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First, they are made from "solid block" clay. This type of clay is denser than the average "ceramic" slides out there in the market today. The denser the material used, the greater the tonal properties of that slide (volume, sustain and presence). That clay, matched with the specific special custom glazes that we make right here in the shop, creates slide and tone bar possibilities far beyond what was available before. Each slide is hand-worked and hand-glazed, in small batches to ensure the highest quality.

Absolutely NOT!! The majority of so-called "ceramic" slides are made from liquid clay called "slip" and are poured into molds. This molding system does give you the ability to make thousands of slides at a time, all alike… but much depends on the type of slip used. For the most part, those "MUD or Moon" slides are made from a high fire porcelain slip. This material is great for coffee mugs, but if you’ve ever played with one you’ll find out like I did, that it isn’t good for guitar slides.

In order to give the slides any kind of volume of presence, they had to increase the size, or mass, of the slide. This created another problem…the slides became clumsy and bulky, and had a tendency to "bottom out" or what I call "fret clacking." And you ended up with a real rhino on your finger, again…a problem!

Because our slides are based on the theory of density of material rather than mass (size), you end up with a much lighter and maneuverable slide, and no bottoming out on the neck.

Although made from ceramic composite, these slides offer tones other than what you would expect from a ceramic slide. In addition to the "warm back tones" inherent in the clay, these slides also give you tonal aspects of glass, brass and various metals. Each slide model is "hand-tuned" to specific calibrations, to consistently perform within a predictable "tonal registry." What this does, in effect, is provide tones specific to that model of slide. This way, each slide model brings something special to the slide player.

Like any tool, it’s nice to have the right tool for the right job! Much depends on several factors about the slide player. For example, what tones are you looking for? What type of rig do you play through? Are you looking for more of an acoustic or an electric application? If you’re playing acoustically, what tonewoods are your guitars made from? Are you using a sound hole pickup, or stage mike…or BOTH? When it comes to the inner diameter of the slides, much depends on what the slider is comfortable with. Also the style or techniques that they incorporate in their playing that will show the I.D. (inner diameter) and length of the slide that is best for them. These are but a few of the questions we ask our customers so that they can have the best chance at truly finding the slide that can deliver the tones they want.

With over 195 finger slide and 58 tone bar possibilities, what we’re trying to do here at RMSC is to be able to offer a custom slide at a non-custom price.

Yes, that’s true. Although very minor adjustments, there is a perceivable difference between them. This was not intentional, but came to us after the fact, when several of our customers came back with reports of these tonal differences. From brightest to warmest in the glazes it’s…Bayou Blue, Mojo Green, Hellhound Red and Voodoo Black. The nice thing about this is, after you have found the right model and length for the style and rig you’re going to be using, you can "tweak" the tone a little more by the glaze that you ask for.

Right here on the site. We’ve setup files for you to check out the players that are currently part of our musical family, and can support them by purchasing the Family Album Vol. 1 CD, and taking it home and enjoy them anytime!

We wanted to be able to continue to keep stretching the possibilities and be able to offer you the questing slider with tools that are to be found nowhere else! The motto ‘round here is…if you don’t try, you don’t get!!!  By "thinking outside the box," the tonal and applicational possibilities can be endless!!  Also, this gives us the chance to experiment with these new possibilities, and be able to include you in the scheme of things. This is when things can get real FUN!! Check out our Custom Shop options.

Yep, absolutely!! The reasoning behind the curve is to mimic the string radius of the guitar neck. There aren't many guitar necks that are not curved. What this modification gives you are more options: you can turn to the curve and get "more slide to the strings" with a lot less effort, or you can turn to either side of that curve, and the slide straightens out to a more "traditional" straight surface. But unlike most "one size fits all" slides that are out there, these slides are designed to give you more and better sliding options!!

This can happen, but in 99.98% of the time, the minor imperfection (small dimple, end graining or some minor glaze issue) will in no way interfere with the performance of your slide or tone bar. Each slide is tested to make sure no anomaly present on the slide will interfere with your tonal desires! Because these are all handcrafted from "solid clay" and not poured into molds as we have talked about previously, there will be anomalies. See it as a "trade-off" in greater volume, tonal pallet and sustain, and ability to be played on any guitar without alteration, in exchange for occasional glaze anomalies that won't impede the playability of the slide or tone bar.

For the most part, it is a matter of GLAZE. The higher fired glazes (Blue, Green and soon, White) will be smaller than their low fired counterparts (Red and Black). So if you find a slide model that you like but want it to be either a little larger or smaller, you can keep this in mind for a more custom fit.

Call us or email us from our contact page…either way, it’s our goal to get you into the slide that will give you the tones you want, and beyond!! Come and see if the tones that you are hearing in your heart and head can be realized through one or more of our family of handcrafted finger slides or tone bars.