How to Set Up for Slide

Also, I've been researching and I found an article that recommends getting one of those metal nut-extenders that fits over the existing nut. good idea? bad idea?

what style slide do you want to play? I play slide on most of my guitars as is -- and usually in standard tuning. are you trying to make a virtual lapsteel? that's what a nut extender will turn your guitar into -- no more fretting. not as flexible as learning to play "bottleneck" slide with a regular setup (no matter what tuning you choose).

I'm with gnease. Unless you want to make a lap steel, stay away from nut extenders like the plague!

Bottleneck sliding is much more interesting when you can throw in some fretted licks and chords. To do that you need reasonably good intonation, which is another reason not to raise your strings too high. I mostly play bottleneck slide, but I don't have any of my guitars set up with way high action or heavy strings. All of mine right now have 12s, with a 1/8" string height at the 12th fret. It is easier to learn sliding with rather heavy, tight strings and higher action, because the string tension catches the slide and keeps it from knocking into the frets. But you will soon learn not to rely on that, but stop the slide in proper contact with the string by "muscle memory." That's the proper way to do it. Vic plays slide all the time with 9s on his electrics, and I've done so as well. I like the 12s because they work well on both electrics and acoustics, and my guitars all have similar feel. My teacher used to grab random new guitars off the wall of the guitar shop and tune them into whatever open tuning I was using that day, and he can play better like that than I ever will!

Lap sliding is great fun, too, but I use a lap steel for that. :mrgreen:

I prefer using 011s (with a wound third string) and a slightly higher action than my standard guitars, tuned to open E, but I don't have a problem playing slide on my main guitar with 010s, in standard tuning. That's what I usually end up doing live anyway... The action on my standard guitars are roughly 2mm on the first string at the 12th fret.

Ok, so raise the action, but not too much.

should I adjust the radius? Right now it's 9.5''...should I shoot for a flatter radius? should I raise the nut at all?

I'm definitely using heavy strings...I use them anyway. Nothing lighter than .12.

what does "bottleneck slide" mean?

as for style, I'm not sure...right now it's for experimentation and learning. I'm sure it will be related to the blues in some way.

You have to monkey with it for a while. Eventually you'll get that light touch....it doesn't happen overnight...be patient.
I play with pretty much "regular" action....not really high or low. Able to keep the intonation going.

Reading the previous post again...you worry too much about being perfect right away.....again, be patient. Just play.
Get the "Guide to Slide" by Warren Haynes & learn the basics & a few tricks.

"A happy medium"

Good luck

Don't raise the nut at all. If you raise the action a little, do it at the bridge.

"Bottleneck slide" is sliding with a tubular slide on a finger. Named from the common use of the neck of a bottle as the slide.

Flatter and more arched string radiuses both have their advantages. if you want to do lots of full barre chords you'll prefer a flatter string setup and fretboard. A more arched one makes it easier to play single notes and double stops. Kind of like how a violin's arched strings facilitate bowing one or two strings. If you have a rather arched setup and want to play the full barre, a slide with a concave profile matching the string arch will work just like a straight tube on flat strings. Dunlop and others sell slides curved to match steeply arched Fender strings, and I've seen a number of wine bottles with a suitable curve.

I would use .011's for slide, I love to play slide. The .011's are what I use on mostly everything because I find anything else is too light, you can't get away with real low action with lighter strings because they flop around too much. If you want good action for slide work, use heavier strings. Also keep in mind the golden string rule; Heavier strings = Better tone, harder to play, lighter strings = less tone, easier to play.

I use tune-o-matic bridges for this sort of thing because I don't like floating bridges when I'm doing slip n slide work.

For a strat, your normal action would be about (Standard Mexican) 5 and 4, (American, 4 1/2 and 3 1/2 with a 9.5 radius neck.) If you want to play slide, I would find 6 1/2 and 5 1/2 acceptable because it's not too extreme that you could play chords when you need them, but the action is high enough that if you play a mean slide you're not buzzing. If you want to do strictly open chord slide you could push 7 & 6. There is no need to raise the nut by replacing it. Because by raising the nut you are changing the intonation. (The measurements are in 64ths, just in case you didn't know.)