FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Bottleneck Blues Guitar

Question:
I have just finished the Stefan Grossman Video BOTTLENECK BLUES GUITAR. I'd like to pick up a ladder braced guitar like Stefan's Stella or other maker at a low low price. Can an anyone recommend any other brands to look for in my search or any leads to a great bottleneck guitar new or old?

Answer:
As others have emphasised, its how you play, not what you play it on. Another thing is that guitars sound different from the back than they do from the front, and good microphone placement and sound editing can do a lot for the tonal properties of a recording . - The guitar that you think sounds great on SG's vid may not sound so good if you could play it yourself. Another consideration is that while mojo may be nice, it is not essential, so I wouldn't put it high on my list of specs for a slide guitar. What *would* come high in the specs are the ability to produce good tones on the high frets, resonance and the ability to generate transients behind the slide, but none of these features are easy to find in an inexpensive guitar. So, IMO, it doesn't much matter what you use for slide, at least in the early stages of learning, so long as the guitar is tunable and playable with a slide. I would likely get an inexpensive resonator guitar for most twang for my buck, for slide. You may get pickier as you gain experience, but I personally have never felt the urge to get a ladder braced guitar.