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MasterTheo - Posted - 09/23/2016: 23:37:52
I've been using a glass slide on an openback Goodtime with a renaissance head. Sounds good, but I'm in the market for an upgrade. I may consider the slide usage when deciding on my next purchase. I'm just curious what you guys that have gotten to experiment with a wider range of banjos prefer.
MikeSaysMoo - Posted - 09/24/2016: 10:05:58
I haven't tried it yet, but doesn't the 5th string tuning peg get in the way?
bartmcneil - Posted - 09/24/2016: 10:28:32
If you hold the banjo as you normally do a slide works fine or you can shorten a plastic one to be sure the 5th string doesn't get in the way.
Using a standard set up should not be a problem. I suppose you could use a higher bridge, but it really isn't necessary to alter the set up unless you intend permanently using it as a slide instrument.
Edited by - bartmcneil on 09/24/2016 10:39:04
MasterTheo - Posted - 09/24/2016: 13:18:45
quote:
Originally posted by MikeSaysMoo
I haven't tried it yet, but doesn't the 5th string tuning peg get in the way?
From what I've seen some banjos have a tuning peg that protrudes more then others. I've been using a glass slide that is about 2/3's the length of a normal slide at the base of my finger. It took a bit of adjusting, but it works for getting around the peg much easier then a full length slide. I believe some banjos the tuning peg doesn't stick out at all.
LWC - Posted - 09/24/2016: 17:00:27
If you want great slides, go fretless.
mb03557 - Posted - 09/25/2016: 07:24:39
Me too...I'm not a big fan of bottle neck on banjo.
Marc
Picking Dick - Posted - 09/25/2016: 07:30:03
Slide? What kinda tunes are you playing with a slide?
MasterTheo - Posted - 09/25/2016: 19:34:57
quote:
Originally posted by Picking Dick
Slide? What kinda tunes are you playing with a slide?
I usually mix clawhammer with slide blues. This guy's video is a great example of the style imo.
youtube.com/watch?v=YdwiKqPM1oA
Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 09/25/2016: 20:59:33
In "I Shook Hands With the Devil" I played on a long neck with fairly low action, but on "God Moves On The Water" I played on an old Fairbanks that had really high action. They both work.
I use a socket wrench as a slide. It's just the right length to play on a banjo, without touching the fifth string, and it's got the heft and weight to give a really clean decisive sound, I think. On the other hand, the weight makes it tiring on the pinky when playing for an extended period of time.
I used the same socket wrench for about 35 years for slide work, and then I lost it. When I went to buy a new one, I found it difficult to find a new one of just the right size and weight. All the sockets that were sold individually were either too large or too small. So I ended up buying a whole set of 30 different sized sockets just to find the perfect one amongst them!
OldPappy - Posted - 09/28/2016: 20:03:37
"I haven't tried it yet, but doesn't the 5th string tuning peg get in the way?"
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I build banjos specifically designed for Clawhammer, and unless you fret the 5th string (most CH players don't) there is no rule that the tuning peg has to be located at the 5th fret.
I don't use a "Slide", but I do incorporate a lot of slides, using just my finger, from from fret 2 - 4.
Most of the banjos I build have the peg on the 6th, or even 7th fret, to get it out of the way.
Edited by - OldPappy on 09/28/2016 20:06:30
Crusty - Posted - 09/28/2016: 20:57:52
Blues Bottle on my little finger. When you get the right size it seals around your finger and when it tries to come off that forms a slight vacuum inside the bottle which pulls it back on. All the other types come off for me because I'm usually too busy to push them back on.
You can rotate the fifth string tuner forward in the neck a little bit so that the top of the capstan is lower than the strings, or remember to tilt the bottle upward when sliding past the fifth tuner..
BobTheGambler - Posted - 09/29/2016: 06:37:48
You can also take Gus Cannon's approach to slide and play it in your lap like a Hawaiian guitar:
