The Best Guitar Slides for Every Level of Player

If you are a die-hard fan of George Harrison and The Allman Brothers Band, then you must very well be aware of the technique they use while playing the guitar. These bands used the best guitar slides to achieve the sliding sound on the guitar. Guitar sliding is a unique way of playing the guitar to get that particular sliding sound.

The first question that may arise in many of our minds is what are the best guitar slides? Some of the best guitar slides are made of glass, metal, or ceramic cylinder, which is placed on the fingers by the guitarist on the strings of the guitar to glide up and down the guitar’s fretboard. These guitar slides produce a uniquely smooth and slippery sound.

It is believed that this technique evolved around the early 20th century and was popularized by the Hawaiian guitarist- Joseph Kekeku. It is believed that once Joseph was walking down the street, playing his guitar, and he happened to pick a metal bolt and started sliding it on the strings of his guitar.

He was intrigued by the sound it made and started practicing until he mastered it and was ready to perform on the stage. The new sound and the new technique became very popular, and it spread across Europe and America. That is how this new guitar sliding technique was introduced to the world. Experience guitar players can master this technique or at least attempt it.

Best Guitar Slides – Buying Guide

Factors to look for while purchasing the best guitar slides

1. Mass- The mass of the slide is decisive in quality sound production.

2. Hardness- The hardness of the slide determines the tone and control of the string noise which is an important factor to consider while purchasing a guitar slide.

3. Material- The material of the slide such as glass, metal, or ceramic is another deciding factor for producing crisp and heavy tones and extra sustain.

4. Fit-The slide should fit perfectly fit your finger so that it does not fall off when you relax your fingers.

Let us find out some of the best guitar slides which are available in stores. You will be happy to know that these guitar slides are not very expensive.

Best Guitar Slides Reviews

1. Ernie Ball Glass Slide, Medium

Ernie Ball is a well-known name in the world of music. Ernie Ball Glass Slide is known to be one of the best guitar slides They are the world’s leading manufacturers of guitar strings, bass strings, and other guitar accessories. Guitar slides that are made of glass are usually made of tempered glass. Glass guitar slides are lighter than metal slides and are smoother to play which creates a mellow tone.

Features

• This guitar slide is made of seamless Pyrex glass to give the extra smooth and sleek finish which gives a crisp, bright tone on higher strings and a warm feeling when you play the lower tone from your bass strings.
• This glass slide from Ernie Ball is quite comfortable and durable.
• The glass slide gives a silky bluesy slide sound and is much smoother to play.
• The medium size glass slide has got an outer diameter is 25 mm, a thickness being 4 mm and a length being 58 mm.

2. Dunlop 263 Mudslide Porcelain Guitar Slide, Medium

Dunlop’s Porcelain Guitar slide falls somewhere between the glass and metal slides when you are talking about tones. The porcelain slides give a good middle tone if you are looking for some change. Dunlop porcelain slides are quite affordable, and they have maintained a consistency in quality.

Features

• The density of the porcelain gives a bright tone to this slide.
• These slides are made to withstand years of wear and tear.
• It has got a smooth and silky surface, and moisture-absorbent material is used which absorbs finger moisture to reduce slipping.
• It is medium size to give extra grip.
• This porcelain guitar slide usually comes in the size of 18.5 mm x 5.5 mm x 70 mm.
• This porcelain slide gives a unique feel, extra sustain, and definition.

3. Fender Steel Slide, Standard Medium

Many guitarists prefer metal or glass slides as they give crispy and distinctive tones. The thick-walled metal slide gives extra sustain as compared to the thin-walled metal slide. Fender, who is a big player in this field, has a lot to offer every guitarist. It has slides to suit every guitar player’s style and taste.

Features

• The thick-walled steel slides from Fender give you the extra sustain which makes the higher strings pleasant to your ears, and its steel bite gives the lower strings the added harmonic complexity.
• These stainless steel slides are extremely durable if you tend to drop the slides in between the song.
• This steel slide has greater bite and sustain
• The thickness of this slide is 1.5 mm, and its length is 60 mm.
• This slide from Fender is made with exact specifications to suit the style and taste of the guitar player.

4. Shubb AX Axyx Reversible Slide

The AXyx Reversible slide from Shubb is one of its types and is truly unique as it has a lot to offer to the players. Over the decades’ guitar players have experimented with a lot of different kinds of best guitar slides from glass to metal to ceramic and not to find the perfect sound for their style. Among the plethora of materials which is used in making guitar slides, brass is most loved by all guitarists.

Features

• This brass slide as hefty when in use and features unsurpassed tone and control.
• This reversible slide from Shubb takes a fraction of a second to rotate behind the hand and frees all the fingers for conventional fretting.
• Its unique open design helps to reverse it easily and fret the strings as you would normally do without slides.
• It has got rings at the base, which are made of Delrin plastic, to allow the slide to rotate easily.
• The brass metal slide provides thick, full, and musical tones with lots of lower tones.

5. Jim Dunlop 224 Brass Slide, Heavy Wall Thickness, Medium

Dunlop 224 is one of the best brass slides from Dunlop. For many years, the brass slide has been the favorite of many of guitar players because of its resonance tone and comfortable weight. This is a must-have in your kitty if you are seriously looking to give a new feel to your tone.

Features

• This brass slide from Dunlop has got a thick wall which gives it extra sustain.
• Due to the thickness of the slide, it gives a bright and resonant tone.
• It is medium size which fits ring size 13.
• Even though this metal slide has got a thick wall, it has got a comfortable weight.
• Its size is 22mm x 29 mm x 60 mm.

6. Planet Waves Glass Bottle Slide

These vintage glass bottle slides are manufactured by D’Addario, which is a well-known name in the world of music. Planet Waves which is a part of the D’Addario family is well known for its innovative, unique, and high-quality guitar accessories. Some guitar players are hooked by the look and sound of the vintage glass bottles as it is easy to use and play.

Features

• This glass bottle slide has got a unique glass surface and is lightweight.
• It has got a look at the vintage medicine glass bottle.
• The slide is light which can achieve the fullness of the tone for sustain and speed of play.
• This glass slide helps to unleash excellent sound quality.
• This unique glass bottle slide offers excellent tone, sustain, and playability.

7. Clayton Heavy Wall Large Guitar Slide – Clear

Have you ever imagined how good it will be to have a wall around your finger while playing the guitar as it would be impossible to lose the balance between the fretboard and the sound? You would want to have a heavy large wall around your fingers for that perfect tone. Clayton has come forward to grant your wish as it offers you a chance to have a metaphorical wall around your fingers with its Heavy Wall Large Guitar Slide.

Features

• These glass slides which Clayton manufactures come with a protective case to prevent breakage.
• It has got a heavy wall to get the deepest, fullest, and heaviest of sounds that is possible to achieve.
• Even though heavy, this glass slide is comfortable and will fit your fingers with ease.

No matter what type of slide you use, it has got a unique and magical effect on the sound and tone which is sought after by many guitar players. Above is a list of some of the best guitar slides which are available in the market. It is a matter of personal preference, but you can choose wisely among them as per your style and taste.

FAQs

1. What are the types of slides?

Each type of slide has its effect on the sound. There are generally 3 types of slides which are manufactured all over the world.

• Glass- The glass slide is mostly popular among a large number of guitarists. The variation of the sound depends largely on the color and thickness of the glass slide. Hence you should be very careful while purchasing the glass slide. There are a variety of glass slides available in the market- thick, thin, long, and short.
• Metal– Metal slides are very popular among rock stars and in pop culture. Metal slides offer a great variety of resonance and sound. Steel is the most popular metal used for making metal slides as it produces a strong, wrenching, shrieking, bright sound. Next to steel comes the brass slide which is also equally popular because of its soulful sound.
• Ceramic– Ceramic gives the sound almost similar to glass slides with the only difference being that they are more brittle. One of the positive aspects of ceramic slides is that you can customize them according to your needs.

2. How a guitar slide should fit?

A guitar slide should fit your finger in such a way that it does not fall off when you relax your hand at your side. This helps you to have an extra grip and control over the slides while you are playing the guitar.

3. How do you slide on a guitar?

If you are using guitar slides, then you should be well aware of the sliding technique. Only an experienced guitar player can master the sliding technique. Sliding requires a lot of practice and precision to achieve that desirable tone and sound. After doing a few frets, lift your fingers completely off the string. The long slide moves up and down the neck of the guitar, slowly releasing finger pressure and then finally removing your finger from the strings towards the end of the neck of the guitar.

4. Which finger is mostly used for sliding?

Mostly ring finger is used for sliding as it allows you to wear a heavier and a bigger slide to put more weight on the strings to get that fuller, bigger, and heavier tone and helps to achieve extra sustain.