Fender Telecaster for slide

[Niek]

I own a Fender Telecaster and want to use this guitar mainly for slide in the open D tuning.

I am advised to use the following gauges:

.016; .018; .022plain; .032; .042; .052

Is this a good set for my guitar or do you advise me other gauges?

[Deleted]

What have you got on it at present, and have you simply tried tuning to open D with what's on there? You'll generally need a lighter touch than with an acoustic. See if it works for you, if not, you may have to experiment with heavier strings. I like heavy strings, but
simply adjust my technique a little if i use one of my electric guitars for slide with 12s on it (still regarded as monstrously heavy by a lot of electric players!).

If you are switching between regular and altered tunings, 16's will be too heavy, and I reckon you'll keep breaking the top strings re-tuning to regular. If this is how you are going to use the guitar, go for something like 13s, if they are too sloppy, go up a gauge or two on the top and bottom strings a little bit. It also depends on how you play slide: do you use a lot of fretted notes and chords with your slide playing? Lighter strings will help this. Upping the action may help your slide playing, but will make regular and fretted playing a little harder (even more so with really heavy strings). Setting up a guitar for dual use will always be a compromise between ease of regular solo/chorded playing and slide work. And just watch the neck for straightness; check it before and after fitting new strings to make sure you are not getting too much relief due to the increasd tension. Don't fiddle with the truss rod unless you really are sure you know what you are doing with it. You can crank on some more tension in the rod against the heavier strings, but may have difficulty getting it back to how it was in case you decide to revert to your existing set-up, unless you ae pretty familiar with doing this.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Spoednick,

On my electric guitar, which is a hand-made Telecaster by Dave King, I use exactly the same guages as I use on my Nationals and acoustics. I use 'Michael Messer Electric Slide Guitar Classics' (15/17/26/36/46/56) made by Newtone (Michael who...?). I have the string height set similar to my Nationals/Fine Reso-Phonics, and I play in all tunings, styles and keys with that set up. One point - I never tune those strings up to high tunings....always down to DADF#AD & DGDGBD....and normal EADGBE is fine too. If I want a high bass tuning like GBDGBD, I tune it a step lower to FACFAC.

The guages you mention in your post...16/18/22/32/42/52 are fine, but in my opinion slightly unbalanced. Either too heavy on top or too light on bottom.....but that is just my opinion....if you like 'em....that's all that matters.

Shine On,
Michael.

[nickysplendid]

In the past i've used an old JV series squier strat with 10's for electric slide and it works ok... but i prefer using a les paul because the fretboard raduis is less curved.

Michael, on you custom teles is the fretboard raduis nice'n flat or is it curved like on vintage style teles?

[Michael Messer]

Hi Nick,



My custom Telecaster is an odd one! The fretboard is curved like a vintage one, but because I have an old National lap-steel pickup with its own bridge, the strings are flat like a lap-steel. In theory this set-up is rubbish, but I have played this guitar every day since I got it in 2000 and I love it! The curved fretboard with a flat string set-up gives me a little extra string height on the top and bottom strings, but leaves the middle ones nice and close to the neck. I guess I have just got used to it. Occasionally I get the urge to have a flat fretboard, but it usually passes and I get on with playing music on it. The guitar wasn't planned to be that way; when Dave King and I talked about making Teles' with lap-steel pickups specifically for slide playing, this was a neck that was already made, so we used it as a prototype to test the idea. I have recorded 4 albums and played hundreds of shows with my MM DK custom Tele' prototype. Actual Michael Messer signature Dave King electric guitars, of which Dave has built 6 or so, have flat fingerboards.

See what I mean about rule books and folk music!

I hope that makes some sense.

Shine On,
Michael.

[nickysplendid]

i adjusted the bridge on the squier in a similar way - the strings being flat - and that's pretty much how i overcame the horrid curved radius.

but your line about "getting on with playing the music" is the key bit for me...i tend to get too wrapped up with trying to perfect teeny problems that aren't that big a deal..
all good fun eh!

[Michael Messer]

Hi Nick, that is interesting - you too set up your strings flat over a curved fretboard. Darn slide players....they break all the rules!

I think it is dangerous territory to spend too much time and energy making sure everything in your set-up is perfect. Sure, we all want the best we can get from our instruments, but perfection does not exist and one has to accept a compromise. Otherwise you'll drive yourself nuts over it. I have been there, trying to get the band in perfect tune together, trying to get intonation perfect, string height perfect....etc. Just pick 'em up and play 'em. Your playing will improve when you relax about your instruments, it really will.

Shine On,
Michael

[Deleted]

Hi,

If you play the Rory Gallagher's classic "Bullfrog Blues" (which he usually played on a Tele), you need to up tune to an A and then capo to the 2nd fret to effectively get a B tuning.

I play this number and by "up tuning" the guitar takes on a whole new tone - it's the only way to replicate the sound of the original. It's not something I'd like to try with Michael's string guages! But it's worth an experiment if you have lighter gauge strings.

A few words from Rory about stringing his Tele.

"Well, I use a mixture of Fender Rock’n’ Rolls. The first is a .013. the second is a .015, and I used to buy wound .020 strings for the 3rd, but I found it was best to stick to unwounds for tuning and so I use an .018 for a 3rd. Then the 4th is a standard 4th, as is the 5th and 6th. I’d put heavier on if I was tuning down, but I generally tune the Tele to A or E and use a capo. Whereas, if I was playing in D, like Ry Cooder does a lot, I use acoustic. D is a bit low on electric sometimes. I could always get another guitar and have it tuned down, whereupon you would need heavier strings."

I reckon what Michael says in his last post is such sound advice, as I have discovered, and re-discovered and re-discovered.........