Anyone tried the Acoustaglide w/ dynamic diffusion technology?

[RustyZombie]

The older acoustaglide seems to be pretty well received here. Just curious if anyone has tried there newer version of it. If so, what did you think?

[RustyZombie]

I apologize for my impatience, but has anyone tried it yet?

[DanPanther]

Not familiar with the term ?
I looked it up. Though it looks nice, I can not justify the cost compared to one made at home for 50 cents.


Dan

[TConnelly]

Originally Posted by RustyZombie

I apologize for my impatience, but has anyone tried it yet?

Sorry I can't help with your question but that's funny right there!

Cheers.....................Todd

[Bucc5207]

Well, they spelled Leo's name wrong on their website, so there's that.

I didn't see anything about dynamic diffusion. What are they diffusing dynamically, and why? Sounds like nonsense to me. But to answer the urgent 18-month-old question, I haven't tried one.

[Earl49]

Ahhh.... they are slides. Never seen or tried one. I prefer ceramic, Mudslides specifically.

I thought they were either guitar chairs that glide rather than rocking (Pik-n-Glider) or a string lube / cleaner (Fast Fret).

[RustyZombie]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Ahhh.... they are slides. Never seen or tried one. I prefer ceramic, Mudslides specifically.

I thought they were either guitar chairs that glide rather than rocking (Pik-n-Glider) or a string lube / cleaner (Fast Fret).

I mentioned that slide to another guitar player at work, and someone that was eavesdropping went and tattled on us because she thought we were talking about astroglide. But I had a bit of fun watching her face turn several shades of red when I feigned ignorance and asked what astroglide was.

I hate to imagine what she would think a mudslide is.

[Bucc5207]

Originally Posted by RustyZombie

I mentioned that slide to another guitar player at work, and someone that was eavesdropping went and tattled on us because she thought we were talking about astroglide. But I had a bit of fun watching her face turn several shades of red when I feigned ignorance and asked what astroglide was.

I hate to imagine what she would think a mudslide is.

Nothing like a successful workplace troll!

"Excuse me, is that an Acoustaglide in your pocket?"

I tried one and it wasn't for me...
The surface is not very smooth at all, very scratchy on the strings...
Their brass Acoustaglides are great, I have one that I used for years...

[Wolfram]

I've not seen one in the flesh over here in the UK, but from what I can discover 'dynamic diffusion technology' is actually nitriding - a conventional way of creating a case hardened component. Quite why it is worthy of a patent when it applies to a guitar slide I'm not sure...

But they are right, hardening the surface of a steel slide, as long as it is also polished to a microscopically smooth finish, helps to give the slide a lovely combination of the tonal qualities of metal and glass. So as long as they are finishing and polishing properly it should perform well.

My own steel slides are work-hardened as they are machined from solid billets of marine-grade stainless steel, then polished by hand to get the best surface finish possible (over 25% of the cost of the slide is in achieving the perfect mirror finish).

I also offer two coatings - titanium nitride and tungsten carbide / carbon, both of which are hard, low-friction and high-durability, but focus the tone in different ways.



The ultimate material for a guitar slide is solid tungsten carbide. Twice as dense as steel, and nearly as hard as diamond, the sustain and depth of tone are astonishing. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, crafting a slide from something so hard is an absolute nightmare, and the cost is high.

Check them out at wolframslides.com.

Cheers,
David

[Wolfram]

Originally Posted by Danny Clayburn

I tried one and it wasn't for me...
The surface is not very smooth at all, very scratchy on the strings...
Their brass Acoustaglides are great, I have one that I used for years...

This is dead right. Particularly for hard materials, the surface quality of the slide is the single most important factor affecting tone - way more important than the type of material itself.

Aberrations on a steel surface can be sharp and very abrasive, leading to that scratchy sound, and don't tend to wear smooth because of the hardness of the metal. Brass is a much softer metal, so inconsistencies on the surface will wear smoother with time.

Getting our great surface involves a lot of planning, right from where the slide is a solid billet of steel, through the whole machining process, to the final polishing.

I'm just finishing up a video comparing the string noise of a range of Wolfram and other slides - I'll share on AGF as soon as it's ready.

Cheers,
David

[westman]

I like the sound of thick glass - like this guy uses

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by westman

I like the sound of thick glass - like this guy uses

And if you've read much of what Ry has to say about it, you'll find that he's partial to actual bottle glass because it HAS texture to it, as opposed to most other glass which is way too smooth.

I also use a real bottleneck. I cut it from a magnum champagne bottle.

HE

[Wolfram]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

And if you've read much of what Ry has to say about it, you'll find that he's partial to actual bottle glass because it HAS texture to it, as opposed to most other glass which is way too smooth.

I also use a real bottleneck. I cut it from a magnum champagne bottle.

HE

That's interesting - and tone and feel really are down to personal preference.

My first port of call for anything to do with glass slides is my good friend Ian McWee - Diamond Bottlenecks - who makes the finest glass slides (both bottlenecks and hand-blown crystal glass) I've come across. He also hand-polishes all his slides to get a smooth surface.

Incidentally, Ian and I have just written an article for Acoustic Magazine on choosing a slide, which covers the materials and other slide properties (mass, density, surface) and how they affect tone. I don't know how available Acoustic Magazine is in the USA, but it's in the Summer issue (on sale now).



Cheers,
David

[blue]

Originally Posted by Wolfram Slides

That's interesting - and tone and feel really are down to personal preference.
David

Indeed. Just like in the electric world. A pure acoustic player, when confronted with the characteristics of Fender single coils, P-90s, and humbucker would probably wonder why anynone would EVER pick anything but the humbucker. Why put up with that annoying hum? I own guitars with all three types

I am with you personally. Especially being primarily a tricone resonator player, I can't imagine why anyone would ever willingly introduce an "artifact" from the slide into their tone. Smooth all the way!

I can highly recommend the Acoustaglide in Brass if you want a lower priced mass produced metal slide with a lot of mass. Haven't tried the new one. I prefer glass myself and use a variety, but my #1 is a diamond.

Interesting thing about the design however. Mr. Kottke, who was integral in designing it uses it backwards. With the heavy edge against the bass of his finger. I'm going to assume that all that mass wobbling to and fro at the tip of his finger proved to be too much for him. It's not an issue for me, but he plays a fair bit more than me I imagine and long term wear and tear become an issue