# Slides glass or brass



## wingsfan (Aug 26, 2010)

Two questions, glass or brass slides which are better and should I use a nut extension or higher bridge insert, or both?


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Neither is better, they just give a different tone. The metal ones tend to be a little more crisp sounding and the glass ones a bit warmer usually.

I've used just a nut extension in the past and it's worked fine. Also, I've had guitars set-up for slide as well as standard play. With the action just a bit higher than usual, I find I can play slide pretty easily, though it's much easier with a nut extension.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

If you're talking about a nut extension like this one, they are designed to convert you guitar into a Dobro style ie play the guitar flat on your lap:

STEWMAC.COM : Slide Guitar Extension Nut

If I"m playing "electric slide" ala Duane Allman etc, I use a thinner glass slide and only have the guitar action "slightly" higher, and use regular strings. If playing acoustic, I use a much heavier, thicker glass slide and raise the action more, with medium strings.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

I have both and prefer glass slides.


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## stringer (Jun 17, 2009)

I prefer the tones i get from glass. I'd love to find an old glass aspirin bottle, but you just don't see them around anymore.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I prefer brass because of the weight. I find it easier to use.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Glass (coricidin bottles and bottlenecks) and ceramic (Dunlops and Sir Ramic) depending on my mood. I've got a couple of cool brass slides but I find them a little bright. On lapsteel I use a Shubb steel.

I don't raise my action for slide except for lapstyle where I only raise the nut.

Peace, Mooh.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

FlipFlopFly said:


> I prefer brass because of the weight. I find it easier to use.


As flip says... and I haven't lost my brass one yet


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

A lot of it depends on the guitar-I have glass,procelain and brass.

When I got my metal body Dobro there was cheap chrome metal slide in the case and it sounds better than all the others with this guitar.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I had a ceramic one that I loved for both acoustic and electric, but it fell and broke. ): I now prefer my glass slide I made from a wine bottle neck. Thick glass and perfect taper, plus I got lucky and it broke in a nice little curve for when the finger bends at the palm. I find the corricedrin bottle to sound really whiny and thin, especially on acoustic, metal only if thick and only on electric. I've always used the same setup for regular and slide playing.


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## jakeblues (Jan 14, 2011)

A number of factors involved but it's subjective in the end - which one sounds and feels better to you? I prefer ceramic first and glass second - brass doesn't have much tone or volume to my ears. Glass and ceramics vary depending on mass or how vitrified the ceramic body is. Although the medicine bottles are supposedly good I find they are too thin and lightweight for good tone. A heavier or thicker wall translates into a smoother sound and 'holds' a note better, in my opinion. Sometimes you have to match the slide to the guitar for best tone - metal may sound better for certain instruments. For a National steel Delphi, I find ceramic is best because it smooths out the raw, sometimes harsh, sound of the steel body, along with picking away from the bridge. For a wooden body acoustic, another material may work better for the sound you want. Nut extensions are not necessary to play slide, of course, but you may want to raise the action if it is too close to the fingerboard. Depending on playing style, you may want to arrive at a string height that allows you to chord without too much effort, yet have enough height so the slide doesn't 'bottom-out' on the frets. Part of the issue here is your 'touch'- a player with a light touch can slide with lower action or tension without bottoming out. String gauge and tension affect the resistance of the slide on the string. If you play in open tunings, lowered string tension will lower resistance, so switching to heavier gauge strings may improve slide action (and tone) without having to raise your bridge saddle. You will have to experiment to balance all these factors for your style of playing.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Not all "Coricidin" bottles are created equal, thankfully. I much prefer the modern Dunlop reproductions with the weighted bottoms to the originals...though even they don't have the tone of a good old wine bottle neck.

After decades of using my pinky finger, I switched to my ring finger for slide. I find I have better control that way. The downside is that now most of my slides don't quite fit, so I may have to shop for larger inside diameters.

Peace, Mooh.


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

I like a copper slide for aggressive, edgey work (a la Thorogood's raunchier stuff), but prefer glass slides for times when you want a smooth and airy _glissando_ tone.


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## ccuwan (Jul 9, 2008)

I have both brass and glass slides and I find that I switch back and forth depending on my mood and the sound I am getting on any day. I slide on a National Delphi, a Seagull and an old Silvertone 1448 electric and generally in slack G. 

I would recommend that you stay with it without the elevating the nut because you will in time get comfortable with the lower action and can ultimately work some normal chording and fingered notes into your slide package.

I have two simple modifications that I have made and work for me. I like my slide on my pinkie but I line it with the fluffy half of a Velcro strip allowing my pinky to have a snug fit while freeing up the second knuckle on that finger. With that extra finger bend, I can maintain a much higher level of control with 12 gauge strings.

The strings I use are usually 12s but I will swap out the high string for a 14 or 16 gauge. In slack G the high string is tuned down to D and that combined with a very light gauge like 12 makes the string almost impossible to slide without banging some frets along the way.

It will take some patience to get comfortable with standard stings at a normal fretting level but the variety of things you can do once you master it is dramatically increased.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I'd break glass or ceramic slides--so metal for me--and I like brass better.

I use my pinky--because it works better--I used to use my ring finger--but when I got a brass slide & switched fingers, I got it better--I'm still kind of a hack at it, but getting better.

SO use what sounds better to you and whichever finger you can use better--or use both--switch it around.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I have a few, including a brass, a couple of nickel plated steels and two or three different glass slides.

On a guitar I almost always use the glass. On a lap steel I use a proper slide bar which is plated steel.

My impression is that the glass has a warmer tone, but I haven't exactly done a scientific study to validate that.


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