anyone ever heard of doing this????

[freakindisplay]

I once read a while back, that some musicians, when using a slide, would wedge a pencil or something to that extreme around the nut of the guitar in-between the strings and the fret board to get higher action. I know this CAN be done, but is it healthy for the guitar? And now since I am getting involved more into the guitar and wanting to pick up slide guitar, would this do the trick to take away the crapness sounds from low action? Or is there something else I need to do, like just buy another guitar with higher action? Which I doubt I could do anytime soon.
any help, ideas, experience would be appreciated.


**the freak**

 

[Badger]

Doesnt sound healthy to me. I know firebird usually uses the same gtr for Slide and everything else, at least he used to.

 

[stonepiano]

I've heard of people stuffing a rolled up dollar bill in front of the nut to deaden the sound. I'd try that first.....

 

[freakindisplay]

tried the bill thing, it cuts back the rattling, but at such a low action on the fretboard, I find my problems. Maybe with time though I will get better at it and have more control. I wanted to see first at sticking a pencil and f'in up my guitar. Thanks for stopping me!

and also for the ideas.

FrEaK

 

[64Firebird]

Somebody makes a metal thingy that goes over the nut and lifts the action way up, too high to fret chords.

You don't really need one. Just don't press down so hard with your slide. It doesn't take much pressure to sound a note with a slide, just lay it down and move it around.

 

[acidrock]

I agree with 64.But it helps if your action is'nt set really low.
Myself I've always prefered the strings set a little higher and this just dovetailed with slide playing.

 

[Track Rat]

Somebody makes a metal thingy that goes over the nut and lifts the action way up, too high to fret chords.

Nick Maniloff makes one. It's a channel shaped piece of steel that sets on the nut and raises the action up about a 1/4" so you won't bang frets when playing slide.

 

[64Firebird]

Nick Maniloff makes one. It's a channel shaped piece of steel that sets on the nut and raises the action up about a 1/4" so you won't bang frets when playing slide.

Yeah, that's it! But, I think a 1/4 inch is way too much unless you're playing across your lap.

 

[jimistone]

gary rossington (skynyrd guitarist that plays slide on "freebird") uses a knitting quill (plastic...cut in half to take off some lenth). I saw a film clip of skynyrd doing freebird a while back and he was useing a screwdriver....guess he forgot his quill that night.

you can use just about anything...even a plastic bic ballpoint pen...but that puts the action up too high

 

[TheGuitarMan]

Heavier strings help to get rid of some of the buzz plus they'll give you a fatter sound when playing slide. Ever tried to play slide with 9's? All I can say is crikey!

 

[JR#97]

don't use a pencil.. too big and soft. I use a very smooth and slim metal piece out of one of those rubber-band type capos. I but it right up against the fret on the headstock side and then use a shubb capo behind it to "lock" it in and provide tension. You can't use a trigger type capo because those don't usually have adjustable tension like the Shubb capo. Works like a charm and doesn't harm my guitar whatsoever. I've got a sample of me playing slide using that technique if you're interested.

 

[64Firebird]

Heavier strings help to get rid of some of the buzz plus they'll give you a fatter sound when playing slide. Ever tried to play slide with 9's? All I can say is crikey!

I used to play slide with .008's, but that was before I know about fat strings and tone. All it take is a lighter touch.

 

[stonepiano]

I'll take you up on hearing that example JR#97. lemme know where.

and here I was, just playing slide on my les VERY carefully...kinda slows me down when I'm worried about flubbing notes.

 

[JR#97]

I'll take you up on hearing that example JR#97. lemme know where.

and here I was, just playing slide on my les VERY carefully...kinda slows me down when I'm worried about flubbing notes.

This is an acoustic example. I'll put up my electric example when I get home tonight.

Mediterranean Slide
http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1749&alid=263

Before I started using the capo piece, I was using a piece I cut out of my roomies old bass E string. Same effect, but a little rougher on the neck because of the winds.

 

[Greg Bailey]

Thurston moore (sonic Youth) puts a drum stick between his strings some times and uses it to get a nasty almost pick scraping kind of slide thing. he usually brings about twenty guitars on stage with him (each one tuned differently for different songs) per show so he isn't too worried about it going way out of tune