THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

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Six String
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Six String » 25 Jan 2011, 04:02

High action and heavy gauge strings are a must for really good tone but since I only have two electric guitars I haven't gone that route yet and my Telecaster is the only one of the two that I can play slide on due to the low action on the Taylor T3B. I 've tried but it's just too hard. I'm a little surprised at the Strat being named but I can see where a Strat might give you that sound with telephone line gauge strings and the glass slide. The glass slide has a lot to do with it. Brass gives you a dirtier sound and it's more forgiving intonation-wise. If you're using glass you better have close to perfect pitch or it can be really sloppy sounding.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Seymore Porn » 25 Jan 2011, 10:13

Six String wrote: Brass gives you a dirtier sound and it's more forgiving intonation-wise..

How do you work that out?
I agree about the tone. Copper pipe sounds pretty good too, as do the new(ish) fangled Ceramic slides.

I'm not a slide player, but I've had to learn a few slide parts over the years. I once had a Heavy Metal Strat, and I got it set up about seven times before I had a happy balance between standard playability and slide. Like a complete and utter fanny, I got rid of the guitar without having the height of the action measured up and down the board.

When Free As a Bird came out, I was using a '72 Custom Tele for slide. neck (humbucking) pick up/glass slide/Marshall midi pre-amp/Marshall valvestate Power amp/Alesis Quadraverb/ 2 1X12 cabs loaded with Celestion G12s. I had George's sound nailed. I used the same guitar for Parisienne Walkways

*I have been known to tune the high E down to a D for slide, it's very quick and easy to do - and to undo, and works really well.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Tactful Cactus » 25 Jan 2011, 12:40



Here's a clip of him talking a little about his slide playing. Nothing that's not already been mentioned upstream, but its straight from the dark horses mouth.

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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby clive gash » 25 Jan 2011, 14:41

Elliott Smith used it a lot too. A Living Will, A Fond Farewell - short, anguished bursts, and A Distorted Reality... from the top of my head.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Six String » 26 Jan 2011, 15:20

Hungry Joe wrote:
Six String wrote: Brass gives you a dirtier sound and it's more forgiving intonation-wise..

How do you work that out?
I agree about the tone. Copper pipe sounds pretty good too, as do the new(ish) fangled Ceramic slides.


I'm not sure what you are asking but I'll tell you what I think you're asking.
To play cleanly and accurately with a glass slide you need to have a steady hand and near perfect pitch imo.
Especially if you are going to play fast notes. I started out with glass (coricidin bottle) back in the 70s so that is just what I got used to. I got a brass slide about 6 years ago and liked the dirty sound it gave me and I discovered (when I was under the influence) that it was more forgiving in the intonation dept. I still prefer glass for the most part but I use both depending on the sound I want or my frame of mind. :D
I read an interview with Dicky Betts in Guitar Player back in the 70s when I was deciding to take up slide and it was his opinion that playing in standard tuning allowed you to have a more personal sound and kept you from playing "Dust My Broom" with every solo. I took that to heart along with his mentioning of the coricidin bottle (a popular cold remedy at the time). I've used one ever since but now I wish I had gotten more of them because they are now made out of plastic which makes this one a rare animal. That's one reason I decided to give the brass slide a try. I've never tried copper but unless the copper is real thick I probably wouldn't use it.
Besides having heavy strings and high action you want your slide to have some mass to it according to Ry Cooder. There are of course glass slides available now but since I've had my bottle since 1974 or so it's become precious to me which might sound silly but it's what I'm used to. I would just die if it was lost or broken. I've never seen or used a ceramic slide. New fangled in deed. I like having both brass and glass though because it gives you to very different tones. If you're not going to dedicate yourself to playing slide regularly then your learning curve will be very steep. Because it is so different (stating the obvious here) than playing with your fingers it takes a lot of practice to get that clean sound. There are no shortcuts.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Billybob Dylan » 26 Jan 2011, 16:44

Six String wrote:
Hungry Joe wrote:
Six String wrote: Brass gives you a dirtier sound and it's more forgiving intonation-wise..

How do you work that out?
I agree about the tone. Copper pipe sounds pretty good too, as do the new(ish) fangled Ceramic slides.


I'm not sure what you are asking but I'll tell you what I think you're asking.

Les - I think Joe's thinking of "intonation" as in adjusting the saddles so that the harmonic is the same note as the 12th fret. That sort of "intonation" rather than "tone."
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Charlie O. » 26 Jan 2011, 16:51

Billybob Dylan wrote:Les - I think Joe's thinking of "intonation" as in adjusting the saddles so that the harmonic is the same note as the 12th fret. That sort of "intonation" rather than "tone."

I figured he just meant that a slightly out-of-pitch note would be less noticeable with a "dirty" tone than with a clean one.

Anybody else want a guess? :lol:
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Tactful Cactus » 26 Jan 2011, 17:14

I find with the metal or brass you have to work a little harder on the fretboard. Glass is easier but I never thought of the loss in intonation. It makes sense though, especially with thick cut glass.

Les I hope you'll come along to the LA jam next month. I could do with a few pointers! :D

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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Six String » 26 Jan 2011, 17:49

Charlie O. wrote:
Billybob Dylan wrote:Les - I think Joe's thinking of "intonation" as in adjusting the saddles so that the harmonic is the same note as the 12th fret. That sort of "intonation" rather than "tone."

I figured he just meant that a slightly out-of-pitch note would be less noticeable with a "dirty" tone than with a clean one.

Anybody else want a guess? :lol:



You are correct Charlie. It might have something to do with the amount of real estate touching the string with glass vs. brass or maybe the material itself does it. Also the glass is more slippery so if your hand isn't steady or your reflexes and ears aren't in sync you can be a little off on a note. That other intonation thing is less of an issue with slide since the frets are not being used. I was playing slide once with some people and my guitar's tuning was slightly off with the others and I had to work a lot harder to keep my playing in tune until the song was over. The others couldn't believe I had pulled that off but all I had to do was note where above the fret I needed to be in order to be in tune with the others and then I had to keep it that way throughout the song. Not an easy thing for someone who doesn't play slide much but I didn't start yesterday. ;)
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby TG » 26 Jan 2011, 18:24

In agreeance with Six String. Would only add that different materials work better with different guitars. I have glass, brass and ceramic slides as well as an odd rectangular piece of steel that came with a vintage lap steel. All work well but for different reasons. I find that brass works better with most acoustics and glass is preferable with electrics. I've used the exact opposite of that many times and done alright but that's (sort of) the rule I use.

Les, there are lots of "after market" Corricidin bottles available. Have you ever tried any of those. There are dozens available on EBay.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Charlie O. » 26 Jan 2011, 19:00

I don't know anybody else who's tried this, but I've discovered that glass slides work on nylon-string guitars. It's... different! You don't get much sustain, but it's kind of a nice sound.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Seymore Porn » 26 Jan 2011, 23:54

Six String wrote:
Hungry Joe wrote:
Six String wrote: Brass gives you a dirtier sound and it's more forgiving intonation-wise..

How do you work that out?
I agree about the tone. Copper pipe sounds pretty good too, as do the new(ish) fangled Ceramic slides.


I'm not sure what you are asking but I'll tell you what I think you're asking.

The rest of your post is interesting, but I've left it out as really it was the intonation that I was on about. When using sing a round slide, very little of the surface of the cylinder is in contact with the string, and I don't understand how brass is more forgiving than glass - assuming the glass and brass slides are of equal proportions.


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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Six String » 27 Jan 2011, 16:07

TG wrote:In agreeance with Six String. Would only add that different materials work better with different guitars. I have glass, brass and ceramic slides as well as an odd rectangular piece of steel that came with a vintage lap steel. All work well but for different reasons. I find that brass works better with most acoustics and glass is preferable with electrics. I've used the exact opposite of that many times and done alright but that's (sort of) the rule I use.

Les, there are lots of "after market" Corricidin bottles available. Have you ever tried any of those. There are dozens available on EBay.


I see bottles for sale at music stores from time to time but so far I haven't considered getting one since I have one. As far as using a particular material with a particular guitar I interchange both. I generally don't take the bottle outside of the house but I do sometimes. I have found like you that brass seems to work better with my acoustic guitars. I think it gives me a little more volume than the glass which isn't an issue with an electric.
For me it really comes down to the sound I want to produce when I choose one slide over the other. How does a ceramic slide sound compared to brass or glass? Is it somewhere in between?

Nylon and slide? Interesting Charlie but I don't own a nylon string guitar and have no plans to ever own one.
It's not my cup of tea.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby TG » 27 Jan 2011, 17:02

Six String wrote:For me it really comes down to the sound I want to produce when I choose one slide over the other. How does a ceramic slide sound compared to brass or glass? Is it somewhere in between?

Nylon and slide? Interesting Charlie but I don't own a nylon string guitar and have no plans to ever own one.
It's not my cup of tea.


I guess the ceramic is somewhere in between. I haven't had it very long. Someone gave it to me and it doesn't fit really well and so I haven't used it much. It's large and feels a bit clunky.

I've never used slide with nylon strings either. I would guess it would be fun to play around with.

As for never owning a nylon string guitar; I was at a friend's house and he plays guitar and I noticed that he had purchased a nylon stringed instrument. I asked about it and he told me that he loved it because he could play for hours and hours and his fingertips never got sore. The strings are, apparently, very forgiving. If I ever saw one cheap I'd probably buy it.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Six String » 27 Jan 2011, 17:07

TG wrote:
Six String wrote:For me it really comes down to the sound I want to produce when I choose one slide over the other. How does a ceramic slide sound compared to brass or glass? Is it somewhere in between?

Nylon and slide? Interesting Charlie but I don't own a nylon string guitar and have no plans to ever own one.
It's not my cup of tea.


I guess the ceramic is somewhere in between. I haven't had it very long. Someone gave it to me and it doesn't fit really well and so I haven't used it much. It's large and feels a bit clunky.

I've never used slide with nylon strings either. I would guess it would be fun to play around with.

As for never owning a nylon string guitar; I was at a friend's house and he plays guitar and I noticed that he had purchased a nylon stringed instrument. I asked about it and he told me that he loved it because he could play for hours and hours and his fingertips never got sore. The strings are, apparently, very forgiving. If I ever saw one cheap I'd probably buy it.



I never considered that factor about nylon strings. Hmmm. My fingers while not stubby sausages are not real long so I've usually found nylon string guitars to have necks too wide and the strings too far apart for me.
Plus I don't play much music that I think would be improved with a nylon string guitar.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby take5_d_shorterer » 27 Jan 2011, 17:08

Six String wrote:
Hungry Joe wrote:
Six String wrote: Brass gives you a dirtier sound and it's more forgiving intonation-wise..

How do you work that out?
I agree about the tone. Copper pipe sounds pretty good too, as do the new(ish) fangled Ceramic slides.


I'm not sure what you are asking but I'll tell you what I think you're asking.


Hungry Joe wrote: The rest of your post is interesting, but I've left it out as really it was the intonation that I was on about. When using sing a round slide, very little of the surface of the cylinder is in contact with the string, and I don't understand how brass is more forgiving than glass - assuming the glass and brass slides are of equal proportions.
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t5_d: My answer on this follows: (On the issue of terms, ''intonation'' is synonymous with "pitch" or "frequency" to me and not "timbre" so that's how I'm using it below.)

Brass and glass are two fairly different substances with glass generally being a lot harder and brass being softer.

Because of this difference, the point at which the string leaves slide has a greater "plus or minus factor" with brass slides than glass ones. In addition, the hardness of glass will give the plucked string more volume at the beginning, i.e. in the attack of the note. For both of these reasons, it's easier for listeners to pick up the exact frequency of the plucked string at the beginning with glass slides, and it places a greater demand on the player's technique.

If you want to convince yourself of how the hardness of the material affects the "plus or minor factor", then this example to its logical extreme and using a wooden dowel for a slide-type device. Because it is far softer, it will give you greater leeway. The example with brass and glass are less extreme but uses the same principle.

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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby TG » 27 Jan 2011, 17:10

Six String wrote:
TG wrote:
Six String wrote:For me it really comes down to the sound I want to produce when I choose one slide over the other. How does a ceramic slide sound compared to brass or glass? Is it somewhere in between?

Nylon and slide? Interesting Charlie but I don't own a nylon string guitar and have no plans to ever own one.
It's not my cup of tea.


I guess the ceramic is somewhere in between. I haven't had it very long. Someone gave it to me and it doesn't fit really well and so I haven't used it much. It's large and feels a bit clunky.

I've never used slide with nylon strings either. I would guess it would be fun to play around with.

As for never owning a nylon string guitar; I was at a friend's house and he plays guitar and I noticed that he had purchased a nylon stringed instrument. I asked about it and he told me that he loved it because he could play for hours and hours and his fingertips never got sore. The strings are, apparently, very forgiving. If I ever saw one cheap I'd probably buy it.



I never considered that factor about nylon strings. Hmmm. My fingers while not stubby sausages are not real long so I've usually found nylon string guitars to have necks too wide and the strings too far apart for me.
Plus I don't play much music that I think would be improved with a nylon string guitar.


For my friend it was just being able to practice all day if he chose to. And mastering something on a larger or more difficult guitar makes playing it on your real one so incredibly easy that you'll feel like Charlie Christian .
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Charlie O. » 27 Jan 2011, 19:46

TG wrote:As for never owning a nylon string guitar; I was at a friend's house and he plays guitar and I noticed that he had purchased a nylon stringed instrument. I asked about it and he told me that he loved it because he could play for hours and hours and his fingertips never got sore. The strings are, apparently, very forgiving. If I ever saw one cheap I'd probably buy it.

As always, it depends on the guitar. My older brother once bought one for my mother (who was talking about maybe learning to play), but the action was pretty high and I (let alone she) found it rough going. That was the one on which I made my glass slide discovery, though!
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Six String » 27 Jan 2011, 20:19

Charlie O. wrote:
TG wrote:As for never owning a nylon string guitar; I was at a friend's house and he plays guitar and I noticed that he had purchased a nylon stringed instrument. I asked about it and he told me that he loved it because he could play for hours and hours and his fingertips never got sore. The strings are, apparently, very forgiving. If I ever saw one cheap I'd probably buy it.

As always, it depends on the guitar. My older brother once bought one for my mother (who was talking about maybe learning to play), but the action was pretty high and I (let alone she) found it rough going. That was the one on which I made my glass slide discovery, though!


I should have taken up slide with my first guitar, a Stella Harmony that had really high action. It's a wonder I kept at it (playing the guitar). I think it cost all of $30 back in 1969.
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Re: THAT patented George Harrison slide guitar sound

Postby Revolver » 28 Jan 2011, 13:27

Tactful Cactus wrote:
Here's a clip of him talking a little about his slide playing. Nothing that's not already been mentioned upstream, but its straight from the dark horses mouth.


Thanks, nice clip. I could listen to George talk about music all day long.

And a song that hasn't been mentioned that features some very nice and typically subtle slide work is "Blow Away" from the George Harrison album. Such a lovely little song, should have been a monster hit.



Slightly bizarre video too. I think George was taking the piss somewhat.


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