SLIDE RULES

“I started playing slide because I fell in love with the sound. Years later, little has changed. While many great slide players, such as Mick Taylor, play in standard tuning with a pretty regular setup, I prefer a dedicated guitar tuned to open G or E but not set too heavily in terms of string gauge or height. And while Elmore James still inspires me, spend a little time with Derek Trucks and you’ll realise what a slide can do. Whatever your level, stick a bottleneck on your finger and you’ll be noticed: a simple overdub on a recording is just as effective as a face-melting solo. My favourite slide guitar of the year? Fender’s Acoustasonic Jazzmaster. It’s easy to set up with its Micro-Tilt, and you can get a host of ‘wrong’ acoustic sounds into your fuzz box or a huge voice from that magnetic pickup (add gain to taste). Break the rules.”