One of the most common panics I hear from people is, “but I don’t have the right guitar!”
Thing is, the beauty of bottleneck is that you can play on any guitar.
That said, if you’re looking for excuses to get more guitar gear, I can find you some 😉
You can get playing on any guitar, but obviously not all guitars are created equal. Nylon strings and classical guitars aren’t going to work wonderfully well for slide. And while you absolutely don’t need a resonator, they do work really well - and look pretty cool too!
Basically, you can get going on any steel string acoustic or electric guitar.
However, having a slide-specific set up can be really useful. So perhaps this is a good reason to get a second guitar. You could usually use a higher action and a heavier string gauge than you’d use for your normal non-slide playing.
Often just going up a string gauge will really help your slide playing along. For acoustic I use 16 - 56s, but this may be a bit of a jump at first, so try 13-56s as a starting point.
On electric guitars, try 12s.
*It is worth noting that when using heavy strings like 16-56s, the guitar should not be left in standard tuning or open E. It should be kept in open D or G as the extra tension of standard tuning will not be great for the neck.*
I’m enjoying using D’Addario EJ42 strings, they’re a resophonic set, .16-56s, but you can use them on a normal acoustic guitar. I’ve also been trying out the Michael Messer New Tone strings, .15-56 gauge. They come to pitch at a lower tension so put a bit less strain on the guitar. Could be a good option if you want to use open E.
I’m planning a whole email with some detail about choosing a slide, but if you’re looking for a top recommendation, Diamond Bottlenecks is a great place to start: https://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/
And if you’ve got something special on your Christmas list, can I suggest you look up a couple of great guitar shops I’ve recently had the pleasure of purchasing from.
Firstly, Mas Vintage in Bedfordshire (https://mas-vintage.co.uk/). Oh my word, what a collection of amazing things. Check out their instagram to see what I mean - @masbedford
And secondly, many of you will have seen me raving about Rigby Music. This summer, I've was lucky enough to borrow the Telecaster pictured above while my own was in for treatment. Based in Stockport, Pete Rigby is a real wizard when it comes to putting together a beautiful slide guitar. His Coodercasters are the ultimate for any slide player! https://www.theguitarandbassshop.co.uk/
Oh and I should mention that my courses make great gifts - browse them here: https://members.slidesuccess.co.uk/p/home
Happy playing!