You can play slide guitar with relatively few bells and whistles, but the one thing you really do need is a slide!
However, with so many options out there, how do you choose the slide which is right for you?
A lot the choice rests on your personal taste, but here is my lowdown of the main types of slide and their pros and cons…
The three most common materials for slides are metal, glass, and ceramic.
Metal
The most common metal slides are brass and steel. The real advantage of metal slides is the weight. The heavier a slide is, the louder and warmer the tone it will give.
The extra weight can however make it harder to control and cause fatigue in your hand. Metal can also generate more friction on the string, so it doesn't run quite as smoothly over the string as materials such as glass and ceramic.
Glass
Glass gives a smoother feel when sliding across the strings, with less extra noise, as there is less friction. While the tone isn't as loud as with metal, it does have a certain characteristic, particularly on the higher strings, which some people prefer. I personally find that on acoustic instruments it doesn't quite have the tone I need on the lower strings, especially on my resonators.
Ceramic
Ceramic is similar to glass in its lack of friction. It has a similar smooth feel and pleasing tone on the higher strings. Ceramic slides are a touch heavier than glass, so they are quite a good compromise in terms of getting the tone on the lower strings. The construction of them always seems to be a little on the bulky side for me, so if you prefer a smaller slide, these aren't for you.
Here are my recommendations for some top slide makes:
I use a medium brass Rock Slide most of the time. I've also got a really nice one made by QP Slides. This one is a little slimmer and great for the electric guitar.
Glass slide wise, I recommend Diamond Bottlenecks.
I have a nice ceramic slide made by Mud Slide.
If you'd like a more in-depth dive into choosing a slide, I recently held a live session on the topic, on my Facebook group Learn Slide Guitar. You can watch the video back right now. This is a free public group where me and a great community of slide players share tips and tricks about all things slide guitar. Join us here!