It's Labor Day, and I'm hoping everyone in the country is finding some time to ease off the throttle, lean back, reflect on our lives and catch a fresh breath before we once again 'crank up the machine' and return to work. In that spirit I'm writing a short note to say Thank You to the many folks who have ordered our slides over the last year, musicians and stores alike. In our quest to make the best slide we can, it is you who drive us.
It seems to us that a musician's best music should come from playing their best slide, and that's the slide we want to make: it should have balance, an agreeable weight, an appealing color, a length that suits the guitar being played and size(s) that fit your finger. If I left something out, maybe it should have a little carrying bag too, so it won't scratch or be scratched. This is a really a simple formula for success, and one that we feel should ring true in every player's hand, "My slide is better because it fits. Hot or cold..."; but more on that another day.
Today I'd like to share some of our feedback from new customers, beginning with a great link to a tune played on a new Emerald Green slide (in Tennessee); then a note sent from a very happy cigar box guitar player (in Alabama); a bit more of the Eric Kallio performance at Muddy Rudder (in Portland, OR); and a note sent from a fellow (in Honolulu, HI) who lost his first slide but remembered its measurements! He ordered a replacement and sent us this note when it arrived. These notes from our customers give us a really good feeling about our company, it's customers, our products, and on this one year anniversary -and our second Labor Day in business- our work. Thank You, one and all.
Jasper, Tennessee
>>> Mean ol' World
>>> This note came following an order for one each Black Ninja and Emerald Green slides (Bessemer, Alabama):
"Hello Bill
Thank you for your kind note, and I do look forward to trying these beautiful slides- they are highly recommended. Also, I enjoy doing business with the 'regular folks' who start or run their own businesses. I hope you will have great success in your venture.
I have used slides only sparingly in the past, mostly because I could never get a size that did not have to be padded, cut down, or otherwise altered. Most of them are made pretty much only for six stringers and / or people with long, meaty digits... but like a lot of other people, I play three and four string cigar box guitars. And for the foreseeable future I expect I will ONLY be playing slide.
A couple of months ago, while slicing up some meaty treats for my kids ( all my kids have four feet ) I managed to slip and cut my left middle finger to the bone. It was the inside ( the fatty pad) and it fileted it in an epic way. The kitchen looked like an outtake from a slasher film, there was blood all over the place. Now it is pretty much healed, but since the nerves were all cut, the finger is numb unless I press the tip on a string - which manages to hurt somehow. I don't know if the finger will ever be OK to use for fretting again, so it seems I am going to be sliding along for the months / years to come. Then, like a miracle, a friend mentioned that he had seen your website and that you actually offered slides in differing lengths, and they were affordable!!!! So - here I am! And be assured I will take as good care of the slides as I do any musical instrument, because that is what I consider them.
So I close, wishing you and your loved ones all the best.
J3"
>>> And J3 sent this note when the new slides arrivedslides arrived:
"Hi -Short note for Bill -
Slides arrived today, they are Beautiful!!
I don't know if there is some kind of hoodoo spell on them but they sound incredible, maybe it is the fit, maybe some of the love of the makers, I really don't know.
Logically it makes no sense that one batch of glass would perform differently than another, but I have had Dunlop and other glass slides and these honestly have a better sound and feel! The Ninja Black is glamorous, and the emerald or "bottle " green is a total classic - .
Full disclosure - for those with thinner fingers I would probably recommend getting one half size smaller on the ring sizing, but every finger is made differently and without making a cast of fingers, I don't think anything can fit like a second skin. BUT - I added two thin strips of molefoam, running top to bottom, in these, and they honestly fit like gloves!! Or finger gloves or whatever the best comparison would be.
I look forward to learning and bonding with these on all of my CBGs and will recommend your slides to anyone who wants the best at an honest price.
Thanks -
j3"
Today I'd like to share some of our feedback from new customers, beginning with a great link to a tune played on a new Emerald Green slide (in Tennessee); then a note sent from a very happy cigar box guitar player (in Alabama); a bit more of the Eric Kallio performance at Muddy Rudder (in Portland, OR); and a note sent from a fellow (in Honolulu, HI) who lost his first slide but remembered its measurements! He ordered a replacement and sent us this note when it arrived. These notes from our customers give us a really good feeling about our company, it's customers, our products, and on this one year anniversary -and our second Labor Day in business- our work. Thank You, one and all.
Jasper, Tennessee
>>> Mean ol' World
>>> This note came following an order for one each Black Ninja and Emerald Green slides (Bessemer, Alabama):
"Hello Bill
Thank you for your kind note, and I do look forward to trying these beautiful slides- they are highly recommended. Also, I enjoy doing business with the 'regular folks' who start or run their own businesses. I hope you will have great success in your venture.
I have used slides only sparingly in the past, mostly because I could never get a size that did not have to be padded, cut down, or otherwise altered. Most of them are made pretty much only for six stringers and / or people with long, meaty digits... but like a lot of other people, I play three and four string cigar box guitars. And for the foreseeable future I expect I will ONLY be playing slide.
A couple of months ago, while slicing up some meaty treats for my kids ( all my kids have four feet ) I managed to slip and cut my left middle finger to the bone. It was the inside ( the fatty pad) and it fileted it in an epic way. The kitchen looked like an outtake from a slasher film, there was blood all over the place. Now it is pretty much healed, but since the nerves were all cut, the finger is numb unless I press the tip on a string - which manages to hurt somehow. I don't know if the finger will ever be OK to use for fretting again, so it seems I am going to be sliding along for the months / years to come. Then, like a miracle, a friend mentioned that he had seen your website and that you actually offered slides in differing lengths, and they were affordable!!!! So - here I am! And be assured I will take as good care of the slides as I do any musical instrument, because that is what I consider them.
So I close, wishing you and your loved ones all the best.
J3"
>>> And J3 sent this note when the new slides arrivedslides arrived:
"Hi -Short note for Bill -
Slides arrived today, they are Beautiful!!
I don't know if there is some kind of hoodoo spell on them but they sound incredible, maybe it is the fit, maybe some of the love of the makers, I really don't know.
Logically it makes no sense that one batch of glass would perform differently than another, but I have had Dunlop and other glass slides and these honestly have a better sound and feel! The Ninja Black is glamorous, and the emerald or "bottle " green is a total classic - .
Full disclosure - for those with thinner fingers I would probably recommend getting one half size smaller on the ring sizing, but every finger is made differently and without making a cast of fingers, I don't think anything can fit like a second skin. BUT - I added two thin strips of molefoam, running top to bottom, in these, and they honestly fit like gloves!! Or finger gloves or whatever the best comparison would be.
I look forward to learning and bonding with these on all of my CBGs and will recommend your slides to anyone who wants the best at an honest price.
Thanks -
j3"
>>> A tune about a job selling rugs, written and played by guitar slide stalwart and mountain guide Eric Kallio, recorded this year at The Muddy Rudder Roadhouse and Cafe (Portland, OR)
>>> A note sent after receiving a replacement for a lost slide (Honolulu, HI):
"Hey Bill,
I wanted to thank you for sending me that size 9 in Jade. I picked up on of your slides visiting Portland a few years back and absolutely loved it. I grew really attached to it but I lost on the road. After losing it, I searched for a slide that inspired me like yours did but had no luck. The one you sent feels and plays identical to the one I lost and I couldn’t be happier.
Thanks a million,
Matt Miskell"
>>> Also, a hearty Thank You to TradeUp Music on Alberta Street in Portland, who believed in us and our products goin' waaay back! You folks really ROCK!
>>> Thanks too, to Music Caravan for the hard work, taking product to folks at music festivals all over the country, and displaying it to sell so well! Nice job!
>>> And our thanks to Crossroads Music in Port Townsend, WA, a great store with a huge selection of amazing string instruments, including dobros, lap steels, tri-cone and lefty guitars! Oh yes, and Rocky Butte Guitar Slides, too!
It's been a good first year start for us; it's because of folks like these, and YOU! Beginner or expert, if you get a guitar slide, please let us know how you like it. We care..
Bill Larson, Owner/Manager
>>> A note sent after receiving a replacement for a lost slide (Honolulu, HI):
"Hey Bill,
I wanted to thank you for sending me that size 9 in Jade. I picked up on of your slides visiting Portland a few years back and absolutely loved it. I grew really attached to it but I lost on the road. After losing it, I searched for a slide that inspired me like yours did but had no luck. The one you sent feels and plays identical to the one I lost and I couldn’t be happier.
Thanks a million,
Matt Miskell"
>>> Also, a hearty Thank You to TradeUp Music on Alberta Street in Portland, who believed in us and our products goin' waaay back! You folks really ROCK!
>>> Thanks too, to Music Caravan for the hard work, taking product to folks at music festivals all over the country, and displaying it to sell so well! Nice job!
>>> And our thanks to Crossroads Music in Port Townsend, WA, a great store with a huge selection of amazing string instruments, including dobros, lap steels, tri-cone and lefty guitars! Oh yes, and Rocky Butte Guitar Slides, too!
It's been a good first year start for us; it's because of folks like these, and YOU! Beginner or expert, if you get a guitar slide, please let us know how you like it. We care..
Bill Larson, Owner/Manager