Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

[texred]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

No Fenders are measured 25.5 inches from nut to bridge. Gibson, 24.75. You dont have to move pickups, its just the way they were designed. Some guys like the longer scale, some not. One more tip, once a day fret a few notes right behind the fret. Then ease of the pressure till its muffled, then press down gently till it rings again. See how little pressure is actually needed? Dont choke the guitar and hurt your hands and it makes the notes sound sharp as well. You want speed, golf swing or guitar, relax and dont SQUEEZE. Tension will rob you and hurt you. Speed will come in time, accuracy doesnt. You must shoot for accuracy, like a millimeter and have fun!!

Thanks alot sweetie, your time, patience, and lessons mean a lot to me. Oh yeah, tapping and shredding distract me, too. All this great stuff you can do, and I gotta practice scales !:{ I understand what you're saying about feeling string tension. I'll do it. Too me, it's one of the basic things that's important ALL THE TIME ! Thanks for answering. Is 62 you or a guitar? I was born in 61, my brother Rik {RIP} was born in 63. We've got you surrounded, so watch out !!
Fretting advice right on time, since I'm working on open chords and trying to stay away from cowboyin'. I give up on the thumb thing, tho. Keeping it behind neck and parallel. It's just gotta hafta hang over and grab E whenever.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

I think Vigier guitars make really good slide guitars without using a slide or frets. I'm not too sure what scale they use (Gibson or Fender) but it's an interesting concept.

;>)/

 

[texred]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

I think you need way more help than you will ever get here LOL. Thing is, I am kind of a newb too. I like learning on lighter strings, especially on bends. If it begins to hurt, STOP. Work your way into it and bend to pitch, dont just bend. You may just be playing with the members here, not really sure. I say start with 9s and NO PAIN. Try the slide on your highest action guitar. Get a steel slide so when your clumsy hands drop it, it wont break. Plenty of youtube vids for free out there. Longer scale means longer than a LP type which is 24.75". Fenders are 25.5" and the new metal guitars have 17 strings and even longer scale length. That means on a longer string it will be in more tension. It also changes the pickup placement so will sound different as the strings vibrate at a wider arc near the middle of the string vs towards the back(bridge). So usually a bridge PUP will have greater output to compensate, it wasnt that way in the beginning however

I thought I was seeing what I was seeing yesterday. Make up your mind !!!:1: Look at your posts above and below this and then tell me about Fender scales again !!:thanks::cool2:

 

[Ben1962]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

Fender 25-1/2" Stratocaster & Telecaster 21 - vintage 22 - modern 25.500"
Fender Jaguar 22 24.000"
Fender Duosonic & Mustang 19 22.500"
Fender Bajo Sexto Baritone Telecaster 24 30.1562"

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

You get best answer award. I thought I had it down, hence Ooooh in my thread. A lightbulb moment. I understand about magnets, but I thought you made a humbucker RWRP, so when you split it w/switch the chosen one doesn't sound like crap coz of repelling against other single. I'm stll messed up, huh?

The reason splitting humbucker coils usually sounds crummy is that they're weak. (As an example, one coil of an 8K humbucker will only have about 4K of windings on it- that's 25% less than the lowest-output Strat pickups.) Also, humbucker coils are skinnier and their magnetic field is weaker too. Fender singlecoils use pole pieces which are individual magnets themselves with the wire wound around them. Humbuckers have a single magnet underneath the coils, with the magnetic field being carried up to the strings via the screws and slugs- although these are inside the windings, they are not actually magnets themselves. So the coils are less powerful, and the magnetic field is weaker and less focused. That's why split humbuckers tend to sound wimpy. Understandably, overwound humbuckers generally split better than low output ones.

And I don't understand the phrase "longer scale and wider string separation". Either of those. Thanks for your help.

As someone has already said, longer scale refers to Fender Strat/Tele standard rather than Gibson standard. Same for string separation- the strings on most Fenders are a little bit further apart than the strings on most Gibsons. You will occasionally hear the term separation used in talking about pickups too, it's about the way individual strings will still be heard well in a chord that uses many strings. But here I was referring simply to the physical distance between strings. Being spaced a little further apart might make it a little easier when developing your slide technique.

One other point- heavier strings do make a difference for slide work, IMO. First of all, more mass in the strings gives you better sustain. And the extra tension of a heavier set will reduce the tendency to fret out and buzz underneath your slide, because it requires more pressure to push the strings down. This can be a problem for slide players without a lot of experience- it can take a while to develop your touch, and heavier strings can help unless you're going to set a guitar up specifically for slide work with very high action. And even in that case, heavier strings will still increase sustain and give you more output from your pickups, which can help the tone.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

View attachment 87630

I have three dedicated slide guitars: the Tricone, the Candy Apple Red Tele Custom and the white Strat.

I use medium gauge strings and keep them tuned to open D or G.

For my own playing, I prefer Fenders...but I love the sound Duane Allman and Derek Trucks get from their Gibson’s.

For slide, I prefer Alnico 2 for the bridge pickup (Warmer and more forgiving...) and Alnico 5 for the neck pickup.

 

[CaptainWhizz]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

What do people feel about the effect of fretboard radius on slide playing? Flatter for playing slide chords, and more curved for single-note and diad lead lines?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

i prefer 10" up to 14" but if youve been playing long enough then you can kinda compensate for most anything. i play in standard tunings so im usually not playing more than three strings at a time at most

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

What do people feel about the effect of fretboard radius on slide playing? Flatter for playing slide chords, and more curved for single-note and diad lead lines?

The latter is where bottleneck slide helps if you need chords.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

if you play in open tunings and want to play full chords then a flatter radius is better

 

[texred]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

if you play in open tunings and want to play full chords then a flatter radius is better

Thanks !! You always come through. You understand.

Crap. I suppose this is one reason I need a dedicated slide axe?

No wait-That was backwards of me. If I don't have to have the action way high, then Govan's credit card trick will work?

 

[texred]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

The reason splitting humbucker coils usually sounds crummy is that they're weak. (As an example, one coil of an 8K humbucker will only have about 4K of windings on it- that's 25% less than the lowest-output Strat pickups.) Also, humbucker coils are skinnier and their magnetic field is weaker too. Fender singlecoils use pole pieces which are individual magnets themselves with the wire wound around them. Humbuckers have a single magnet underneath the coils, with the magnetic field being carried up to the strings via the screws and slugs- although these are inside the windings, they are not actually magnets themselves. So the coils are less powerful, and the magnetic field is weaker and less focused. That's why split humbuckers tend to sound wimpy. Understandably, overwound humbuckers generally split better than low output ones.

said, longer scale refers to Fender Strat/Tele standard rather than Gibson standard. Same for string separation- the strings on most Fenders are a little bit further apart than the strings on most Gibsons. You will occasionally hear the term separation used in talking about pickups too, it's about the way individual strings will still be heard well in a chord that uses many strings. But here I was referring simply to the physical distance between strings. Being spaced a little further apart might make it a little easier when developing your slide technique.

One other point- heavier strings do make a difference for slide work, IMO. First of all, more mass in the strings gives you better sustain. And the extra tension of a heavier set will reduce the tendency to fret out and buzz underneath your slide, because it requires more pressure to push the strings down. This can be a problem for slide players without a lot of experience- it can take a while to develop your touch, and heavier strings can help unless you're going to set a guitar up specifically for slide work with very high action. And even in that case, heavier strings will still increase sustain and give you more output from your pickups, which can help the tone.

Wow!! Better than 10 videos, plus I can sue YOU !!:crazy: So, in the "eeny miny mo" category of things I would guess 10-46. (Fixin to order): what of phosphor bronze D'Addarios? I will be ordering string gauges for my noob ass. Have a Squier strat SE, Epi LP Special I P90s. I can just put the same strings on either, and worry about action if and when I commit. Ten years from now.Any other beginning tools-I have all the basics, I really don't feel like taking off glasses to see miniscule spaces while wrestling guitar. I don't want to do a full setup yet (sheer lack of confidence) unless maybe you wanna drive !! I know they got google and YT robots for that, but . . . you don't get the nuances you do from breathing (even faintly), people. Hope you're not OCD. Nice to meet you, I'm NO PATIENCE, especially for micro work. I want to clean guitars, so re-string. Since I don't clean anything else, whatever you do don't tell Rockerbob I found lemon oil in a closet. I still say mineral oil.I bought it for my chopping blocks (where bad guitars go). Got any suggestions on picks? I just got paid and I'm really gassing. In fact, I'm having withdrawals from no withdrawals. Hey, that was pretty good. Copyright, TLE. Between all ya'll, I feel confident enough to restring and end up doing half a setup and come back crying. Just think last month was "My fingers go WHERE?" Trying to turn a scale into a chord. You coulda learned a whole new vocabulary, beginning with "Stupid guitar". aaaaaannnnd going downhill rapidamente.
Thank you so much for taking all that time and brain cells. Maybe you teach guitar? I can understand you (scientist me has to know WHY we are doing this, why not this way, is there another way, etc). Usually I get shorter answers, and it's hard to put the bigger picture together, even tho I did spend last year learning all parts, fxns, and an assload of theory. That's probably what's wrong with me. Had piano when I was a kid. Today, I can play a C major chord. Period. That's it. I thought it would help trigger some familiarity or something in my addled brain to help with guitar. And, it will. I'm going to use it for a workbench. And synthesizer. Someday.
Have a happy day. Again, THANK you.

 

[Securb]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

 

[texred]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

i prefer 10" up to 14" but if youve been playing long enough then you can kinda compensate for most anything. i play in standard tunings so im usually not playing more than three strings at a time at most

That is, Sir Jeremy, the honest to god best thing I've heard ALL MF WEEK.

 

[texred]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

View attachment 87630

Congratulations !! I didn't know you were having twins !! And pink and blue pedals. . .
:notworthy:birthday:

 

[RorySquier]

Re: Fenders vs Les Pauls for Slide

How about a shovel for a slide guitar?

;>)/