Taylor Guitar Slide Ebony Wood 13/16" Large

Our new Crelicam ebony guitar slides bring a unique feel and sound to those open-tuned riffs

Taylor’s Ebony Slide was designed to be a pleasure to own, hold, feel and see. They offer guitar players more control and comfort. Above all, it sounds wonderfully warm when compared to metal or glass slides. These Ebony slides have a slight softening effect on the attack, making them warm and forgiving.

• Genuine West African Ebony
• Sourced and processed in Cameroon
• The same quality wood found in Taylor Guitars
• Provides a warm, soft effect

In 2011, Taylor Guitars became the co-owner of an ebony sawmill in the African country of Cameroon. The Ebony Project takes you there to learn more about the people, the challenges, the work, and the improvements being made in the sourcing and processing of West African ebony (Diospyros crassifloria Hiern), a wood you’ll find on every Taylor guitar.

Wood and Steel

There’s something undeniably soulful about the sound of slide guitar, especially in the hands of an expressive player. And as slide players know, the slide’s material — usually metal, glass or ceramic — plays a role in both the feel (which impacts your ability to control of the pitch and vibrato) and sound. Metal slides are known for a rougher feel and brighter tone. Glass slides are often smoother in both feel and sound. Ceramic slides tend to live somewhere in between, depending on the actual ceramic composition.

We’re pleased to announce that we’re adding another material to the mix: ebony, from our Crelicam mill in Cameroon. Ebony’s hardness and density help produce a clear sound, while its lighter weight compared to other slides translates into a comfortable playing experience. After introducing these to Taylor dealers at the Winter NAMM Show, followed by some fun playing sessions around the Taylor campus over the last few months, the verdict is that these slides offer a uniquely sweet sound with a pleasing mix of warmth and control.

“The part I like is the natural damping factor,” says Andy Powers. “With most metal or glass slides, there tends to be a sharp, brittle sound on each note that requires me to carefully damp the length of string between the nut and the back side of the slide to prevent a brash sound. These ebony slides have a slight softening effect on the attack, making them warm and forgiving. It reminds me of rolling back the tone control of a Telecaster just a touch to smooth off the harsh edge.”

Terry Myers, a 30-year Taylor veteran who works on our product development team and predominantly plays electric guitar, says the lighter weight and the feel of the slide allow him to get a more expressive sound.

“You need to use a little more gain to get the ebony to sing the same as metal or glass, but the light weight gives me a better feel for the note and for controlling the pitch and vibrato,” he says. “It’s not as slippery either, which also helps my control. I’m just an OK slide player, so it helps me sound better because of those characteristics. It’s also a bit warmer sounding if someone doesn’t want as much of that top-end tonal character.”

Taylor product specialist Michael Lille is a big fan of Lowell George’s slide playing with Little Feat. He compared glass, brass and ebony slides on his Strat played through his SlideRIG pedal by Origin Effects, which was designed to emulate George’s heavily compressed tone.

“I found the Crelicam slide to be my favorite for this application,” he says. “The light weight of the ebony slide gave me more control and comfort. It had a little less sustain, but with electric volume and some compression I couldn’t put it down.”

Our slides will be produced in four sizes. As of our press deadline we were finalizing the details, including the inside diameter for each size, along with the packaging. Because of the mix of black and variegated coloring, each slide will exhibit its own unique visual character.

If you’re a slide enthusiast, consider this a musthave for your collection; if you’re a beginner, this will help you develop your slide skills with greater ease and a pleasing tone along the way.