Acoustic and Electric Custom-made Glass and Bottleneck Guitar Slides

We're proud and honored to constantly receive wonderful testimonials from our delighted customers; here is just a small selection from May, 2003 through to January 2010.

Please allow me to say a big 'Thank You' here to all who have kindly given us permission to publish their words on this page....

Ian,

I received my 'Ultimate' today - very well packed & arrived in tip-top shape. I put it on & played some resonator...my oh my, what an amazingly sweet, smooth tone!

I'm more used to playing with a brass slide & it sounds absolutely terrible compared to my 'Ultimate'. It is a beautiful piece of work and the tone is just amazing - i can't believe a piece of glass can sound so good, so thanks for your workmanship & speedy shipping.

Blakelin La Rue (Nashville, TN.).

Hi Ian,

Just to let you know the slide arrived yesterday safe & sound - it fits great, looks great & more importantly sounds simply wonderful! It's much, much easier to use than the other slides i have & the sustain & volume were everything you said they would be....it sounds SO MUCH BETTER than anything i have tried or heard live - and i don't have to wrap my finger anymore either, yay :o)

Alma C. Ware (Dallas TX.).

If you haven't contacted Ian McWee and arranged to have an Ultimate slide built to your specs, you do not know what you are missing. I have several, with my favorites being two heavy closed-end beauties, about 70 mm long with 10 mm of solid glass at the playing end. These are deifinitely the right tools for the task: The tone, sustain, and vibrato I can get on my tricone (16-18-27-39-49-59) with these slides are almost mystical. And Ian has a style and sincerity on the business end that you just don't see too much these days.

Dave Steenken, (Osaka, Japan)

Hello Ian,

I received the slides today. The first one I tried was the blue bottleneck. Man, talk about perfection. It fits me perfectly, the weight reminds me of those old bottlenecks that I used to make myself. There is one huge difference in the ones I made myself. The way you 'rolled' the tip. The bottom is as smooth as the top. The bottlenecks I used to make myself were never this good. I would spend hours with various grades of wet emery paper trying to smooth out and roll the tops. I never could get it right. It was always at best just good enough. Every other commercial bottleneck that I have seen has virtually ignored this subtly huge issue. You seem to have perfected it.

Your latest 'endorsee',

Rollie Tussing, (Portland, OR.).

Ian,

The sonic qualities of a Diamond Bottlenecks's Ultimate Slide will make the player pay
immediate attention to what this artpiece has to sonically offer. I realized
in short order after using D.B's glass slide that a mass produced, heavy
walled glass slide suffers trajectly from tonal anemia by pale comparison.
The difference in tone, sustain & sonic richness is the hallmark of a
Diamond bottleneck slide! My new motto: Life is to short to use a crappy
bottleneck slide! Thanks guys... Consider me your newest addition to
Team Diamond Bottlenecks!

Cole Stevens, (Louisville, KY.).

Ian ,

Thank you for the bars,they are good for silence and smooth for my meditative aalap.

Love and Peace

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, (Kolkatta, India).

Hi Ian,
I came home to find the box I had been waiting for -- the latest package
from you.

I got out that hefty sapphire bullet-tip slide, sat down with my tricone in
my lap, and VOILA! This is the "steel" I've been looking for. What a
difference the extra weight makes -- well done! (It even works pretty on my
pinky with my roundneck single-cone, although I still have the green
"Ultimate" that makes that guitar come alive.

It's a pleasure doing business with you (again).

All the best,

Russ Young, (Seattle, WA.).

Hello, Ian,

Yesterday I received one of your single cuts through Tone Toys and I loved it from the first note.. I am a self employed professional player (guitar-vocal) , blues , (gypsy-)swing, all thirties stuff, and been buying "commerially" made slides for years now. But this one was like an old friend. My #1 from now on. Glad you make these guys.
Just had to let you know.

Best regards,

Kees Kingsize, (The Hague, Netherlands.).

Hello, Ian!

A couple of weeks ago, I received a mail from Brian Kramer, an American
musician living in Stockholm. He tipped me off about your hand-blown slides.
I promptly ordered one from Mr. Blueson, and I must say that I am
extremely satisfied with its performance. I do not know how you do it, but
your slide seems to function as a musical instrument in its own right. It
creates a brilliant, sustaining tone that is far better than anything else
I've tried during the years. Thanks for your know-how! Wonder what Mr
Johnson would have sounded like with an Ultimate...

With best regards,

Tomas Blom, (Stockholm, Sweden.).

Dear Ian

I received the slides on Saturday and I was just leaving town, so on my return on Sunday I took the slides out of the box and gave them a go. I am telling you with all honesty that they are the best slides I have ever played. I have at least 15 slides I have collected in my search for the right one. My style O National is very picky about slides and I have only found a couple that I could get by with. The guitar fell in love with the cobalt blue slide as it brought out the nature of the guitar. The green slide is also awesome and suprisingly it brings out a slightly different tone that is wonderful. I would not have thought that there could be such a difference. You really produce an exceptional product and it says something about the person you are. I am going to give your card out to different players so that they can also purchase the finest slides out there.
Take care my friend and thank the other folks that were involved in making these wonderful slides!

Fred J. Anderson (Scottsdale, AZ.).

Ian,

Just received my new 'D.B's Glass Slide...I'm speechless (but i'll keep typing just the same...)!

What a beautifully crafted piece - i absolutely love the variegated color...my wife thought it was Venetian Glass!!! The fit is superb and as always the weight & outside seamless buff finish renders this baby simply magic for slide play.

Bravo!!!

And thanks to all those involved in your Glass Works Biz - hope you keep Diamond Bottlenecks going for centuries!

(Have you given any thought to applying for a; "By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen" stamp designation?!?)

'Til my next PO

yours blues'ly,

Barry 'Big B' Brenner, (California, U.S.A.).

Ian,

The 'Purple Bullet' arrived today safe & sound....WOW - what a
beautiful piece! You guys totally out-did yourselves this time, it's perfect, a 1/4 pound of pure lead crystal tone! The Estralita is cryin' with joy. Thanks for getting this one done for me at such a great price, very well worth the wait...and thanks for making these superior slides available to all of us sliders!

Danny Clayburn, (Albuquerque, New Mexico.).

Hi All,

Just a note to let you know that i received the blue swirl Brozman tone-bar. Being a new player of lap-steel guitars i can only say that this slide is already making a huge difference in my playing. Thanks much for the quick service and the outstanding slide, i'm enjoying it tremendously.

David Dawson, (Memphis, Tennessee.).

Dear Ian,

Giovanni here from Italy,

Your glass tone-bars are really wonderful!

I use them on my weissenborn-style guitars and the sound is amazing.

I have many steel & brass tone-bars, but now i am absolutely 'glass-addicted', i can never go back to steel...Magnifico!

Giovanni Bailo, (Modena, Italy.).

Yo Ian ~

That Dowling slide you cranked out for me arrived in the mail day 'fore yesterday...FAST, i'd say. It's great, and i'm lovin' it...the fit is good, the heft & sway is spank right on, and the slip, slide, 'n glide is just flat out sweeeeeet!!!

It's a nice - real nice - addition to my acoustic arsenal. Thanks to ye and y'all...

Yours in flat five harmonies,

Glen Bessonette (...down Utah way in the U.S of A...).

G'day Ian,

I am sitting here now listening to my husband play his resonator with his new glass slide. Tis a beautiful thing - thanks so much for your service & product, you've been really helpful & kind.

Cheers,

Susie Pritchard, (Brisbane, Australia.).

Hi Ian,

Got the slide today. Beautiful - it's absolutely perfect. You guys have developed this into an art, i'll be in touch again soon - and this works just perfectly with electric & acoustic....

Steve McCarthy (Alaska, U.S.A.).

Hey Ian, i got your slides a few weeks back & man they are great! After searching forever for a great sounding high quality glass slide my quest ended when i tried your bottlenecks. Put me down as a lifetime 'Ultimate' user! I urge every slide player not to waste their time with other brands & just go for the best...Diamond Bottlenecks.

James Clem, (Portland, OR.).

Dear Ian,

I play resonator guitars and so i'm always in search of the 'perfect' slide. I've long favoured ceramic slides for their smooth sustain & sheer heft. My Ruby 'Ultimate' is big - 7mm wall - with a loose tapering fit and, being lead crystal, so hefty that, at first it felt bulky & unfamiliar. But i like some weight for that "gots to be jelly" feel and it was clear straight away that a slide that sounded this good was worth getting used to. This i did very quickly & it's the best i've ever used. It look gorgeous & sits beautifully on the hand - i use my little finger - with a relaxed yet precise feel. Owing to the weight, density & seamless design it's virtually noiseless, the sustain is extraordinary and the tonal range is next-level, and it's equally at home on a National or a battered SG. For the dedicated slide player the 'Ultimate' is way out in front - and, for my money...the chunkier the better!

Lou Glandfield, (Sussex, U.K.).

Hi Ian,

Just thought i'd drop you a note to say how delighted i am with the slide my partner bought me for my birthday - it fits perfectly & was used to play Skynyrd's 'Freebird' during a gig on Saturday night.

You do realise i then HAD to go out the next day & purchase a new electro-acoustic, and subjected everyone in the music shop to a 10-minute delta blues slide solo! Brilliant - totally delighted with it and i'm glad you managed to deliver it at such short notice for my birthday...

'Slidin' Colin Baxter, (Arbroath, Scotland.).

Hi Ian,

Today the bottleneck arrived - let me tell you, this is the most beautiful piece if glass i ever wrapped around my finger! Visually it is truly a masterpiece, a real work of art. It feels absolutely great on my pinky and fits perfectly I love the massive glass with the great engraving, and when it comes to playing i hear a fat, soft but loud, clear and forever sustaining sound. Congratulations - this babe is a real winner in every way; look, feel and TONE!!

Ralph Skuban (Bliss 'n Blue), Germany.

Ian,

You guys make the best slides on the planet. The cool thing about your company is that normal guys like me can have their own custom slide made. I admit i was hesitant at first to drop $50.00 on a slide, and i really didn't understand until i ordered one. You aren't just paying for a slide - you're paying for an extension of yourself. Finding the perfect slide is half the process of beginning bottleneck playing and i always thought i would have to accomodate for an awkward/uncomfortable slide.

The slide should be accomodating to the player, and you guys make that possible...i'm just happy that i discovered them at 25-years old!!

Nick Viau, (Grand Rapids, Michigan.).

Fellow sliders,

The measure of any firm is not when things go to plan, but what happens when things go wrong. I recently ordered two slides from Diamond Bottlenecks, but unfortunately i made a mistake when ordering. I contacted Ian McWee at Diamond Bottlenecks to discuss my problem and was told that if i returned the slides i'd ordered, his firm would supply me with two replacement slides at no extra cost. I did as was suggested and two new slides turned up three days later - you simply cannot ask for better treatment than this, and my Diamond Bottleneck slides continue to be the best i've ever used.

Stuart Clyens, (Hvalsoe, Denmark.).

Hi Ian,

I received both slides on Friday & i just wanted to let you know how very happy i am with them. The Mike Dowling Signature is as good (or better) than my favourite glass slide and i used the Ultimate in a recording this weekend and it sounded fantastic live & recorded brilliantly. Thanks for your expert advice & excellent communication - i'll be in contact again next time i need a slide.

Phil Higgins (Victoria, N.S.W. Australia)

Ian,

My new Cranberry Red 'Ultimate' arrived this week safe & sound. The fit & tonal quality are perfect......so of course i'll be showing this beauty off to all of my guitar-playing friends. Thanks again Ian for fantastic quality and craftsmanship.

Terry Langnickel (Raleigh, N.C.)

Hello Ian,

The bottlenecks arrived and i love 'em! The Ultimate is really "The Ultimate" glass bottleneck - it is the best sounding glass bottleneck i've played in my 30 + years of guitar playin'.....i think i will leave my old brass slide in the drawer; please give my best regards to Brett for his workmanship!

Georg Birkmaier (Ebersberg, Germany)

Ian,

I received the glass slide in perfect condition - you folks really know how to pack a slide for shipping! Thank you for a first-class service & i'll be forwarding this slide onto my son in Alaska ...so he can make some first-class music.

Jack Ryland III (Danville, VA)

Hello Ian,

I play your bottleneck for three days now and every time i play, i can't stop sliding. It's beautiful and warm sound with a strong tone, and that was exactly what i was looking for - unbelievable!

Many thanks, Jan Simon (Heidelsberg, Germany)