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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3280
Total number of notes:61432

28.0. "Slide Guitar" by BAXTA::BOTTOM_DAVID () Mon Aug 25 1986 14:53

    Ok fellows lets talk about slide playing.....I play a little, standard
    blues type riffs using a standard tuning. My favorite slide is a
    glass bottle that used to hold head cement for tying flies (brand
    name available on request).
    
    WHat tunings and tricks do you other slide players use???
    
    dave
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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28.1I like D or C openBPOV09::GRAHAMMon Aug 25 1986 16:415
    For a long time I used D open, but lately I've been more partial
    to C open.  When I get really ambitious, I sometimes try open tuning
    my 12 string (Whew!).
    
    					John G.
28.2in my limited experienceERLANG::SUDAMASun Aug 24 1986 12:387
    I don't play slide a lot, but when I do I usually use an open G
    tuning (D G D G B D). I have a chrome plated tube that I find gives
    a fuller sound than glass, but I suspect that you could get a better
    sound with glass if you tried enough shapes and thicknesses.
    
    Ram
    
28.3Open G and E are niceFROST::SIMONGary Simon - BTO Quality EngineeringWed Sep 03 1986 16:1822
	I play in standard / open G / and open E.  My favorite is still
	standard but I am getting to like open G more and more as I am
	learning to play Dobro guitar.

	I have tried all types of slides.  Currently I am using a "Coricidin
	bottle" slide that someone in the south is now making replicas of.
	(Copies of the slides that Duane Allman, etc. used to use.)  My 
	favorite slide (which I just broke this 4th of July after 15 years
	of use) was the neck off of an old Mateus wine bottle.  I don't know
	if the bottles these days are as heavy duty as that one was.

	I've also got a metal slide that I use on my electric guitar. For
	some reason I like glass on acoustic and metal on electric.

	For my dobro I use a lap steel bar.  I also have an old Fender lap
	steel (8 string) that I want to get around to playing some day.

	As far as people to listen to on slide, I really like Ry Cooder
	and David Lindley.  (Johnny Winter and Duane Allman also.)

	-gary

28.4favorite slides and tuningsDAIRY::SHARPSay something once, why say it again?Thu Sep 04 1986 18:4833
I play in standard tuning, open E (E B E G# B E), open A (E A E A C# E) and
two different open G's. G(1) is just open A down one whole tone (D G D G B D)
and G(2) is like chord you get when you're in standard tuning and play the
regular 3-finger first position G. (G B D G B D).

I generally use open tunings for solo work, and standard tuning when I'm
with a band. G1 is more useful for blues style, and G2 is more useful for
bluegrass.

I mostly use an old Coricidin bottle. A REAL one, that came with pills in
it. Somebody sick took the pills, and I got the bottle. I have two of them.
It can cover all six strings simultaneously on both my Stratocaster and my
National, and it's pretty heavy, so I get good sustain. The only drawback is
it fogs up inside from my pinky sweating.

I also have a metal slide that I only use on the electric. It's pretty
light, so it doesn't give good sustain on the wound string. I use it when
I'm playing in standard tuning, because it's easier to fret with my other
fingers with this slide than any of my others.

I also have a neck cut from a Mateus bottle. It's the heaviest of all, and
gives really great sustain, even on the low E on the National. The drawback
is that it has a raised lip, which keeps it from covering all 6 strings at
once.

I also have a lap steel bar, but even when I'm playing lap style bluegrass I
don't like it very much. Maybe if I had a pedal steel I'd find more use for
it.

My biggest slide guitar influences are Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder and Duane
Allman.  

Don.
28.5Socket to meRHETT::MCABEECan I just do it til I need glasses?Fri Sep 05 1986 00:446
    I like to use a Sears deep socket for slide.  The extra mass gives
    you a stronger tone with more sustain.  The metal slides you can
    buy are all too light.  
    
    Bob
    
28.6Scandinavian slideSTKTSC::JOHNSONWed Sep 17 1986 23:4410
    After trying a lot of different bottlenecks,glass and metal tubes
    I'm stuck with a really heavy brass tube.The sustain and tone of
    it is superior compared to the rest.I use that exclusively on both
    my acoustic and electric guitar.The only drawback is the much
    lighter touch I have to use for avoiding string-rattle. But once
    you get used to it...
    Just wished I could find me a Dobro.They're not growing on trees
    here in Stockholm.
    
    Mats
28.7Modified Open TuningMSDOA2::ERNSTThu May 21 1987 01:588
    There are a million open tunings; they go way back before blues
    players. The one I have been using lately is a modified open G :
    D G D G B E. This way, you can have the best of an open sound on
    the lower strings, and still know where the hell to go on the top
    strings (they are still in standard). I think Cooder does most of
    his slide in open D, and rhythm in open G.
    
    ben
28.8sears where american musicians shopNWD002::MILLSSCTue May 10 1988 08:224
                  ya alright i was hoping i would find that in here
     some people think iam nuts when i mention the sears deep socket
    thanks for the sanity check. 
                        scotty
28.9Have DOBRO... will travel!SALEM::ABATELLISet/Mode=No_ThinkWed May 11 1988 00:0119
    Slide?  Gee... did someone mention slide??? Wow! Great topic!
    Sears deep socket? I agree and have used such a strange and heavy
    item. I found that the strings had to be a little heavier than normal
    so that I didn't get that fret noise most common with heavy slides.
    I only used it for practice and then used another guitar to play
    out with and used a glass slide to play out with. I found that using
    the heavy slide while practicing made your left hand "fly" over
    the neck at a gig. My favorite slide is an old urine sample bottle.
    Yea... don't laugh.... I had a friend on mine who was a nurse at
    B.U. Hospital that got a bunch of new ones for me. Heavier than
    store bought guitar slides and doesn't sound as thin either. As
    far as tuning.... I use a standard guitar tuning for playing out,
    but at home and for recording I'll choose either a "C", or "E" open
    tuning. Dobro tuning I use G/B/E/G/B/E , or a multitude of strange
    tunings to give me the notes I want. Tuning goes with style.
    My favorite Slide players?  D. Allman and R. Betts.
    
    Fred-who's-been-an-southern-rocker-from-way-back
    
28.10I don't want the pills, just the bottleSRFSUP::MORRISI don't drink, so I bought a GPZWed May 11 1988 23:199
    I wanna know where I can get a coricidin bottle!!  Joe Walsh in
    his GP interview said that it was the only thing to get that sound.
    
    I know that EVH used a Schlitz can for a slide on 'Intruder'.

    I tried using a socket, but it's hard to get that 'whip and wiggle'
    down with that big of a hunk of iron on my hand.
    
    Favorite slide player: Smokin' Joe Walsh
28.11Check Those Want AdsAQUA::ROSTSweeper at the Hilton HotelThu May 12 1988 02:478
    
    Re: .10
    
    There's some company that advertises in the back of GP who is making
    glass Coricidin bottles for use as slides (Coricidin now comes in
    plastic bottles, ya know....).
    
    
28.12Not just good medicineDREGS::BLICKSTEINThe height of MIDIocrityThu May 12 1988 12:475
    Gee, I have an old (probably well expired) bottle of Coricidin at
    home.  Perhaps I oughta just dump it out and put the bottle in my
    guitar case.
    
    	db
28.13FROST::SIMONI just ain'tThu May 12 1988 13:0423
    
re: -.2

>    There's some company that advertises in the back of GP who is making
>    glass Coricidin bottles for use as slides (Coricidin now comes in
>    plastic bottles, ya know....).
    

I purchased (via mail) a couple of these imitation Coricidin bottles.  They
seem to do a pretty good job on the electric, but on my acoustic they just
don't seem to be massive enough.  I've never used a real coricidin bottle
before so I can't say how closely they new ones duplicate the originals.

My favorite ever slide was made from the neck of a Mateus wine bottle.  You
need to get the mega size bottle (2 liter?).  I'd throw the wine away (yuchie
stuff) and cut the neck off with a glass cutting kit.

Currently I'm using a heavy Dunlop glass (plexiglass?) slide that I bought
at Mr. C's in Marlborough, Mass.  It does almost as good a job on the acoustic
as the Mateus bottle neck.

-gary    

28.15Another use for soda popTYFYS::MOLLERVegetation: A way of lifeThu May 12 1988 18:068
    I had the top of an old Coke bottle (someone was selling them at
    a music shop in Chicago, around 15 years ago) that was nice. The
    bottle had an arch in it, that kind of matched the radius of the
    guitar neck. I never used it that much, but at the time, the Allman
    Brothers were making it popular & I tried to play some of thier
    songs in the same manner.
    
    							Jens
28.16both my favs are dead Duane and LowellMTBLUE::BOTTOM_DAVIDComing soon on a node near youFri May 13 1988 11:309
    I have on e of those cloricedian (sp???) bottles that are being marketed
    to unsuspecting musicians...in fact I used it at springjam...with
    a list of $9.95 I think they are a ripoff...the glass is way too
    light (thin, unmassive etc.) I like the heavy dunlop glass slides
    better....I also love my old fly tying head cement bottles but they
    are way too big around to use outside of a studio...metal slides
    are ok too but you need to turn the treble down a bit....
    
    db2
28.17Fretting Behind the Slide?FROST::SIMONI just ain'tWed May 25 1988 13:4117
	I just started picking up a new slide playing technique.  Fretting
	behind the slide.  Anybody try this one yet?  What you do is actually
	push down on a string with one of your free fingers which pushes the
	string down below the slide so that is sounds out the note to which
	you are fretting.  So far I've only used it to get minor chords on
	the DGB strings in standard tuning, but there are lots of possibilities
	that could be explored (especially in open type tunings).

	For more info on this see the April issue of Guitar Player (Joe Walsh
	on the cover)..there is an article about a slide player named Sonny
	Landreth who has been using this technique.   Some examples included.
	
	I was surprised that it was actually easier than I thought it would be.

	-gary

28.18Long on desire - short on techniqueWILKIE::SCHOFIELDTue Jun 21 1988 13:498
    I've always loved the slide sound and became a
    fall-down-dead-in-my-tracks fan after I saw "Crossroads".  My problem
    is technique.  I can't seem to keep the slide from clunking on the
    fretboard of my Fender Jazzmaster.  The action is very low which
    is great for fingering but not so great for sliding.  I think a
    lap steel or dobro would be fun but I can't justify buying one until
    I've gotten to a point where I can at least play something with
    a slide.  Anybody have any tips on technique (basic)?
28.19try itSRFSUP::MORRISThe best laid plans never get laidTue Jun 21 1988 14:5210
    I'll probably get blasted for this, but here's a 'make do' solution.
    Take a pencil, or plastic stick pen, or dowel, and slide it under
    the strings behind the nut, and then slide the dowel up to the nut.
    
    A lot of times this will work.  I used this on an old cheesemo guitar
    of mine, and I finally took the nut off, and used a broken radio
    antenna in its place.  This got the action high enough where I could
    play it.
    
    Ashley
28.20"Slide Guitar" from OakAQUA::ROSTLizard King or Bozo Dionysius?Tue Jun 21 1988 15:0519
    
    The Oak Publications book "Slide Guitar" (I think by Arlen Roth)
    is very good.
    
    It leads you through the acoustic Delta styles (Robert Johnson,
    etc.) through Chicago styles (Muddy Waters, Elmore James) and ends
    up with modern rock slide ala Duane Allman.  
    
    It comes with a floppy demo record, too.
    
    Re: .19
    
    Check out your local dealer for a thing called a "dobro nut", a
    plastic nut extender that raises your strings up off the neck for
    slide.  Although this is good for dobro/lap style slide, it will
    probably leave the action *too* high for bottleneck styles.
    
    
    
28.22Who's got the dobro nut?FROST::SIMONI just ain'tWed Jun 22 1988 13:0817
re : < Note 28.20 by AQUA::ROST "Lizard King or Bozo Dionysius?" >
    
>    Check out your local dealer for a thing called a "dobro nut", a
>    plastic nut extender that raises your strings up off the neck for
>    slide.  Although this is good for dobro/lap style slide, it will
>    probably leave the action *too* high for bottleneck styles.
    

	Anyone ever see one of these in their local music store??  I've
	been looking for one for several years now to use on my Strat.
	I like to have the action real low for regular playing, but it is
	tooooo low for effective slide playing.

	-gary
    
    

28.23MTBLUE::BOTTOM_DAVIDbehind blues eyes...Fri Jun 24 1988 16:045
    You can buy a dobro nut from Elderly Instruments wherever they are,
    mail order to Michigan or some such place, they advertise in the
    back of musicina every month so finding them is no problem..
                           
    db back in the usa
28.24Elderly InfoFTMUDG::HENDERSONTue Jun 28 1988 00:5414
    	The address for Elderly Instruments is:
    
    		1100 N. Washington
    		P.O. Box 14210
    		Lansing, MI. 48901
    
    		(517)372-7890
    
    	On page 51 of their Instrument and Accessories Catalog, #88A-1,
    they advertise a combination capo and nut extension combined. It
    comes in two extension sizes, 1/4" for Hawaiian guitar or 3/8" for
    Dobro. The cost is $4.00 for either size.
    
    DonH
28.26DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVIDEveryday I got the bluesTue Sep 20 1988 14:4812
    I use both a guitar with the strings raised (and heavier gage strings)
    tuned to open e as well as my strat for slide. I also have one acoustic
    with a dobro nut tuned to open e.
    
    Light strings can be a problem when first starting out, but I disagree
    with the suggestion that you use a light glass slide to help with
    this. Light glass slides sound crappy. Also later on if you decide
    to switch to a heavy glass/chrome/brass etc. slide you'll have problems
    with the size and mass of the slide. Start with a good slide that
    sounds good and just learn it right to begin with.
    
    dbii
28.27Well... you could be right...SALEM::ABATELLISet/Mode=No_ThinkTue Sep 20 1988 16:3125
    
    Re: .26  Light gauge strings sound crappy ?
         
           YEP! You bet they do?
           
    RE: .26 ...but I disagree with using a "light" bottle slide to help 
               with this.
              
           It's good to disagree Dave! That's what makes the world go
    round! I've met alot of people that DON'T want to change their strings
    to a heavier gauge for the sake of a slide and I'm "NOT" saying that 
    Gary is like that either! All I was trying to do was to introduce to
    Gary the ideas behind it all. No more and no less. 
    
    By best electric set-up? 
    
    A package of standard GHS .013"'s with a wound 3rd.
     Set the strings around 3/16" to  1/4" from the neck.
      A thick glass slide, except when I want to play faster, then
       I use a lighter one. I don't care for metal slides cause they're
        tone is too bright for my tastes and also pit on the inside after 
         a while making it uncomfortable.
                           
    Have a good day!  :^)
    Fred
28.28FROST::SIMONI just ain'tWed Sep 21 1988 15:1916
	Thanks for the advice Fred.  I've tried light glass slides as well
	as pinky slides and it still doesn't give me the effect I'm looking
	for.  I use a heavy (Dunlop) glass slide on my Guild acoustic and
	a lap steel bar on my dobro (I usually play it lap style.)  What
	I wanted to do was experiment on my strat with a few things like
	the dobro nut that may raise the string just enough so that I could
	use a fairly heavy glass slide (like a coricidin bottle) or a steel
	slide, but still be able to remove the nut and play regular guitar.

	The thing is I have been playing my acoustic so much lately that
	I've gotten use to the higher action, so maybe I should just raise
	the action on the strat a little bit.  Dunno....

	-gary

28.29Any ideas on 8 string tuning?FROST::SIMONI just ain'tMon Nov 07 1988 10:4412
	I've got an old Fender 8 string Stringmaster lap steel that I
	want to try some alternate tunings on.  I've been using an open
	G (GBDGBD), and just ignoring the other two low strings.  Any
	body have any ideas for an 8 string tuning?  It might be neat
	to incorporate something that would allow for minor chords without
	slanting the bar.

	Thanks in advance,

	-gary

28.30check out the Little Feat for slideBTO::BRITTONWed Dec 21 1988 10:388
    
    	I was quickly reviewing the comments on slide guitar/players,
    and was shocked not to find the name of Lowell T. George!!! I've
    worked for both Duane Allman and Lowell as a roadie(Mr. guitar),
    and they were both the best at what they did. Duane used glass on
    a Les Paul(I have one of them), and Lowell used steel on a Strat.
    Duane used Standard and open tunings, and Lowell was partial to
    open A. Gotta run, more later.
28.31Little Feat questionRICKS::CALCAGNIWed Dec 21 1988 12:237
    In the reformed Little Feat, Paul Barrere has taken over slide
    duties.  His playing is so much in the Little Feat tradition
    that I was wondering, how much if any slide did he play when Lowell
    George was still around?  I always assumed Lowell did all the slide
    parts, but now I'm not so sure.
    
    /rick
28.32Little Feat answerBTO::BRITTONWed Dec 21 1988 17:374
    
    	Paul has always played slide, but was never featured as a slide
    player(with Lowell it's no wonder). He does the slide on some of
    the oder songs such as Skin it Back.
28.33Here's Two More Slide PlayersSTAR::DONOVANFri Aug 04 1989 15:5412
    A couple of my favorite slide players:
    
    Rod Price  (formerly of Foghat
    
    George Harrison  (formerly of, well, you know)
    
    
    Also, do I understand correctly that it's Jerry Garcia on pedal
    steel in CS&N's "Teach Your Children Well"?
    
    
    Brian
28.34NATASH::RUSSOMon Aug 07 1989 13:258
    
    re .32
    
    Yes, that is Jerry Garcia on Pedal Steel on "Teach your children."
    I was surprised to hear that after years of hearing the song and loving
    that sound he makes with it, and not knowing that it was him.
    
    Dave
28.35PNO::HEISERhere come the big guitars!Thu Oct 19 1989 15:217
    Anyone try the new brass slide made by Jim Dunlop?  The slide has an
    inward curve to accomodate the guitar neck, has a really nice feel.
    
    Guitar necks have had a curve to them for 50+ years and it finally
    dawned on someone to make a slide to match.
    
    Mike
28.36I like the straight ones myselfLEDS::ORSIYou little booger machinesThu Oct 19 1989 16:3210
    
    	Re -1
    		That is not an entirely original idea. Some slide
    	players cut the neck off an empty wine bottle and used it
    	for a slide. It had a built-in curve to it. I've seen pic-
    	tures of Bonnie Raitt using an old bottleneck.
    
    	Neal
    
    
28.37I'll bet Bonnie likes straight ones tooBUSY::JMINVILLEIt's getting better all the timeThu Oct 19 1989 17:5715
    	Speaking of Bonnie Raitt...
    
    	In the latest Rolling Stone, John Lee Hooker makes some really
    nice comments about Bonnie, her love of the blues, and her abilities
    in the singing and slide-playing departments.  She must be one proud
    lady to have The Hook say such nice things about her.  One thing
    for sure, she can play!!
    
    	joe (if I think of it, I'll enter Hooker's own words).
    
    	P.S. I once heard Bonnie say something about learning how to
    get the right "sound" from Lowell George.  I think she was talking
    about a compressor or a sustainor.  Anybody know if she uses some
    gadgetry?
    
28.38Gotta find time to woodshedLEDS::ORSIYou little booger machinesFri Oct 20 1989 11:0312
    
    	Years ago, I read an interview with Bonnie where she 
    	said that Lowell taught her how to use an MXR compressor
    	when they were hanging out together. I heard a recording she
    	had done shortly after that and sure enough, Lowells' influence
    	was there. She's a student of many styles. Maybe I should say
    	master of many styles. Many of us could take a "lesson" from 
    	that lady. I think she's awesome.
    
    	Neal
    
    	
28.39Wasn't that in Guitar PlayerMISFIT::KINNEYDThey say, time loves a heroMon Oct 30 1989 23:272
    re -2
    
28.40My brain hurtsLEDS::ORSIYou little booger machinesTue Oct 31 1989 10:404
    
    	Yeah, I think so. Can't remember when, though.
    
    
28.41Set up for slideMILKWY::JMINVILLEThey used to call this a chevyThu Jun 21 1990 13:2121
    I've got a strat copy that plays really nice, but wouldn't fetch any
    value on the open market, hence I've been thinking about setting it
    up for slide.  I've heard many guitar players (George Harrison, Bonnie
    Raitt, Eric Clapton to name a few) in describing their guitars say, (as
    an example) "...and I've got a '62 strat that's set up for slide..."
    
    Well on my start copy I've got a Kahler trem system, so here are my
    questions:
    
    	1.  I've found a local music store that carries the infamous "Dobro
    		nut", so do I need to bring in my guitar to find a nut that
    		matches the width of the neck?
    
    	2.  Should I change from .009's to like .010's or beyond?
    
    	3.  How do I deal with the whammy?
    
    Do the guitar players who have one of their guitars set up for slide
    have hardtails?  Or what?
    
    	joe.
28.42like Lowell reincarnatedMILKWY::JMINVILLEThey used to call this a chevyThu Jun 21 1990 13:247
    BTW, Greg House...
    
    	If you ever happen to catch The Bijou Street Blues Band again
    	please ask that slide player what tuning he uses and post it here.
    	Man was that cat hot!!
    
    	joe.
28.43some amateur adviceNAVIER::STARRWhen we made love, you used to cry...Thu Jun 21 1990 14:4024
Hey Joe!

I'm not really a slide player (but I play one on TV....), but a couple points 
that I've noticed in reading interviews and stuff:

1. Most often, "set up for slide" means that they are tuned to an open chord,
   instead of standard concert tuning. That seems to be the biggest 
   difference.

2. Also, they seems to prefer really high action, so you don't hear the slide
   hitting the frets. 

3. And they seem to prefer really fat strings so they slide doesn't sound too 
   thin. I'm talking something like .013s or so.....


>    	If you ever happen to catch The Bijou Street Blues Band again
>    	please ask that slide player what tuning he uses and post it here.
>    	Man was that cat hot!!

Wasn't he awesome? I couldn't believe that this guy was just playing a Tuesday 
night at some dive in Colorado Springs! He was hot!!!!

Alan S.
28.44ZYDECO::MCABEELearning the First Noble TruthThu Jun 21 1990 15:184
I don't like anythng less than standard medium gauge (starting with .013)
for slide, but I don't play electric.

Bob
28.45Yeah, that guy cooksCOOKIE::G_HOUSENo, I'm very, very shy.Wed Jun 27 1990 23:3914
    I'll try and remember to ask Larry what tuning he uses.  I do know he
    runs an old Ibanez maple body ax into a GK 250ML, FWTW.
    
    An interesting side point, he's some sort of an engineer type that just
    plays part time for fun, like many of us.  8^)
    
    Seems like the standard setup for playing slide is a tall action with
    heavy strings.  I'd think a hardtail would work better for you. 
    Stewart McDonalds has hardtail Strat style bridges (like the one in my
    Strat), if you were thinking of changing it.  I don't know how much of
    a pain it'd be since most Kahlers are routed into the guitars body a
    little.
    
    Greg
28.46Handle Bar slideMILKWY::JACQUESVote Yes on 3Thu Oct 25 1990 17:5711
    Stewart MacDonald has a new device listed in their catalog. I believe
    it is called the Schubb/Pierce "Handle Bar". This device offers a new
    way of playing bottleneck slide. Rather than being a tube which slides
    over your finger, it is a curved bar, which you hold between your
    middle and ring finger. You can swing the bar to the side to get it
    out of the way for straight fretting, and swing it in for slide work.
    Looks like it would be kinda tough to get used to. Might be worth a
    try. I believe they are selling for about $12 for one. 
    
    Check em out
    Mark
28.47DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVIDReelect nobody!Thu Oct 25 1990 18:005
    sounds like a long "lenney breau's finger slide"
    
    I'll have to check it out..
    
    dbii
28.48standard tuning slideHAVASU::HEISERplay thru meThu Jun 13 1991 16:3360
    Here is a standard tuning slide stuff from Arlen Roth's "Complete
    Acoustic Guitar":
    
    Blues Pattern (key of E)
    
    ===========
    | | | | | |  5th fret
    | | * | | |
    | * * * | |
    | | | | | |
    | | * * * |
    | | | | * *
    | | | | | |
    | | | | * *  12th fret
    
    Now some standard tuning slide licks based on this pattern.
    You may want to add some vibrato to spice things up.
    ( / = slide up to fret, \ = slide down to fret)  
    
    E--12--10-----------------
    B---------12-s-10--/9-----
    G----------------------9--
    D-------------------------
    A-------------------------
    E-------------------------
    
    E--/12--12--12---------
    B--/12--12--12--/9-----
    G------------------9---
    D----------------------
    A----------------------
    E----------------------
    
    E--------------------------
    B--------/9----------------
    G--7-s-9-----9-s-7-----/9--
    D------------------/9------
    A--------------------------
    E--------------------------
    
    E--------------------------------
    B-------------------------/9-----
    G--\7------\7------\7--9------9--
    D------/9------/9----------------
    A--------------------------------
    E--------------------------------
    
    E--9-----------------------
    B-----/9-------------/9----
    G---------9-s-7-s-9------9-
    D--------------------------
    A--------------------------
    E--------------------------
    
    E----------------------
    B----------------------
    G------9--7------------
    D--/9--------7--/6-----
    A-------------------7--
    E----------------------
28.49standard tuning licksHAVASU::HEISERplay thru meThu Jun 13 1991 16:5348
28.50The Big "G" ThingCAVLRY::BUCKsun beats down on the cold steel railsThu Jun 13 1991 17:088
    Tesla's 'To Be a Man':
    
    E--------------------------------------------
    B-----------------------------12-------------
    G--0-s-3--s-3-0--s-3--s-3--0--12-------------
    D--0-s-3--s-3-0--s-3--s-3--0--12-------------
    A-------------------------------------------- 
    E--------------------------------------------
28.51"Luck of the Draw"AKOV05::ROSEWed Jun 26 1991 08:316
    
    Bonnie Raitt's new album is out.  See notes 522.20 and .21 in the
    COOKIE::FOLK_MUSIC Conference.
    
    Virginia
    
28.52Lenny-Pogan Blu slideKAOFS::P_DESOUZAFri Feb 14 1992 20:294
    Anyone hear of a Lenny-Pogan Blu slide! It is a half-slide(metal) cut
    lengthwise and mounted on a ring. So when you play regular guitar you
    just move the slide to the non-contact side. I used to have one but I
    lost it within the recesses of my basement.
28.53Tried Elderly?FROST::SIMONBirds can't row boatsWed Feb 19 1992 09:2416
re:                     <<< Note 28.52 by KAOFS::P_DESOUZA >>>
>                           -< Lenny-Pogan Blu slide >-


	Have you looked in the Elderly Instruments catalog?  I don't have
	one handy, but they have lots of different types of slides in there.

	I've got one of those blu slides.  I've had it for years and have
	no idea where I originaly got it.  Probably at one of the local
	music stores.  I certainly wouldn't call it the best slide I've 
	ever used.  It is quite small so it really has no mass to it.
	When you play slide with it you get kind of a tinny sound.  Maybe
	if you boost your sound with some sort of preamp or distortion
	device it might sound better, dunno.

	_gary
28.54LEDS::BURATISave the TunasTue Mar 31 1992 15:016
    Player: Ry Cooder
    Band:   Little Village; Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Jim Keltner
    Album:  Little Village
    Track:  Big Love

    What:   Listenup
28.55Morrell Lap SteelMILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetTue Dec 01 1992 13:0931
	I checked out a "Morrell" lap steel the other day. McDuff's Music
    has one in stock. I originally thought that Morrell was a Korean make, 
    but it turns out they are made in Missisipi. These lap steels sell for
    ~$150.00. 

	My overall impression was that they play and sound pretty good, but 
    they are very cheaply built. First of all, the instrument is made of a 
    very cheap wood that almost looks like pine. The one at McDuff's actually 
    has a knot in the wood !!  Secondly, these do not have a real fingerboard. 
    All they have is a stencil below the strings that looks like a fingerboard 
    and provides some positioning reference. These steels have a single Tele
    style pickup with volume and tone knobs. The nut sits in a routed channel 
    about 1/4" wide. This channel does not provide much structural strength to 
    help keep the nut in position, in fact the nut on the one at McDuff's is 
    leaning slightly. Keep in mind that most steel players use a very heavy 
    bullet slide and apply quite a bit of force on the strings. An instument
    with a real fingerboard provides 2 surfaces for the nut to attach to and 
    is far superior to this design. 

	I've also seen a Morrell wooden Dobro. This seems to be built better 
    than the steel, but they sell for about $500. For that much you can get 
    a Dobro "Houndog" which is the real M'Coy and probably has much better 
    resale value.

	I have decided to wait until a good deal comes along on an older 
    Gibson, Fender, or Supro lap steel. I have a few leads, but with Christmas 
    only a few weeks away, I'll probably wait.

	Mark

28.56Anyone still slidin'VOYAGR::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetWed Jul 21 1993 16:4228
	A couple of months ago, I picked up an old National lap
    steel at the boston guitar show. It needs to be rewired and
    is missing the hand-rest. I put it aside and planned to work
    on it when I have time. In the mean time, my local music store
    got in a beautiful 1950 National lap steel in perfect condition
    with original hsc. I just had to have it.

	It is black and white, and has a plexiglass fingerboard 
    with black and gold designs behind the plexi. It included the
    original brown hardshell case, the original owners manual, and
    a Schubb-Pierce bar. The white paint is yellowed and is slightly 
    chequed which gives it a very nice vintage look. 

	I cleaned it up last night and have been playing it since
    the weekend. It screams !!

	I also saw a 1950's "Kay" lap steel at a flea market last
    weekend that appeared to be made by National. It had threaded
    bushings on the bottom for legs, but didn't have legs with it.
    The guy wanted $125 for it, which I thought was a very fair price.
    I'm tempted to grab it. 

	I've also been playin my Dobro a lot lately and am starting
    to get pretty good at bottleneck slide. It'll be years before I
    can actually play and sing simultaneously.

	Mark
28.57shop till ya drop! 8^}NAVY5::SDANDREAHillary, Jennifer, now us...Wed Jul 21 1993 17:0010
    Mark,
    
    
    have you got the fever or what!??! You've accumulated more fleas than
    my labrador!  You don't watch that home shopping network, do ya?  Of
    course you don't....you don't have time to since you're at the freekin'
    flea market all the time!  We don't have much used stuff fer sale in my
    rural neck of the woods, let alone a music flea market......8^(
    
    Jed Clampett
28.58????RANGER::WEBERWed Jul 21 1993 19:341
    Why would anyone need more than one guitar??? :-)
28.59(Cave) men and their toyzMILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetSat Jul 24 1993 12:196
    This question has plagued mankind for centuries. It is believed
    that early men drew pictures of the new toyz they wanted on the
    walls in caves so that their SO's would know what to get them
    for their birthday !!
    
    Mark
28.60Ok its a slow dayRIPPER::KNIGHTPget me a gin and pentatonicSun Jul 25 1993 22:584
    re -1 
    	If Fred Flinstone played guitar would have drawn a Bedrock amp?
    8^).
    P.K.
28.61Slidin' FleasMILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetTue Aug 17 1993 15:0918
    
    	Last Sunday, I came home from my favorite Flea market with
    an Oahu Lap guitar, and a Kay Lap Steel. Yes, this is the same
    lap steel I mentioned a couple of notes back. 
    
    	The Kay lap steel is way cool. Typical '50's styling. Black
    and white, with a black and white design under a plexi fingerboard.
    It has threaded bushings on the bottom for legs. Anyone know where
    I can get a set of legs for this thing? If I can't find legs, I may
    have some made up. I'm thinking of having a machine shop make me a
    set of legs out of polished stainless steel.
    
    	The Oahu lap guitar is very old and has a few cracks in the top,
    but plays pretty good and was a steal. See the Flea market note for
    more details (note 333).
    
    	Mark	
                       
28.62Lap steel tunings.MILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetWed Aug 18 1993 14:285
    BTW, I'm planning to use both lap steels. They are not just pretty
    wall hangers. I'm planning to keep one tuned to open G and tune
    the other differantly. Any suggestions for tunings I should try?
    
    Mark
28.63Capo for Lap steel?MILKWY::JACQUESVintage taste, reissue budgetWed Aug 18 1993 14:354
    One other question. Does anyone make a capo for lap steel and/or
    Hawiian's ? 
    
    Mark
28.64Try a Dobro capoTAMDNO::LAURENTHal Laurent @ MELWed Aug 18 1993 15:0815
re: .63

>    One other question. Does anyone make a capo for lap steel and/or
>    Hawiian's ? 
    
Mark:

I've seen Dobro capos, perhaps one of them would work?  I've never looked at
them real closely, but I think they wedge between the strings and the
"fingerboard" (seems kind of silly to call it that when your fingers don't
touch it :-).

Try a music store that caters to bluegrass types.

-Hal