Best Guitar For Slide (our top picks)
Are you looking to buy the best slide guitar, but you aren’t sure what to look for? Our experts explain what you should be checking for and how much you should expect to pay.
By reading this article, you will understand all you need to know about guitars for slide, and have a good idea of which guitar is ideal for you. Make sure you continue reading to find out what the guitar brands wish you didn’t know about buying guitars for slide.
Getting good at slide guitar isn’t easy, whether you’re researching through blog posts like this or even following a good app with online guitar lessons, but the key to becoming the next Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Elmore James or Muddy Waters is dedication and consistency.
Electric Guitars For Slide
Fender Telecaster
Muddy Waters, Keith Richards and Danny Gatton played some amazing slide on their Fender Telecasters. And although you might not be on their level (yet), you’ll be following in some mighty footsteps with a tele!
- Alder Body with gloss finish
- Two player Series humbucking pickups
- Modern C"-Shaped neck profile
- 9. 5"-Radius Fingerboard
- String-through-body Bridge with bent-steel saddles
- Alder Body with gloss finish
- Two player Series single-coil Telecaster pickups
- Modern C"-Shaped neck profile
- 9. 5"-Radius Fingerboard
- String-through-body Bridge with bent-steel saddles
- 100% Designed by Fender
- Two single-coil Telecaster pickups
- Thin, lightweight body
- String-through-body hardtail bridge
- Satin neck finish
Gibson Les Paul
We couldn’t put this list together without mentioning Duane Allman, who famously played slide on his Les Paul on many songs. Warren Haynes also done some amazing work on his Les Paul too!
Gibson/Epiphone SG
Derek Trucks, the master of blues slide guitar himself would often play slide on his Gibson SG.
- Vintage Worn Finish
- Poplar body with Mahogany
- 60s SlimTaper D profile
- LockTone Tune-o-Matic, Stopbar tailpiece
Acoustic Guitars For Slide
A lot of the classic slide guitar we listen to from the good old days were actually played on regular guitars. And it wasn’t so much the guitar that made the slide sound good, it was the guitarist. The way they played their guitar, the way they tuned it etc. And although there are certainly things you need to look out for when making a purchase (more on that here), most acoustics will sound great.
With that said, you don’t want to buy a low quality acoustic guitar to play slide on, and then have to buy another if you want to do some finger picking or rhythm work.
Our advice would be to invest in a top quality guitar like one of the ones we’ve listed below, these are all great for playing slide as well as any other style. And if you take care of it, it’ll last you for the rest of your life (and you’ll never have to spend any more money upgrading if you want to try a new style of playing).
- The Squier SA-150 is a full-size steel-string acoustic that offers big sound at a small price.
- It's strong enough to stand up to the everyday use (and abuse) that beginning players might throw its way thanks to its all-laminate construction with lindenwood top and mahogany back and sides.
- This guitar also features scalloped "X"-bracing, mahogany neck and a durable dark-stained maple fingerboard to give you an instrument that looks as good as it sounds.
- With its slim, easy-to-play neck and full-bodied dreadnought tone, the SA-150 is an ideal choice for all rookie strummers.
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE BOX: A gig bag is included so you can keep your instrument safe when you're on the go. The included clip-on tuner is easy to use and delivers reliable performance. Included in this bundle is a guitar strap, extra strings, string winder and picks so you can start playing your instrument immediately. Our exclusive Austin Bazaar instructional DVD provides the guidance you need as you learn your new instrument.
- ♫ A TASTE OF CARBON FIBER - Carbon Fiber may have become a buzzword in the acoustic guitar world. You are intrigued. But the price of at least hundreds of dollars scares you off a little bit. Then you discover Nova Go. It's carbon fiber and less expensive. You are thinking about giving this a shot, right? This is what we intended: bringing quality carbon fiber acoustic guitar, that's of great value.
- ♫ WHY CARBON FIBER - Nova Go is made of carbon fiber composite material, which means it's impervious to temperature and humidity change. Taking it to chill on a beach with the hot bright sun up above, or to a hiking trip deep in a mountain, or even further to shoot some beautiful Instagram posts in a snow land, Nova Go would stay stable, with no warp nor cracks. That's the edge of carbon fiber acoustic guitars.
- ♫ SOLID BUILD & EASY TO PLAY - The body of Nova Go is 1/2 sized (35 in.), molded all in one piece, meaning that the bridge is a cohesive part of the top, not glued upon like traditional acoustic guitars. It would never snap or fall off. Meanwhile, we've put a truss rod into the neck, giving your more adjustability for the string action, even though the factory setup is already optimum.
- ♫ ZERO FRET - Also, the "Zero Fret" feature is added to this acoustic guitar for smoother tuning, and fret ends are polished to round edges for a more comfortable hand feel. 5 colors available: black, white, pink, blue, purple.
- ♫ PRACTICAL ACCESSORIES - This Nova Go acoustic guitar comes with a gig bag. The packaging is colorful and delicately designed. You can send it straight as a gift to someone you love or care about. A hexagon wrench is also included for you to adjust the string action.
Guitar For Slide Buyers Guide
If you want to get into the Delta Blues slide guitar or any other slide guitar, here are a few things to consider before making your final decision.
High Action
Usually we are advising you to keep away from high action guitars, but for slide guitar playing, the higher the action the better.
Heavy Gauge Strings
Heavy gauge strings work better for slide guitars, but trying to bend those heavy gauge strings will mess your hands up fast.
Fretboard
For slide guitar, you need a flat fretboard, some fretboards camber from the middle which makes it difficult to slide all the strings.
Electric Or Acoustic?
There are many great slide guitarists that play relatively cheap guitars. But if you decide to play electric slide guitar we suggest you go for a high action guitar with a flat fretboard. You will probably need to change the tuning nut.If you decide to play acoustic slide guitar, you’ll need to replace the strings with some higher gauge strings. We recommend 0.0014 to 0.059 or 0.015 to 0.056 which are easy to find either instore or online.
Using heavier strings should be sufficient to create a tighter action which should allow the slide to create the desired sound.
Tuning
Different tunings can greatly change the sound of a slide guitar, many top slide guitarists have had great success by experimenting with different tunings, let’s have a quick look at some of the more popular:
- Regular (or standard) Tuning
(EADGBE) this is handy for adding a few slide riffs into your regular playing, but muting can be problematic, many slide guitarists have discovered that open tunings can be less problematic. - Open G Tuning
(DGDGBD) The middle strings are the same as in regular tuning which can help the guitarist with keeping some familiarity with standard tuning. - Open D Tuning
(DADF#AD) Also known as “Vestapol tuning” is a popular type of open tuning and has been used by many great guitarist, singer/songwriters including Joni Mitchell, Keith Richards and Mumford & sons. - Open E Tuning
(EBEG#BE) As strings became more pliable during the 20th century, many top slide guitarists moved over to open E tuning. Guitarists like Duane Allman and Derek Trucks still play predominantly in open E to this day. As open E tuning puts the guitar neck and strings under extreme duress, we advise playing open D with a capo.
Bottlenecks
Using a bottleneck slide takes some careful pondering. The first consideration is what guitar you’re planning on using. Acoustic guitars are best suited for glass slides, glass has a warm tone, glides across the strings with ease, but can easily be broken if dropped.
- Seamless Pyrex glass
- Silky bluesy slide sounds
- 4mm thick
- 25mm outside diameter
- 58mm long
- 2Pcs Medium Guitar Slides Guitar Picks Glass Slide Stainless Steel Slide Medium Bottleneck Slide for Guitar Bass 60MM (Transparent And Silver).
- Medium Guitar Slides It can offer superior sustain, excellent intonation, and a clear bright sound.
- Medium Guitar Slides 2 kinds of slide rings with different functions, good for satisfying your different needs and making more fun when playing guitar.
- Medium Guitar Slides Accentuates the middle harmonics of your sound.
- Medium Guitar Slides Made of high quality material, skin friendly.
Metal Slides
In comparison to glass slides, steel or brass slides are heavier and harder, which gives a harsher sound and yet sounds brighter at the same time. Metal slides tend to be the first choice for electric guitarists.
- Solid brass slide: Provide treble and more stable bass, for longer stretches and full tone.
- 304 stainless steel guitar slide: Made of 304 stainless steel, provide great resonance, good intonation, and a clear bright sound.
- Borosilicate glass guitar slide feature: Made from high quality boron silicate, heat treated and annealed for smooth performance, smooth, sturdy and durable. Accentuate the middle harmonics of your sound, and provide warm, silky bluesy slide sounds, suitable for slide guitar, acoustic guitar and bass.
- Glass/ steel/ brass slides diameter (approx.): Inner: 0.82 inch /2.1cm; Outer: 0.99 inch/2.5cm; length (approx.): 2.36 inch/ 6 cm.
- Convenient to carry: Come with a gift box, you can just choose the combination you need to carry. Package included: 1 glass guitar slide, 1 steel slide and 1 brass slide, 6 pcs cool guitar picks, 3 celluloid finger picks, 1 celluloid thumb pick and 1 gift box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Slide guitar is also called bottleneck guitar. It is a type of guitar playing using a metal or glass tube to slide across the strings creating a sound that has been compared to a human voice.
It is possible to play slide guitar in standard tuning, but it works better in open chords.
Basically all you need to play slide guitar is a guitar and a slide.
The best type of slide to play acoustic guitar is a glass slide.
