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Post by Mairena Red on Oct 31, 2004 12:23:22 GMT
Dear Michael,
I have been a fan of slide guitar for many years but only discovered you a couple of years ago. I bought a Regal RD 45 at the London Resonator Centre and they recommended your tuition video and a set of your strings. The strings made a big difference and the video has helped me to make great progress, so much so that I am now thinking of upgrading the guitar by installing a better quality cone (as you recommend). However, I still have a number of questions I would like to ask you. These are as follows:
1. Is there an ideal electric guitar for playing slide? I see that you use a Dave King semi-acoustic tele-style electric guitar and wondered whether a Mexican Fender Tele would be a good beginner's instrument (I use a Mexican Strat as my regular guitar). However, I have also seen a Danelectro U2 in the background of your tuition video and wondered whether this might be a good beginner's instrument as well. I understand that they are no longer made, but you can still find old stock in guitar shops or pick them up secondhand.
2. Where can I get hold of a copy of your last two albums (King Guitar and Second Mind)? I live in Seville in Spain and would probably have to buy them by mail order or over the internet.
3. In your tuition video you mention that you will be bringing out more videos. Have you done so or , if not, are you planning to do so?
4. Are you planning to play in Spain in the near future? I would dearly love to see you live but do not get back to the UK that often and have never managed to coincide with one of your live gigs.
All the best,
Joe Cooper, Seville, Spain
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Post by Michael Messer on Oct 31, 2004 14:58:40 GMT
Dear Joe, Good to hear from you. Answers to your questions: 1 > I owned a Danelectro U2 guitar. It lasted one year and fell to pieces. They are good fun and very cheap and for slide and old sounds they do work pretty well, however they are really cheaply put together and have no durability at all. If you like the sound of lipstick pickups I would advise you to fit a couple into a different guitar. The Mexican Fender Telecaster is a good guitar for the money, I remember seeing them reviewed very favourably in Guitarist magazine a while ago. Fender Telecasters & Broadcasters are amazing instruments for slide guitar, that bridge pickup is viscous and really stings...it's a great sound. Muddy Waters, Rory Gallagher are two names that spring to mind. I absolutely love my Dave King electric guitars, they are the best electric slide machines I have ever owned. If I couldn't use those I would definitely play slide on a Telecaster. Plugged in to Fender amps - Pro-Reverb, Twin-Reverb or Dual-Showman, they sound awsome. 2 > King Guitar & Second Mind are currently out of print due to the record company, Catfish Records, going to the wall this time last year. It has taken a while for us to re-negotiate a new deal and they should be back on the streets again in early 2005. Meanwhile, there are copies around on the Internet at various record stores. There was a thread on my old forum about this (perhaps other members of this forum can help out here?) but I do not have the details. It shouldn't be too hard to find them. 3 > Much the same as the CDs; we are re-negotiating and filming a new series of DVDs. Watch this space for info! 4 > I have toured in most European countries, but never in Spain. I would certainly like to, especially if I can visit Seville. I may be playing at a blues festival in Spain next year, my booking agency has mentioned it, but I do not know the name of the festival. Keep in touch & I hope you enjoy visiting and contributing to this forum. I am pleased to hear that my video has helped you to develop your playing and that you are a faithful MM Strings customer! Shine On & keep on sliding! Best wishes, Michael.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2004 19:33:54 GMT
I also have a Dave King electric slide geetar, and although I'm personally more into acoustic playing it is a fabulous instrument.
Bernie
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Post by Alan on Nov 1, 2004 12:39:36 GMT
After looking around I think its going to be more enjoyable if I make my own electric, and beg borrow and steal what I can
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Post by Mairena Red on Nov 1, 2004 13:32:00 GMT
Dear Michael,
Thanks for replying so quickly, you are a true star.
From what you say about electric guitars, it looks like the Mexican Fender is a better bet than the Danelectro. I will have to start saving up my pennies!
Sorry to hear about the demise of Catfish Records, I hope you get a new deal soon. I know how frustrating it can be for an artist not to have a record deal. In the meantime I will scour the internet for your last two albums. I will also keep on visiting your site for news about new tuition DVDs.
Re a tour of Spain, I am sure you would enjoy it and although Spain is better known for its classical and flamenco guitarists, there are plenty of good blues players out here and even more diehard blues fans. I am very lucky in Seville as the best blues guitarist in Spain lives here and performs regularly in and around the city. A chance meeting in a guitar shop has turned him into a good friend and he is also my guitar tutor. His name is Lolo Ortega and he is in the process of setting up his own website. I will let you have details when it is up and running. He used to play in a band called the Caledonia Blues Band and they put out a number of records and even played in Legends in Chicago, but sadly he does not have a recording contract at the moment.
Re festivals, there are two big ones in this part of the world. There is an international guitar festival in Cordoba usually in July which covers all styles of music and usually has some very big names. There is also a smaller blues festival in Cazorla in the province of Jaen in August. It too manages to attract some big names. B.B. King has played in the past and one of the stars of last year 's edition was Kenny Neal (another thinline Tele player!).
I forgot to mention in my earlier message that I bought a copy of your Play the Blues triple CD and have been playing along merrily for several months. They're absolutely brilliant as a learning tool and also hugely enjoyable. Congratulations on a great piece of work. Congratulations also on your website, it's a mine of useful information.
All the best,
Joe
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Post by Michael Messer on Nov 1, 2004 17:37:35 GMT
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Post by michaelsegui on Nov 3, 2004 0:09:09 GMT
I currently use my very first guitar for electric slide. It's a Squier Stratocaster that I modified quite a bit. Essentially, I hollowed out the body under the pickguard and put on a mother-of-toilet-seat pickguard with lipstick tube pickups from WD Music, amongst other minor cosmetic changes.
I have owned a number of higher end electrics but have sold them all. This is the only electric I currently own. If I had to replace it, I would buy another Standard Squier Strat (with the big ole 60's headstock) and drop in another set of lipstick tubes. I had the chance to compare my strat with the WD lipsticks against a new Danelectro U2. No contest! Those WDs are sweet (they better be.... the pickups and pickguard cost my wife more then a new Danelectro!).
Cheers, Mike
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Post by Andrew Phillips on Nov 4, 2004 14:28:47 GMT
First posted this on the general forum, but it seems relevant to this thread, so here goes:
Have acquired a telecaster (Fender, rosewood) specifically to play slide guitar (remember Rory Gallagher using same) and am wondering how to set it up. It currently sports a very low action with Rotosound 10's. it plays a dream but if I put a slide on I can't get all the strings at once (should I be ?), and the sound is poor. Would a higher action with Nationals make any difference ? What weight would be suitable or any other suggestions ?
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Post by Michael Messer on Nov 6, 2004 0:34:37 GMT
Hi Andrew, I play electric slide on my Dave King Telecaster "King Guitar" and I use my own "Electric Slide Classics" gauged - 15 to 56. You should give them a try, as you can see I am using a 15 where you are using a 10, it's a lot of difference. I would try that before making set up changes. Good luck & let us know how you get on. Shine On, Michael.
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Post by Andrew Phillips on Nov 8, 2004 17:32:56 GMT
Thanks Michaael - we will discuss some more and I will feed back to Martyn Booth, who set up my tele !
A
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Post by Mairena Red on Nov 11, 2004 17:23:38 GMT
Dear Michael, Thanks for the tip about www.bluescd.co.uk, they had both your CDs in stock so I have ordered them and now eagerly await their arrival! Re your comment about using Electric Slide Classics, would it be safe to put such a heavy set on a Mexican Tele? I know that the strings have a round core and therefore do not exert as much tension on the neck as hexagonal cored strings, but the Mexican Teles are usually supplied with a set of 9 - 42 strings and I would be a bit nervous about going from a set of 9's to a set of 15's in one leap. All the best, Joe
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Post by Michael Messer on Nov 11, 2004 23:21:56 GMT
Hi Joe,
That's cool, BluesCD have sorted you out. Those two albums, KIng Guitar & Second Mind, will be back in the shops again soon.
Yeah...15 to 56, that's quite a leap from 9 to 42. I have used these strings for so long that I forget how light strings can be! I would not recommend tuning your Telecaster up to E & A with 15 to 56s on, but down to open G & D, no problem. I have done it for many years and my Tele is still in one piece. (I actually do tune them up to high E & A, but I am not able to recommend that, you have to work that out for yourself). There is no way I could get the sound I like without 15 17 26 36 46 56 on my Telecaster "Dave King MM signature model". These companies string their guitars to feel light & easy to play, that makes 'em sell easily because there is a myth about low actions & light strings. Obviously everyone has their own viewpoint on this, but I like those strings on my electric guitars. Remember, in open G & D the two E strings are tuned down a whole tone, so the extra thickness compensates for that. They are totally useless in EADGBE tuning, feel all wrong, but they are designed for open G & D and in those tunings, they are in my opinion....perfect!
Perhaps other visitors to the thread could comment on this subject.
Have fun & don't be scared of your guitar, it'll be fine.
Best wishes, Shine On, Michael.
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Post by Chris Watkins on Nov 12, 2004 20:45:02 GMT
Hi Mike, I went through all the worry of stringing up a fender strat with 15 to 56 MM electric slide classics which came from the factory with 9 to 42s on it. I've now gigged them for around 2 years with no problems. I tune to open G. I took the guitar to have a new volume pot fitted (too many volume swells!) and the tech said that the neck had not moved. People sometimes dismiss Strats as sounding too thin for slide. Its not the guitar that sounds thin, its the strings! Single coils work really well for slide playing (clean and dirty) helping note clarity etc. Needless to say I continue using MM strings. I recently bought an American deluxe 50th Anniversary strat which has s1 switching allowing a total of 10 different tones instead of 5. It sounds big and fat with MM electric slide classics on it. I have tried other strings, but always go back to the MMs. (Im not on commission!). They work really well for me with a glass bottle neck which has a slight curve on it to fit the profile of the fret board helping fretting behind the slide and producing a nice clean sound. I've also had some strings specially made by Malcolm Newton (not expensive)which are 15 to 54. They give a slightly springier feel. I tried a 14 on the top but soon went back to a 15. The harmonics are so easy to get with fat strings. 10s etc feel like spiders webs now. So to any body thinking of using heavier strings............go for it !you'll never look back. PS My Fine Resophonic style 5 Blonde Tricone has arrived, WOW! she's awesome. If i can put her down long enough i will try and put a picture or two on this forum. I'm still not getting a password sent to my e-mail for some reason, so remain a 'guest'. Cheers Mike Best wishes Chris
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Post by Alan on Nov 21, 2004 23:02:13 GMT
Interestingly you can pick up a cheap tele on eBay for about £69 made by Shine, that has a solid wood body. Yet again its made by slave labour in the Far East which I personally try to avoid. Recently i've noticed that Godins are going pretty cheaply and seem to be solid. Although they dont seem to be as easy to customise.
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Post by Andy Phillips on Nov 24, 2004 12:26:52 GMT
Tried to get some more info on the Dave King MM sig model but so far drawn a blank. Does it have the single f-hole like the tele junior ? Is the action different from a std setup eg (high or flattened or special bridge/nut) ? Are the pickups std or modified in any way ?
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