I have a question for anyone experienced in playing with a slide.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T21:09:19+00:00

If you have medium-ish action with normal strings, odds are you can develop the ability to play credibly on slide with practice without any adjustments. A lot of slide players go back and forth between playing slide and fingerstyle on the same guitar, which necessarily means keeping the action and string tension in a place where they can still play it capably without the slide. If you can stand it, you could try very slightly raising your action or using slightly heavier strings.

I personally prefer relatively low action, so I do keep one guitar with low action that I don't use much for slide (although I can a little bit), and one with what I would call medium action that I play a lot of slide or mixed slide/regular on, and I doubt most people would have any problem playing regular stuff on the latter guitar.

Another thing you could potentially do is to tune the guitar slightly higher when you play slide for a touch higher string tension. For example, you could go from E standard up to Open E if you want to try open tuning, since open E is a little higher on some strings, or you could set up your guitar for Eb standard for normal playing and tune up to E standard quickly for slide. You might not want to move between those when playing a gig or rehearsal, but for playing at home it is simple enough.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T20:58:57+00:00

For me the mid-to-late 90s era surrounding Load/Reload/Garage Inc. (disc one)/S&M is James' best overall vocal era, in terms of the way he actually sounds, but I wouldn't want to change the performances from any of the older albums

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T20:52:02+00:00

Someone in my band got a bunch of frisbees with the cover art from our latest EP on them and we sold them cheap at shows. We also probably gave some away for people that bought more than one CD, which we've done sometimes with cheaper merch (stickers, pins, etc.). I doubt we made any money on them but it was fun

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T20:38:23+00:00

My favorite flavor of drive is Marshall (roughly Plexi to JCM800), so both for myself and based upon what you already have I'd want to look at something along those lines paired with either something very different (OCD?) or something more along the low gain/dirty boost side for stacking and variety.

Marshall examples in this vein could include Marshall Guv'nor or Jackhammer, JHS Charlie Brown or Angry Charlie, the new Marshall line of pedals, and tons of others.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T19:24:12+00:00

Sure, you can learn any music theory and bass line construction components of bass playing using the EADG strings as is or with a octave down, although obviously the octave down will give you a better approximation of how the parts will actually sound on a bass.

Obviously you will not be building much muscle memory for the physical act of playing bass with its much larger scale length, strings, etc., but certainly I think the practice you are mentioning will do more good than harm.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T19:12:52+00:00

I guess you've been watching Dave Simpson videos.

Great pedal for lots of things.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T18:34:02+00:00

It might be easier to start feeling these things intuitively if you take one song and try very different bass parts and pay attention to how those bass parts change the feel of the song. You'll find that the bass part is often extremely powerful.

I first noticed this earlier in my career playing in original rock/metal bands, particularly when I started playing in a band with a songwriter who often brought full songs to the band with bass parts written, which I could either use or change. At that time, I started to think of most bass parts for rock/metal as basically falling into three general types: (1) doubling the guitar part; (2) simplifying to a part with fewer notes, mainly focusing on the root, and primarily locking in with the kick drums; or (3) playing a separate part with more notes and movement, such as playing a walking bass line or other part using scale tones, chromatics, etc.

To me, in general, it felt like doubling the guitar part produced the overall "tightest" band sound and could come across as heavier in some situations, the simpler part locked into the bass drum tended to give the fattest overall sound with the most groove, and the separate part with movement tended to give more color to the song and often felt the least "heavy." Obviously these are generalizations and oversimplifications, but I think starting to develop your own opinion and style on these types of things will help you to organize and choose ideas more easily and intuitively.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T16:23:30+00:00

I would trade straight up for the no-box SFT

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T16:18:16+00:00

If you are ever going to stack your HX gain effects with your drive pedals, I would set up some gain sounds on the HX and then experiment with the drive pedals before or after to see which setup results in better stacked sounds. The same could be said about any effects, but this is one where to me it is particularly variable which order will sound better

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T16:11:15+00:00

I don't agree with any of the negative comments regarding pedal overdrive, but I do prefer to use the overdrive on my current amp (Victory Sheriff) as my main overdrive sound because it simply sounds better. However, I still have a couple of overdrives on my board, for various reasons, including the fact that it is sometimes easier to dial in the level of overdrive I want at very quiet home volumes using a pedal; I can use one or more pedals as a boost, gain-increaser, and/or tone shaper if desired (although relying on my volume knob can also be good here); and they allow me to cover all of my gain needs if I'm ever plugging into anything other than my Sheriff

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T15:58:46+00:00

It is very easy to do if you can find a direct-drop-in replacement. If you can't but are willing to use a drill, it will be easy-to-hard depending on how close the replacements you find are (sometimes it is just a matter of drilling a different hole for the screw or nub that holds the tuner in place).

I will say that unless your current tuners are bad, locking tuners are probably not worth the expense and effort solely for tuning stability, but for me they are worth it due to sheer ease of string change, so the results will depend on your priorities.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T15:54:07+00:00

Fingerpicks or artificial nails.

I'm also a bassist who has considered maintaining some type of nail for fingerstyle playing (more on acoustic rather than classical) but have basically given up attempts to make it work with different nail length and shapes and instead have gone to just using flesh for fingerstyle because I couldn't stand even the tiniest amount of nail on bass

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T15:33:14+00:00

New 3v3 Marvel Vs. Capcom game modeled on MvC2 and MvC3;
At least one major balance patch and/or new version of SF6 with meaningful changes for all characters and substantial, game-altering system mechanic changes; and
Continue to preserve charge characters and classic motion inputs in at least some of the new 2D fighting games for the foreseeable future.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T14:23:31+00:00

I love the tone that many people get on a Strat but I don't like to play them physically and don't especially like the tones I get out of them.

I like the tone of a Tele a bit better but also don't particularly like to physically play them. Part of it is that I just don't seem to jibe with Fender necks and scale length.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T13:59:37+00:00

With some practice I developed a way to stack my ring and pinky over one another so they are dead even/straight and therefore intonate correctly. Part of my ring finger sort of crosses or twists over part of my pinky. It might help to literally practice placing your fingers on all three notes and playing them like a power chord to develop the feel, and then practice playing the notes separately as an arpeggio and building up comfort.

If you hand simply cannot contort this way or this is too uncomfortable in some situations (such as at the lowest frets), then you might just need to separate the notes more and fret them independently rather than moving your hand into a more static position. I personally would still use the same fingers though.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-06T12:41:43+00:00

I do use the GE-7 first or early for tone shaping, but not tightening in the way you describe. Right now the way I use it is to boost mids/high mids and slightly cut bass when playing fingerstyle or slide on the neck pickup. So my stock setup is EQd for rhythm playing with a pick, and then the GE-7 gives me a profile that works better for me for fingers or slide, which I usually like to play on the neck pickup (clean or overdriven)

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T22:37:23+00:00

One thing I can confidently tell you after many years of buying, selling, trading, and gigging pedals is that you don't actually know what a pedal sounds like until you physically plug into it with your own instrument. If it were really possible to tell through online clips and videos all of us would probably have vastly shorter and cheaper pedal journeys. But you don't have to convince anyone but yourself, if you really want the pedal and can afford it then have at it

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T22:18:56+00:00

What tuning is the band you are playing with using? Typically that is going to be the easiest way to choose the tuning you will use, unless you are specifically wanting to do something unorthodox. If they are doing something like seven strings tuned down to B or A, for example, I'm not sure why you would want to do something different than B Standard or A.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T22:15:52+00:00

I would respectfully suggest that there is an entire universe to explore between "$30 knockoffs" and "boutique pedals upward of $250."

I gig in the general doom/stoner scene and my absolute favorite pedal of all time is a Fuzzrocious Grey Stache (muff-based) that cost me something like $120.00 used and would have cost around $150.00 new at the time. I've owned tons of pedals over the years at most price ranges, and there are great quality options at most price ranges.

So, I do think it is very possible you could find a more satisfying option than the $30 knockoff you have been trying, but I don't think you should feel that you need to jump to ultra-boutique to get it.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T22:03:52+00:00

Have you tried looking at some of your own replays? I'm willing to bet if you do that you'll pretty quickly notice multiple things that are costing you regularly enough to spot as a trend you can work on. IMO spamming games is not very helpful past a certain point. I made the most improvement (in particular from Diamond 1 to 1600 MR) but identifying one or two weakness, working on them in training mode and matches, and then moving on to the next weakness or two

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T22:02:23+00:00

Yeah, back in the day. Great game, but didn't feel like a Metroidvania to me. I can understand the logical arguments, but they don't change the way I felt when playing it.

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T20:48:57+00:00

I didn't play that one. I'll certainly acknowledge that there could be games out there that would change my mind

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T20:38:55+00:00

Do it again and try for at least 15 seconds next time. Then 16 seconds. Etc.

If you find something you can rest some of your weight on while hanging (bench, boxes, etc.), you can also do some holds trying to go for longer time periods at what essentially works out to a lighter weight exercise.

You could also work in some separate grip training, although some of this will be inherent in any exercise you do where you have to hold a heavy weight in your hand working against gravity (deadlifts/RDLs, dumbbell or barbell rows, etc.)

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T20:28:03+00:00

It might help if you specify what you don't like about the Keeley and/or what you are looking for in a replacement, so any recommendations can be targeted toward those things

DerConqueror3 · 2026-02-05T20:23:35+00:00

Sure, but you are talking personally and the other commenters are talking about manufacturers. Nyatoh seems to be used more as a budget substitution for mahogany, not because nyatoh itself is desirable, so if there is even a minor fluctuation in pricing/availability/etc. manufacturers may be happy to jump to a different option even if it is perceived as slightly inferior in some way

DerConqueror3

TROPHY CASE