# What is your best guitar for slide?



## Spankin Allison (Jun 11, 2009)

Allo!
I would like to know wich guitar from your arsenal you like the best for slide purpose.I use a brandless archtop,F holes from the 50's...its is really good
but would need a Pick-up!I have a jasmine electro-acoustic,big jumbo shitty tekamine on a diet,But dosent do the work...Mabye a good old hollowbody would do the job when it comes down to cranked it up...and you know it always come to this,Crraaaaaanked up!For now i close mike my oldtimer with a shure sm-58,but thats got to be temporary..Whatever
Thanks
Frank xx


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I don't play a lot of slide--but I've been working on it more seriously over the past year or so.

For slide I use one of three guitars:

*These two in standard tuning--because I like playing them for other stuff and don't like retuning all the time:*
-Les Paul Custom with the fretless wonder frets. The frets don't get in the way and I don't have to crank up the action--although I prefer higher action than most people I know.

-Ibanez AF95--when I want that hollowbody tone on slide.

*
This one for open tuning (right now I'm working on open G):*
-Granada (70's MIJ) Les Paul copy--I'm in the process of changing the pickups & nut (which needs replacement--the grooves are too low). I like the sound unplugged, but the pickups it has don't do it for me, so new ones are coming.


----------



## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

the Gretsch is tuned to open G, action up a bit.









the Hofner has no pick-up, but has a really nice sound. Standard tuned.


----------



## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

The one I just tuned to G...


----------



## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

*Sg*

I have an SG standard, tuned to E. 

I've been known to tune a strat to G.

Sometimes I'll just use my Les Paul in standard tuning.

I don't generally raise the action. My guitars are set to factory specs.

cheers
Gene


----------



## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

My Tokai Goldstar Sound in standard tuning.


----------



## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I like both my electrics for slide. The Lindert is really aggressive and can howl like crazy - I channel George Thorogood with this one. The Gretsch is a little more understated and sounds a lot more like a traditional slide sound. I really miss my T-51 for open E. I also borrow the bass player's son's Godin (some kind of strat style H-S-S format) and use the neck pup for open E and open G songs.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

This one...










Bill Asher "Ben Harper" model. Kind of a cross between a Weissenborn and a Les Paul. Glorious tones.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Cool one there.

I tried a Weissborn at a store once--and I had something new to GAS for, and something new to try and figure out how I'd make time to learn it...

I think I'd like a solid body one as well.


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

Spankin Allison said:


> Allo!
> I would like to know wich guitar from your arsenal you like the best for slide purpose.I use a brandless archtop,F holes from the 50's...its is really good
> but would need a Pick-up!I have a jasmine electro-acoustic,big jumbo shitty tekamine on a diet,But dosent do the work...Mabye a good old hollowbody would do the job when it comes down to cranked it up...and you know it always come to this,Crraaaaaanked up!For now i close mike my oldtimer with a shure sm-58,but thats got to be temporary..Whatever
> Thanks
> Frank xx


i have an old harmony archtop thats just stellar for bottleneck- love the big warm woody sound those things make.
all my guitars can do slide, i kinda like them all for it- but a standout would be my epiphone biscuit. also like my old stellas and an epi l-00.
for lap style slide ive got a couple 30s oahu squarenecks that sound incredible, a decent regal dobro and a national lap steel-
but since this is the electric area of the forum, ive been playing bottleneck lately on a tiesco with gold foil pups- tuned to d minor. spooky sound....


----------



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

Sneaky said:


> This one...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


awesome set up sneaky- bet it sounds as good as it looks.


----------



## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Sneaky said:


> This one...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


kksjur that's beautiful


----------



## Will Chen (Jul 15, 2009)

When I used to play a lot of alide (it's been a while) I used a reissue Dano U2.


----------



## Spankin Allison (Jun 11, 2009)

puckhead said:


> the Hofner has no pick-up, but has a really nice sound. Standard tuned.


Thats look alot like my old archtop,only in better...those old f hole archtop are to me, sum of the most beautiful guitar of all time.Your is in great shape man!Mine is joint to the 12th fret...and got way much playwear.What year is yours?
Frank


----------



## danbo (Nov 27, 2006)

Flying V in open E tuning. :rockon2:


----------



## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

Spankin Allison said:


> Thats look alot like my old archtop,only in better...those old f hole archtop are to me, sum of the most beautiful guitar of all time.Your is in great shape man!Mine is joint to the 12th fret...and got way much playwear.What year is yours?
> Frank


Thanks. It's somewhere around a 62-64 Hofner Congress. I don't have one of those dental mirrors to check the underside for a year.
Unfortunately, the neck was broken at the heel by the previous owner (a vacuuming accident, of all things). Structurally it was a good fix, but you can see it pretty clearly. I have never had a pickguard for it either.


----------



## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

I play slide in standard on my tele... But i have a crappy strat copy i think i'm going to go set up for slide now....


----------



## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I play slide in open D on the National Resophonic Estralita Deluxe


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

rollingdam said:


> I play slide in open D on the National Resophonic Estralita Deluxe


Nice guitar--I like those--if you ever want to give it away...:smile:
Seriously though, nice guitar, wish I could afford one.


----------



## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

i'm kicking myself for not buying a resonator i saw at a pawn shop... cheap too i believe...


----------



## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

This one has nice high action. Works well for slide.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Luke98 said:


> i'm kicking myself for not buying a resonator i saw at a pawn shop... cheap too i believe...


I saw one about a year ago--but the neck was too curved, and the strings were huge, and it was tuned quite high--I wasn't sure it was fixable, and I passed on it.

My regret was that the store and/or the previous owner didn't know what to do with it, so that it wasn't it better taken care of. If it had been maybe it would be mine.


----------



## mcgriff420 (Sep 30, 2008)

When I do play slide it's on an explorer studio with mini humbuckers.

They just have a stinging upper midrange bite that begs for slide.

..


----------



## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

*Dano & Reso*

I've got an old Dano built Silvertone with an original lipstick for electric and a Morgan Munroe Rocky Top set up with a national cone for acoustic. 

The Silvertone is a great lightweight player with a unique growl of its own.......And yes I know the bridge on it was set up wrong. The Silvertone mods were all related to the pickguard. I replaced the original masonite one with a plastic knockoff with an old chrome Mercury badge and some new knobs. The original is stashed.

The Munroe has a very traditional Delta sound. Wish I could effectively amplify it. The tone is very sweet. I modified it with a National cone and biscuit, Grover 18:1 tuners and a bone nut.

Both are set up in Open G.


----------



## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

This is what i use setup with 11's and tuned to g


----------



## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

ccuwan said:


> The Munroe has a very traditional Delta sound. Wish I could effectively amplify it. The tone is very sweet. I modified it with a National cone and biscuit, Grover 18:1 tuners and a bone nut.
> 
> Both are set up in Open G.


Try one of these:

http://www.schattendesign.com/resonator.htm


----------



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

bobb said:


> This one has nice high action. Works well for slide.


I should say so.

This one works well for slide too.











Then again, so does this.











Neither would be as good as yours of course.


----------



## six-string (Oct 7, 2009)

Sneaky said:


> This one...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


way cool. i need to get me one of those...


----------



## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

mrmatt1972 said:


> Try one of these:
> 
> http://www.schattendesign.com/resonator.htm



Thanks Matt but the Schatten is targeted at spider bridge designs and my MM is a biscuit. Fact is I'm waiting for delivery of a National Delphi as I write this and it will come with a factory installed Highlander. Very excited as this is my first National. By next week I will have a new favorite and the MM is likely up for sale. Not sure about the sale yet as I want to play them both first.


----------



## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

Evilmusician said:


> This is what i use setup with 11's and tuned to g


You can't beat a Dano for electric slide......something to do with the masonite I think.


----------



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

This is my favourite for slide - a Bluestem lap steel. With a heavier set of strings installed, the sustain on this guy is unbelievable:


----------

