Steelers that play slide guitar?

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

I'm a steel player, and I'm on the road with Terri Clark. You pretty much have to play some slide guitar, these days...

I settled on an old strat through a deluxe, with an overdrive pedal. I use heavy strings, and I tune the first string down to D.

I did a blues album, and I finished it this month, and now it's for sale. I'm selling a whole bunch to Terri's fans.

Here's a link, whaddaya think:
http://kpobluesband.com/jellyroll.m3u

and homepage:
http://kpobluesband.com/index.htm

K'Po

Jeremy Moyers · From: Lubbock, TX

Kevin,

Keith Horn was telling me that you had just released your album, he said it was smokin!
Coming from Keith that is quite a compliment. Anyhow, with the Lonestar guys i just started using an old strat that I had our guitar tech set up with a raised nut for slide stuff. I was using a melobar but it sounded and played pretty bad. I am loving the tone flexibility of the strat. I am using and open G tuning which has the same bottom four strings as the tuning you use. I am running it through a roland GP100 preamp because our guys do not want any amps on stage at all. I am using another GP100 for steel, also direct. Anyhow, can't wait to get a copy of your album and hopefully we'll run into each other this summer some time.

Tell then take it easy

Jeremy

You guys should check out Kevin's album, he is a great player!

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

Jeremy,

Glad to hear you're back with Lonestar, with Keith Horne on bass. Did you go to Vegas? Good times, Good times...

Keith laid down some serious stuff on the bottom end on my record... as did Reese Wynans on B3.

That's a shame about the amp situation, but it sounds like you've got it covered. Did you listen to the link?

Gaylon Mathews · From: Jasper, Georgia

I listened to the link and it sound good! My question is, has anyone ever used a Les Paul jr with a raised nut for slide? Epiphone is throwing guitars at everyone in the band (Gretchen Wilson) except me since they don't make steels. So, I thought I'd hit them up for a Les Paul jr with a raised nut and a single humbucker and try it out. What ya think?

------------------
Gaylon's Homepage
www.geocities.com/nashville/1064

Gretchen Wilson
www.gretchenwilson.com

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

Gaylon,

Good plan. I've got a '69 Les Paul with PAFs, and I use it alot for slide.

I don't like to raise the nut, but I do raise the action a bit.

Gibson is also throwing guitars around. I'm getting a goldtop tomorrow.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I started off as a blues guitarist and played slide for many years before switching to steel. It is my experience that anything I could do on a slide guitar worked better on a lap steel.

I also have come to the conclusion that for playing delta style bottleneck blues on a lap steel, 7 strings (with an extra bass string) are better than 6. I now own the world's only (to muy knowledgte) 7 string cat can, and I only put 7 strings per neck on my stringmaster.

With the huge number of inexpensive used 7 strings floating around now that the fad for them has passed, I recommend if you're going to get a guitar and raise the nut, get a 7 stringer.

db · From: Bethlehem, PA 18015 USA

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

The lap steel is good if you're going to sit, but if you're gonna stand.... you're gonna need a strat.

Jeremy Moyers · From: Lubbock, TX

I have several old laps as well, however I prefer a strat or tele because of the versatility in tones that you can get. I like to use different tones throughout the song, depending on the part that i am playing, much like I would playing guitar. Using a strat provides this flexibility for me. I do like raising the nut for no other reason than I am a steel player, not a slide guitar player, so playing traditional slide is very difficult for me. I do stand while playing, however I play from on top of the neck, as if I were playing lap or dobro instead of under the neck, like most real slide guitar players play. I also use a standard bar, not a "slide". Just different approaches to achieve the same general result.

Jeremy

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

Gaylon - if you're getting a free Epiphone anyway, I would say you should try for a two-pickup four-knob guitar. A good deal of the quality and variety of tones that Duane Allman, Jimmy Page and other Gibson users got came from leaving the pickup selector switch in the middle and twiddling the knobs. There's one certain sound you can get from a humbucker or a P-90 at the bridge, but it can't hurt to have more options too.

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

Twiddling is not for me to do... that's what we have groupies for. Jimmy and Duane never twiddled.

David Doggett · Posted 1 Jun 2004 6:50 am

I have played slide guitar for many years, and also play pedal steel. I play in four groups, all of which play an occassional blues number, and one of which is an all blues band. Thanks to Robert Randolph's inspiration, I now play pedal steel for all blues numbers. I like the fact that I can play equally well in any key. And pedal steel works way better than slide for minor blues. Also, I can switch between 6th neck style and blues slide guitar style (I play a uni). On something like Stormy Monday, I play a verse with thick 6th neck chords, then hit the switch on my Digitech processor to get an overdriven straight slide guitar sound. But even though I love the convenience and flexibility of pedal steel, you can't quite get the old school raunchy slide guitar sound, and standing up is a lot sexier.

Allen Peterson · From: Katy, Texas

I know Jeremy said he uses a standard bar, not a "slide", but I was curious what kind of slides you other guys are using. I use a pyrex Dunlop (I think) slide on a Strat tuned to standard tuning.

In addition to pedal steel I play alot of leads on the Strat and I don't like having to change the tuning when I play slide. With the fulcrum bridge if I tune one of the strings down the whole guitar goes out of whack. I don't like carrying too many guitars to the gig either.

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

Allen,

I feel you on the "too many guitars" problem. I carry a strat, a lespaul, a reso, and a D10 Zumsteel, but then again we have a bus and a crew.

Then again, can you ever really have too many? I think not.

I play a pyrex dunlop, also. I just got the new Planet Waves chrome slide, and it's too sexy for my pinky.

[This message was edited by Kevin Post on 01 June 2004 at 10:16 AM.]

David Doggett · Posted 1 Jun 2004 10:43 am

I have tried dozens of kinds of slides, and they all end up in a discard box. My one favorite is the short Dunlop pyrex slide. It just fits across 6 strings; but because it has no excess length past the tip of my finger, it works well on single internal strings. The small diameter size is a perfect fit for my ring finger. This slide is about the size of the hand-shaped piece of bottle neck that Fred McDowell used. The old guys would tie a string or fuse around the bottle neck and burn it to get the neck to break in the right place. Then they would grind off the sharp edges and shape it by rubbing it on concrete. If I could find a metal tube the same size, it would sound a little better.

On pedal steel I use a grooved Shubb-Pierce #2.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 01 June 2004 at 11:54 AM.]

Leslie Ehrlich · From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Sure I play slide guitar, but I use a Sho-Bud Pro III. The action is nice and high, there's no fret buzzing, and I get great sustain. Actually, I don't consider myself a 'steeler'. I'm a guitarist that uses a PSG for slide playing.

Robert Porri · From: Windsor, Connecticut, USA

Kevin,

The linked clip sounds real nice. I'll explore the site more but it also looks good at first glance. I'll have to pick up your CD in the near future. I'm currently in sort of a love/hate relationship with a Variax. Good variety, easy switching sounds, some good ones for sure, but just not quite what I want it to be at times. Nothing like picking up the real Strat once in awhile. I'm using it at home and just some local duet gigs with my wife. There is some potential for slide with it though, especially if I bring up the action a bit. Just a few cents for you.

Bob P.

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

BobP

Thanks, I think you would dig it. XM radio is going to start spinning "Stealin."

I saw Porter Howell with a Variax the other day, and he sounded great on it. I've never used one, but I'm seeing more of them. I have a feeling that they probably won't ever be able to model "mojo"

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Kevin,
Any way of posting that sound clip in a downloadable version?
I live in the middle of nowhere with a slow dialup connection so I am not able to stream audio.
I don't think I'm the only one that has this problem....
Thanks

Jay

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

Jay,

There you go, bro...
http://kpobluesband.com/jellyroll.mp3

It's a 1.15 MB file, so it could take a while on dialup. I wouldn't waste your time, tho.

[This message was edited by Kevin Post on 02 June 2004 at 09:28 AM.]

Robert Porri · From: Windsor, Connecticut, USA

That show in CT on July 7th, could be a possibility for my family. We'd like to see Terri Clark perform and I'd like to hear you play.

Bob P.

Jim Hankins · From: Yuba City, California, USA

Kevin, thanks for posting this. That tuning is also called a "fake G" tuning which is extremly convenient to get an "open" tuning sound from standard 6 string tuning.What sort fo picks do you use when playing slide and do you ever jump from steel to slide in the same song? Teri Clark is really cool!

Jim Hankins · From: Yuba City, California, USA

ooops! TERRI

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I use an old Ibanez Artist which is like a double cutaway Les Paul which has coil taps on both pickups and a Strat pickup added in the middle. It also has 6 Keith/Scruggs tuners on it and a fine tuning tailpiece. The tuners do the following:

1st string.......Lowered to D
2nd string.......Lowered to A
3rd string.......Lowered to F#
4th string.......Lowered to C
5th string.......Lowered to G
6th string.......Lowered to D

With this setup I'm able to get the Open G, Open D, DADGAD, Dropped D, and Double dropped D, also a C note which is nice to drone with in that key and some other uses.
Have a good 'un...JH

------------------
Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Kevin Post · From: Nashville, TN, USA

Jim,

I am a fingerstyle slide player, but when I have to do both in a song, I play with my steel picks. Those are ProPiks, the best.

You guys come on out, it'll be fun.

Forum Index > Steel Players	Goto page 1, 2 Next	Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic