The British Steelies Society

I'm a newcomer to the whacky world of steel and slide guitar. Did I dream it or have I read that there is a detachable nut that can be fixed to an acoustic guitar to raise the strings off the fretboard to aid slide playing?

NO YOU DIDNT DREAM IT A NUT RAISER[OOOOH MATRON ] GET EM ON EBAY FOR APPX £6...TERRY

I actually have some of these somewhere which I bought from Scotty years ago They are metal and they fit over the existing nut so there is no damage to the original. When I find them I'll post on here and anyone who wants one is welcome to it.

I've got one of these ghastly things as well and anyone can have it - after putting up with a rant as to why you shouldn't use it!!!

And why should you not use one?I would love to hear this rant.
I used one for 2 years on a chinese round neck resonator.Thats how I learned.They are perfect for a beginner to learn the instrument.
Regards
Ray

OK Ray - rant was possibly an over statement! I will agree they are useful ("perfect" is a bit strong) to try out lap steel before buying a proper one. However, they rarely fit properly and so, a) you lose much of the string-to-guitar vibration transfer, b) the scale length is usually compromised, c) the string grooves are not normally graded to fit the strings and d) they sometimes wobble on a cambered neck (where you generally get nasty scratches on the fretboard and/or headstock). If you've used one for two years I guess you're not going to swap it back to "standard" playing so you should be considering making, and popping in, a bone replacement nut. The tone will improve and the difference in control, without the adapter moving, will be well worth the effort. If you want any tips on doing the job let me know, I've had far eastern round-neck resonators in the past and done just that. Best wishes, Tony.

Glad I'm not trying to sell them.

Thanks Tony for you quick reply.I suppose rant was a bit wrong.I agree with everything you said I was using a cheap resonator guitar and wasnt too worried about ruining it.It sounded surprisingly good!I have now got a better(still cheap) square neck reso which I am quite happy with.I tune the old one to D so I can mess around in open G and D.Still not very good at either but at least they are there.Thanks again.
Regards
Ray

Hey, Ray - I've got a cheapo Regal but with a Quarterman cone. I put in a seventh string for a 6th tuning and it sounds really well. The woodwork is not so important as the hardware in those things, that's why Paul Beard soups them up for a reasonable price dobro. T. (edit - actually that's it in the avatar!)