remember and one is 72mm long and still has the ridge on the end, I don’t use this one as it’s too long, but it did give me a preference for glass, my other one is basically the same but without the ridge, and is 58mm long, they both have a taper from approx 30mm down to 27mm OD, not long after I got the short one I let a friend have a try, he then dropped it on to a concrete floor only just after I told him “Don’t Drop it”!

[snakehips]

Oh dear !!!

I can tell you this though - The new German hlass slides from Diamond bottlenecks are super-tough.
I’ve dropped and smashed other Diamond bottlenecks on bathroom tiled floors and my garage floor (bare concrete, painted with concrete floor sealer & concrete floor paint).

However, dropping my German glass slides was different - they just bounced multiple times on the tiles & garage floor - it was painful to watch as was expecting them to smash at every next bounce …… but they didn’t !

[archtopeddy]

First off, welcome Perry to the group. I haven't been here long myself but I've learned so much from this group and the generous members here. And speaking of learning -- All this information about slides is proving invaluable! 

[Michael Messer]

Snakehips has provided some very useful information and as he said art the beginning of his post, there are no rules. However, having said that he has only put one point of view forward in this thread and while everything he has said is very well put and explained, with some of the points he is making I do not come from the same school of thought because I mostly use metal slides and I like them to be 70mm long. I have quite a few steel and German silver slides that have been made for me and the dimensions are as follows...Length - 70mm, internal diameter - 22mm, wall thickness - 3mm and the weight of my German silver ones is 130g. I have long fingers and I like the extra length because it sits comfortably on my hand and allows me good reach beyond the neck to body join. It never rests in the MCP (metacarpophalangeal joint - base of the finger), it is always pushed so that the single note playing area is on the front of my fingertip.

I have used slides in this way for around 46-47 years of touring and recording, and over the past 25 years I have taught what must amount to hundreds of people the black art of playing slide guitar. I never dictate to my students that they should follow exactly what I do or use the tools I use, but I do as Snakehips has done, offer logical thoughts that have been developed over my five decades of playing slide guitar. Some of the world's great slide players do not follow the guidelines laid out in this thread - Lowell George used a long socket wrench and put his thumb under the fretboard, which to me is a definite "no no", but Lowell had one of the greatest slide touches and tone of all time. Bonnie Raitt, a disciple of Lowell George, uses a glass slide on her second finger and she gets a beautiful tone. I saw her play recently and as I always have been, I was so impressed by her skills as a slide player. Go back in time to the early masters and we might all be surprised by what tools and playing rules those people followed. So my advice is to go with what feels right for you. When I started learning slide guitar there were no instruction videos, slide guitar courses, online teachers, or anything really. Oh there were a couple of books, but they were not very helpful at all, I just liked looking at the photos of slide players and National & Dobro guitars.

The advice given on this forum and by other slide players on the Internet is invaluable, but be careful about who you follow and always try to be yourself within the music.

I should add that I do sometimes use a glass slide because that is the tone I am looking for, but mostly I use German sliver these days because I love the tone and feel of it on the strings. I am a bit of a tone fanatic and also as I have grown older and my ears have become more refined, I strive for perfect intonation and pitch in my playing. My attitude to my own playing and to listening to others is different than it was when I was younger, I am more accepting of my own playing and I enjoy hearing it, whereas in years gone by I did not feel that way. This is the subject of another thread.

Shine On
Michael