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Thread: Slide mandolin

  1. #1
    Registered User Peter Mix's Avatar
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    Default Slide mandolin

    Is anyone else playing slide mandolin? I spent years playing slide guitar and pedal steel and found initially that I could not replicate on mandolin the qualities I love on the larger stringed instruments.

    After more than ten years of experimentation and frustration, I am delighted to find that it works extremely well on mandolin! There are hurdles to leap in the process, of course, as intonation, feedback and fret-noise can be challenging, but all can be overcome.

    At the high volume our gigs demand, feedback becomes a major issue, so I am currently playing a '61 Gibson EM200, the King of Electric Mandolins in my opinion. Now feedback is not an issue at all. I'll build a solid-body carbon-fiber F5 soon to explore those virtues, but all in good time. I'm still exploring pickups and material-choices for the inside of the instrument, so if anyone has a brainstorm, please let me know.

    My band started out plugged-in with acoustic instruments, but we all have moved to electric instruments over time and the current configuration is a Tele, a Strat, a 6-string Alembic bass and my EM-200 through a Fender Pro-900 amp.

    The Gibson's bottom end is spectacular: huge, dark and liquid while the upper register is crystal-clear and sweet. My action is exceptionally low, so I have to be careful about fret noise, particularly on the E-string. Intonation is no longer a challenge as I mark the fret ends with a Sharpie so that I can see them (for those wincing at the thought of Sharpies and vintage instruments, I have to re-mark the fret-ends every few gigs as the marks wear off fast).

    If I can figure out how to post sound samples, I'll do just that. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from other slide-mandolin players.

    cheers, Peter Mix

  2. #2
    Registered User John Rosett's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Are you playing in standard tuning with 8 strings?
    "it's not in bad taste, if it's funny" - john waters

  3. #3
    Registered User Peter Mix's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Excellent question, John. I use standard tuning and 8-strings. I find altered mandolin-tunings to be very limiting and 4-string electric mandolins are, to my ear, high strung guitars. The guitarists in my band, Don Bolio and Frank Springer, are such wonderful players that I do not want to sound like a guitar.

    Standard tuning makes it much more difficult as you can't get those lovely, sweet fourths that lie so nicely on guitar, but it can be done. I have to actively dampen strings to prevent unwanted intervals.

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    Default Re: Slide mandolin


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    Registered User John Rosett's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by NewMAD View Post
    Excellent question, John. I use standard tuning and 8-strings. I find altered mandolin-tunings to be very limiting and 4-string electric mandolins are, to my ear, high strung guitars. The guitarists in my band, Don Bolio and Frank Springer, are such wonderful players that I do not want to sound like a guitar.

    Standard tuning makes it much more difficult as you can't get those lovely, sweet fourths that lie so nicely on guitar, but it can be done. I have to actively dampen strings to prevent unwanted intervals.
    I hear you on the unwanted string noise. I'm a serious student of non-pedal steel guitar, and keeping the strings you're not playing quiet is the hardest part for me.
    "it's not in bad taste, if it's funny" - john waters

  7. #6
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Nice to see you back here, Peter. I also have an EM200 and they are excellent toned instruments. I took off that metal saddle and replaced it with a std ebony. The brass one was giving me a ringing in my ears. It is safe in the accessory compartment.

    I would love to hear what you are doing. Videos or mp3s?
    Jim

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  8. #7
    Registered User Peter Mix's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Sam is fabulous, no doubt about it! I've never heard him play slide in standard tuning with 8 strings, but I'm sure he excels. I want to be able to use just one instrument in performance and by staying in standard tuning I can go back and forth without changing instruments. Fiddle tunes and classical pieces are great to practice with a slide. It's getting past the flock-of-angry-mosquitos-sound that takes so much time and energy!

  9. #8

    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Hi Peter,

    Yes, it's great to read your posts again after a bit of time away from the MC forum. Last Saturday, I took my Jonathan Mann SEM-5 solid bodiy 5 string mandolin to my regular jam. I have been using Kentucky KM-340S with JJB Electronics pickups and playing with 3 or 4 guys using some combination of Teles, Strats, P Bass and various acoustic guitars played through a Bose tower PA system. It was the first time in over a year that I even looked at the SEM-5 so my expectations were pretty low re: being able to play it and getting a good sound. While I did not try playing slide on the mando (however, that WILL happen this Saturday), it seems to me that slide mando would be a lot easier to play with a radiused fingerboard. IIRC your EM-200 has a flat board which may contribute to the extraneous, non-musical noises. My Mann 5 string has a slight radius which I'm hoping will alleviate some of these issues, especially for single note soloing. BTW - Jill and I are doing well and will be in touch with you regarding your recent correspondence.

    Be well,
    Len B.
    Clearwater, FL

    ps - I really dig your Fender Champ Jr. in the classifieds.

  10. #9

    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    ive been monkeying with slide on mando too,
    its diificult for me to wear a slide and manage to get fretting and clearnace, ie just a heck of a lot more awkaward than when i play slide on guitar (which i do a lot)

    yet to give up any useable sound for me, as you say, its gonna take some real work
    so youre mando the em 200-thats a p 90 ?

  11. #10
    Registered User jim simpson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I use the following slide for guitar and lately for mandolin on "Paint it Black" by the Stones. We do it instrumentally, the slide allows me to play normally then I rotate the slide and play one verse and chorus with the slide.

    http://elderly.com/accessories/items/SAX-ALL.htm
    Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band

  12. #11

    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    ive got something similar , but i dont get the tone i like from metal
    but it may be the only option the way i clunk around with even a small glass slide

  13. #12
    Registered User Peter Mix's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I use a heavy brass slide as it's the only way I can get the tone I want. I can't remember who makes it, but it's slightly concave and allows you to grab string-pairs a bit more easily and accurately than a straight slide even when the fingerboard is flat. Glass and steel are too thin-sounding to my ear. At first, the weight was ridiculous and I clunked constantly. I found over time that with just the right touch, there's an almost magnetic attraction between strings and slide. That's the sweet spot if you ask me.

    I've always tried to play to play as lightly as possible and the balancing act is similar- too much pressure hurts and too little causes buzzing and loss of tone. If you love the sound of Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Ed Gerhardt, Derek Trucks, Lowell George, Dwayne Allman, Leo Kottke....the list goes on. Give it a shot. It's worth the effort.

    The pickup is a P90 and the instrument just sings! Among the many slide-friendly tunes in our repertoire, Dixie Chicken is a joy to play with the EM200. I love to hover on the B on the G-string in the opening bars and during solos. The instrument's tone is so big and fat it's hard to believe it's a mandolin!

  14. #13
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I used a glass slide on my RM1 when I was playing with a blues group

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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I'm currently looking into slide mandolin a bit. Maybe not playing all slide, but, using it to get some interesting sound into the blues
    Is there a way to play notes on the fret-board and also slide on those as well? so far, I've just been doing an open string and sliding that way, any information would be nice:D

  16. #15
    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I have a similar slide to Sam, though it's a little small for me, but I'm having a hard time playing slide mandolin. I can do it so much better on guitar, but it's harder to be accurate on 8-string. Sam of course puts me to shame, but I'm not even trying to be THAT good at it.

  17. #16
    Registered User JimRichter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Peter great to see you back.

    I like bottle slides. Tunings I use are either AEAE, GDGD, or ADAD

    Here's some on an old National I had for awhile


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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by fredy View Post
    I used a glass slide on my RM1 when I was playing with a blues group
    I have tried this. Very hard for me to get it to sound good. Need to practice I guess.
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  20. #18
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    seen a pinky ring slide, it would give a slide tone to same passages
    without going to an open chord tuning.
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  21. #19

    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I've played around with slides on a mandolin. There's a slide mandolin class at the Mandolin Symposium later this month that I'll check out...

  22. #20
    Registered User pefjr's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    One of the initial reasons I wanted to play mandolin was to try a slide, harmonica, and voice which I could do easily with the guitar. After a short trial I realized it would be very difficult. However, with enough determination, I can see possibilities. I first thought the guitar slide too big, then I tried a thimble size and it was too small and too light. I look forward to those sound tracks, NewMAD.
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  23. #21
    Mike Fox mandolinfox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    I like cross tuning (GDGD or AEAE) for slide mandolin. But I miss the fact that there is no 3rd interval between any of the strings. I would like to experiment with GDBD which gives a minor 3rd between the first and second, and a major 6th between the second and third. I'd also like to try Duane Allman tuning - DF#AD - and re-experience my Live At the Fillmore years! For this I plan to put a .16 on the third string, and use the regular third string - .24 - as a fourth string. Have any of you guys experimented with these (or any other) tunings?
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  24. #22
    Registered User Peter Mix's Avatar
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    Default Re: Slide mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by mandolinfox View Post
    I like cross tuning (GDGD or AEAE) for slide mandolin. But I miss the fact that there is no 3rd interval between any of the strings. I would like to experiment with GDBD which gives a minor 3rd between the first and second, and a major 6th between the second and third. I'd also like to try Duane Allman tuning - DF#AD - and re-experience my Live At the Fillmore years! For this I plan to put a .16 on the third string, and use the regular third string - .24 - as a fourth string. Have any of you guys experimented with these (or any other) tunings?
    For what it's worth, I have done a lot of open-tuned playing over the years, but find it limiting on mandolin. Standard mandolin tuning and slide do work very well together though there hurdles. Yes, you cannot get the same lovely root/third combination that open tunings provide, at least not in the same easy fashion.

    I have found that playing simple melodies, fiddle tunes for example, with a slide can be a great way to gain command and control of slide on mandolin. It can sound like a gaggle of angry mosquitos initially, but persistence and patience will pay off!
    Peter Mix
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