FatBoy
Ok we are on our way. Some of you might know that I recently got into the slide guitar thing. I also got my hands on a Kinman Broadcaster bridge pickup, which will replace the stock pickup on my Squier Standard Series Telecaster.
I have just dropped off both my guitars at the shop to be sent to a guitar tech. The acoustic just needs a bit of TLC and the Tele is being converted into a slide machine!
We will be installing the new pickup and raising the action a tad. I'm also doing a Keith Richards i.e tuning to Open G, and removing the low E string. Problem with this is that the tuner rattles if it doesn't have the tension of the string on it, so I'm going to get the tuner removed completely ?
I will report back when I get my modified toy back ?
Spyke
Nice, keen to see and hear this.
Will it affect regular playing much?
FatBoy
I'll post pics and sound clips as soon as I get it back man!
Yea it will, I am overdoing it a bit though. It doesn't actualy NEED any of these mods to play slide, I'm just setting up a one trick pony to make it easier to play.
Since I bought the axe a while back I have never really had a moment of "OMF that sounds hot!" with regular playing. Had some fun, but still stuck to my acoustic most of the time.
Then I got into slide again (I experimented with it a year or so ago) and oh man, it just works for me.
I recently had a pro muso over for a braai and he was playing some of his tunes on my acoustic. The other okes suggested I go get my electric and jam along. I was too lazy so they went and got the amp and the axe. It was of course still tuned in open G and only 5 strings. They were all wondering where my 6th string is and one suggested that it probably snapped. Anyhow, I started making the Tele cry with the slide and it fit his tunes real well. Everyone really digged the sound. There and then I realised that I am gonna focus on slide, as I would never have been able to keep up with him playing regular guitar.
In essence the only thing I consider crucial for slide, especially for beginners, is an open tuning. Otherwise you need to damp some strings as you play, and that can be tricky. So if you think you want to try it out, the only thing you need to change is your tuning, unless you have super low action that is. I just removed my low e as it rattles a tad to much to my liking, and i prefer the high pitched sounds anyway.
Open G = > D G D G B D
I am by no means a slide expert, but if some of you guys are interested I'll try to write up an "Intro to slide" post, maybe with some sound clips etc?
Sean
Fritz Brand wrote
I am by no means a slide expert, but if some of you guys are interested I'll try to write up an "Intro to slide" post, maybe with some sound clips etc?
Yes please Fritz ?
Ray
Yes plse Fritz. Slide holds some intrigue for me as well. I've been thinking about getting a spare guitar for this purpose. I was reading at HC (
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/tips/instant_slide_guitar_setup_tech/) a bit and looks like a first stab could be quite easy for setting up. Playing is another story.
Spyke
Great link, thanks Ray.
FatBoy
Cool, I'll work on a intro lesson thing once I get my baby back. Have spoken to the tech, we are doing the following now:
- Raise action slightly
- Graph Tech Nut
- Graph Tech String Trees
- Replace stock Squier pickup with Kinman Broadcaster noiseless :woohoo:
- Fix up the ever loosening jack socket thingy (not sure how but the man has a plan that apparently bolts on or something)
I feel like a little kid, cant wait to get my baby back!
Spyke
Does GraphTech do a nut that's high enough for slide?
FatBoy
Probably not, I have found that you don't really NEED that much height, I play on my current nut just fine, although it would probably be better if I had more height. The way I see it if you have an axe that has a crappy setup for normal playing, thats what ya want for slide. This is probably good enough for most okes, and is what I'm aiming at getting. No special nut, I'm just getting the graph tech to help with tuning etc, and instructed the tech to raise the action a little from where it currently is.
Spyke
Ah, ok.
Kinda like the reversible slide nut jobbie that Stewmac sells. Should be easy enough to make something similar. I like that it's a temporary thing. Nice for experimenting with.
FatBoy
Ok so as you can tell from my latest Challenge entry my Tele is back home ?
The dude couldn't find stock of the Graph Tech nuts, so we left the nut for a later stage, the rest came out great.
I'd really like to raise the action at the nut slightly, not that much, just a tad really. That stew mac plate thingy looks cool, but I think it will raise the action tooo much, so you wont be able to fret the occasional note at all.
Now I have read about this on the interwebz, and it would appear that a lot of slide players use heavier gauge strings for two reasons. Firstly the tone is better, secondly the strings have more tension on them, which means a) you don't push the strings down on to the fretboard that easily, and b) the more tension forces the neck to "bend" a little which raises the action.
I currently use plain old Ernie Ball 11's, would I risk damaging my axe if I try putting 13's on without adjusting the truss rod?
Yea I will post pics of the axe, but only once I'm completely happy with it ?
AlanRatcliffe
If you were using it slide only, I'd say slap on 13s and tweak the truss rod up (which will be needed going up two gauges) - you don't need to bend on a slide guitar. However, if you're "fretting the occasional note", it will probably be a bit much for you. So I'd say stick with the .011s for now.
Bob-Dubery
Fritz Brand wrote
Now I have read about this on the interwebz, and it would appear that a lot of slide players use heavier gauge strings for two reasons. Firstly the tone is better, secondly the strings have more tension on them, which means a) you don't push the strings down on to the fretboard that easily, and b) the more tension forces the neck to "bend" a little which raises the action.
I currently use plain old Ernie Ball 11's, would I risk damaging my axe if I try putting 13's on without adjusting the truss rod?
I have two friends who play lap steel. They both play acoustic instruments and their method is to fit the 4 wound strings from a set of mediums and then go heavier on the plain strings. I think they're up to a 17 on the 1st.
FatBoy
To be honest, I doubt I'll really ever need to fret the occasional note, I'd rather have a kick ass slide machine than a sorta ok dual use guitar.
So if we ignore the occasional fretting part then I am happy to go with the 13's. Is this sort of truss rod adjustment something I can do myself? Any pointers / do's and
don'ts?
Thanks Bob, I'll keep that in mind. I think lap steels handle the tension better than a Tele neck, but I will experiment a bit.
FatBoy
Just had a talk with the dude who last worked on the Tele, and asked him what it would cost me to put a new higher nut in there. He says about R520 because he has to make a new one from scratch as the standard ones aren't much higher than my current one. Does this hold any truth?
Rudolf suggested I put a shim underneath it, so I asked him, the reply was that I would lose sustain. What do you guys think?
AlanRatcliffe
Hmm. Seems a bit steep to me, but to be honest, I'm not really in touch with the latest prices - only way to find out for sure is to ask around with a few guys. You don't need that much higher - you might well be happy with a standard slotted nut. Even if you were to make a really high nut, it's relatively easy, because you don't have to get the radiusing perfect (or even radius it at all if it's going to be just for slide), or do the tricky work to get the action low without buzz. If anything, it's easier than cutting a low nut.
You can shim if you do it right - strips of hardwood veneer glued to the bottom of the nut with cyanoacrylate. Building up the bottom with baking powder and cyanoacrylate and then reshaping is a good method in a pinch too.
Rudolf
Shim that thing Fritz! Seriously it's not going to take you 20 minutes, either methods Alan suggested. The CA and kicker (Soda or bottled kickers) method will be stupid easy to add a little height. I really can't think of a reason it would affect sustain or whatever. You'll notice some Graphtec nuts even has a little leg on the bottom which serves as a spacer, point being there's never really a perfect contact between the nut and the neck. And even then most nuts are glued in place using something like normal white wood glue even, which is vibration absorbing. Also the amount of glue used is a toothpick's tip full. I really wouldn't fuss over it, grab a bottle of medium or thick CA and a kicker like bakingsoda and hack at it, file it back to shape on the bottom with a nail file or whatever you got handy and enjoy the guitar.
Really the only thing I can foresee causing a little trouble perhaps is getting the current nut off without damaging anything.
FatBoy
Mmm, I'll have a think about it over the weekend.
Bob-Dubery
Fritz Brand wrote
Thanks Bob, I'll keep that in mind. I think lap steels handle the tension better than a Tele neck, but I will experiment a bit.
I can't quote figures, but I've seen Teles converted into lap steels, so I think the neck will hold up fine.
Sometimes when you see a lap steel with a really hefty neck it's for resonance more than strength. Sometimes the neck is hollow.
Gearhead
