Dedicated Slide Strat (on the cheep)

[denny]

I have been asked by a singer to do guitar backing on a couple of Bonnie Raitt covers. My main axe is a Tele, and I know it sucks at slide (well, maybe its just me). I went out and got me a CHEEPO Chinese Squier Strat to mess around with, to set up for a dedicated slide guitar. I think what I have to do is:

1. Block the Tremolo. Should I do this by stuffing a piece of hardwood behind the trem block, or maybe (I dreamt this) stuffing pennies behind the trem block with some epoxy?

2. Put some heavy guage strings on... maybe 11s or more?

3. Tune to open G (?)

3. Raise the action. (Heres a question: If the action is raised for slide, why put a CAPO on to, say change the open strings to A, when the Capo pushes down the strings to the fretboard? It seems that RAISING the strings with a MOVEABLE NUT might be better.(?)

4. Probably will have to replace CHEEP hardware on this Squire... It plays OK, but, ... the knobs still have molding joiners on the edges, and, well, most of the hardware is obviously cr@p at first glance.

5. Replace the pickups. I am not savvy to Strat pickup configurations. I do see some SETS for sale: the Texas Special and the JB high output Noiseless look tempting, but there are other options to purchase one pickup, with no indication as to which position it is best suited to. In these cases, does the same pickup work in all positions, or is the bridge pickup the prime spot for these replacements?

Well, sorry for the shotgun approach to the question(s), but, while i am at it, what sort of slide do YOU use, (medicine bottle, metal cylinder, glass slide, porcelain slide, or other). And what finger do you wear the slide on? AND AND AND do you you use open tuning or standard?

I havent had a screwdriver to the guitar yet, nor have I yet played it seriously through my restored original 65 DR. I have thought about this stuff for the last few days, and It is time to sleep now. I will wake tomorrow anxious for the solutions you may have found with your experience with these issues, and will continue finding solutions that suit my playing and experimenting.

Thanks,
Denny

P.S. I have no compuction to sawing, grinding, routing, soldering, glueing, or otherwise abusing this guitar... after all, it is only a $130 Chinese Squier Strat.

Thanks Again

[bek]

No problem.
1--Yes, block your trem. Others know more than I do about this; I use a hardtail Indonesian Squier.
2--I use the heaviest strings I can get, usually .12, even .14 if I can find them.
3--I use open D; lots of people like the G, they're both good but different from one another.
3 (part 2)--Once you put the heavier strings on, you may not need to raise the action at all. If you do raise the action, do it a little at a time. I don't know about your moveable nut question.
4--If it plays ok, why replace it (unless the esthetics bother you that much)? Trim the knobs with an Xacto, or put on chickenheads or something.
5-- I'm using the stock pickups. Flatout deadly with the addition of a Deaf-Eddie Fat-O-Caster switch. Put in the switch, then see if you really need pickups. Maybe get a Rio Stelly for the bridge; that would be nasty-cool.
I use mostly a Dunlop glass slide, as thick as possible, usually on my ring finger. I keep trying to do it "right" but my pinky is never happy that way.
Good luck!

[stantheman]

...one of the greatest things I ever saw was Junior Kimbrough playing Slide with some serious cable-sized
Strings on an old "shred box" with all the "dive-bomb"
stuff ripped off it....there is a certain beauty about slide
You can get away with anything, couple of nails a brick and bottle on the side of a Barn - sounds good too.

[DADGAD]

Use an elastic hair band around the neck, near the first fret to damped string noise behind the slide. It cleans up your sound for good note definition.



Gary

[sparky]

I would try heavier strings first, then you can decide if you need to raise the action. If you can keep it fairly low you can still do some fingering. Like you I can't use a slide on my little finger, and use the third, but this means you can finger in front of the slide as well as behind.
I find open E is a good tuning, as three strings stay the same as standard tuning, and I can find my positions without thinking; it's probably best to ckeck what key(s) the singer sings in and choose a tuning that makes that key easy.
I would leave changing your pick-ups till last, and give the stock p-ups a try out; personally I think a lot of cheaper p-ups sound cool with slide. As for slide materials, they do sound and feel very different, but they are cheap enough to try a few. You may end up using different slides for each song when you've heard how they sound on your guitar.
If you do raise the action, when you use a capo you can slip a short piece of brass U-section rod over the appropriate fret. I got a piece from a model shop. I only raised my action when I started playing slide because it's supposedly the thing to do; now I use more or less normal string heights.

[KC]

you probably need to do less than you think to get this thing in shape for slide. put on a set of .11s, tune it up into open E (EBEG#BE), raise the action a hair (especially on the high E string -- if you're going to fret out anywhere, it'll be on that string) and you should be good to go.

after that it's just practice, like anything else. half the game in playing slide is learning to mute the strings you don't want to hear, both palm mutes on the right hand and finger mutes behind the slide on the left hand.

a big part of the Bonnie Raitt / Lowell George slide sound is some kind of a compressor between guitar and amp.

and I wouldn't worry about pickups for a while -- there's no telling what'll sound good. my current favs are the lipstick pickups in a newer Dano U2 RI and the weird single-coil somethingorother in a Harmony Roy Smeck. Cheap nasty pickups sometimes sound better than nice expensive ones. go figure.

good luck.

[jordanl]

I beleive Bonnie Raitt uses open G or A (same tuning 1 step higher). and cheap pickups often sound amazing for slide. David Lindley uses lots of odd ball stuff.

[denny]

Thanks to bek for the Deaf Eddie switch reminder, I installed the DE 5-way on my Tele. Thats DEFINITELY on the todo list.

I like sparkys suggestion for brass stock at the hobby shop for the capo. StewMac has a thing called a nut extender and a clamp-on dobro capo that looks interesting, too - if a bit pricey.

Thanks again.
The folks on this board are always helpful.
Im on my way to slideland.
denny

[stantheman]

You want "the beef " get an early 90's or even earlier
Korean Squire Strat. A lot of Blues Guys really dig them
Korean Pickups and put 'em into more expensive Strats
Good Fonk .

[glroberttaylor]

i got a 2002 BSB strat, tuned it to open d,never tuned to any other. i put 11's on it, blocked the trem with a piece of wood, & it kicks a$$! i left the action low so i can chord & use scales, heavy brass slide, lots of grind. mine is just fine, i damp strings with my fingers, & let 'er rippp! no need to get all bothered about nuts, capos, hieght adjustments, etc. play on, brother. PEACE!