Resonator guitars

[tjcurtin1]

thanks, Wingsdad... :thwap: I haven't even got the guitar yet, and now all I'll ever think of when I play it will be.... At least you may have saved me from inadvertently saying something embarrassing

 

[Jipes]

Thanks for NOTHING Jipes. Some friend you are. When there's already a fire burning, you don't throw GASoline on it. That just makes it worse. Geez, have mercy.

That Triolian made my knees buckle; I'm woozy. I already am doubled over in agony with the chance of getting a custom made lap steel; then the new DVM OD-2 pedal; then the Vox AC4TV and Little Lanilei tube amps.

Don't light a match near me because I'll go up in flames.

:rotflmao: No need to thanks me I know lots of good adress for curing your GAS

 

[Blaze]

Stupid Deal of the day :28/01/09 Epiphone Resonator


http://folk-instruments.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Biscuit-Resophonic-Round-Neck?sku=518591

 

[Jipes]

Stupid Deal of the day :28/01/09 Epiphone Resonator


http://folk-instruments.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Biscuit-Resophonic-Round-Neck?sku=518591

Beware of the Epiphones they don't have a very good reputation on the slide forums, cheap construction and poor sound

 

[tjcurtin1]

Well, the Johnson came in and I'm having fun getting to know it. It looks good all around, nicely built and finished and was in good shape out of the box: neck is straight, no sharp frets (bound neck) action is good for all around use including slide. Sounds good to me so far, though I'm finding that you don't get the full sound of the guitar sitting in back of it, as the sound is strongly projected forward. It seems to like to be played hard, but again that may be because of where I'm sitting... I'm wondering if an easy/cheap upgrade would be an ebony capped saddle; right now the first string seems to have less volume than the rest. Otherwise it resonates nicely, the body really hums when you play it, and there are nice deep undertones coming from those funny grills. All in all, a lot of fun for $135 (including the shipping, to be fair..)

Tot's got delivered to his work after he left for a two week visit to the home planet, so he won't get his 11 thumbs on it till he gets back.

 

[Steve206]

Hey TJ,,

I have my resonator hanging on the wall and every time I cough loudly, the sound reverberates on, inside the guitar. Like having a small grand canyon.

Steve

 

[Jipes]

Hey TJ nice to hear your first impressions, yes the sound is projected more on front clearly less back resonance than with an acoustic guitar. You can eventually upgrade the biscuit for a National but first look if it's a cheap wood or not that you get. On my Johnson JM-998 (metal body) I change the biscuit for an ebene and it's more clear sound and less string buzzing.

 

[wingsdad]

... I'm wondering if an easy/cheap upgrade would be an ebony capped saddle; right now the first string seems to have less volume than the rest. ...

It may already be, tj....does it look like the saddle on my squareneck JR-200?

The saddle on mine is ebony-capped maple:

A heavier gauge 1st string may give it more volume.

Tip: when restringing your reso, do them one at a time. If you take 'em all off, you'll be probably be hating yourself as it's likely to dislodge the cone from taking all the downward pressure off the bridge.

 

[tjcurtin1]

Thanks for the tips, guys. Specially that one-at-a-time string change as I do want to put reso strings on it... No Wings, mine has a plain (but quartersawn) maple saddle. What about adjustments to the screw holding the spider to the cone? I read somewhere that that can affect the tone...

 

[tjcurtin1]

Just bought another one for a gift for my slide playin' brother. Not at the $99 deal, but still worth it.

 

[wingsdad]

... What about adjustments to the screw holding the spider to the cone? I read somewhere that that can affect the tone...

I rue the day I have to mess around with that aspect. I got mine perfectly set up (local dealer touch), liked how it sounded open. I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Since tone with a dobro is so reliant on the bar & precise left hand technique along with right hand technique, as a newbie (less than 2 years) who doesn't practice diligently, my tone's gonna suck uke: for a long time before I start tinkering with a good thing.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

I swung by work yesterday to pick up my Johnson (pause for the rim shot).

Like Ted said. The tuners are tight & a bit cheap feeling, but overall I'm impressed with the fit & finish for the price.

The tone on mine is even across all the strings & has an ebony capped maple bridge. Are you sure that yours doesn't Ted?

I put on an acoustic guitar strap as I always play standing up & it was a mother to get the strap over the pin. I ended up using a small screwdriver & put it on like a car tire. I slipped & scratched the finish near the strap button. Instant relic!! It's got a tough finish as the scratch didn't go through to the color. I slipped again & jammed the small screwdriver into my finger & made a huge bloody gash. This guitar can take a beating.

The sound is appropriately resophonic. The action was a bit high for for my fingerstyle tastes, but still playable. I'm probably going to leave it. It seems just right to switch between slide & fingerstyle.

The only guitar that I have to compare it with is my Godin 5th Avenue.

As to be expected the fit, finish, comfort, refinement, & playability on the Godin far outshines the Johnson. But the Johnson serves a different purpose & seems like it'll fulfill those duties well.

I like looking into the holes & seeing the garbage can lid (ie cone). What a cool concept.

What does the hole in the center of the bridge do? I assume that there is a screw down there for adjusting something. My guess is the bridge height for adjusting the action. Is this so? If not, what does it do & how does one adjust the action.

BTW, there doesn't appear to be a truss rod adjustment screw anywhere.

 

[wingsdad]

The tuners are a bit tight probably becuz they just may need to be lubed, but it could be due to heavier gauge strings. I use a drop of trumpet valve oil on the gears to lube them (tip: also good for electric guitar bridge saddles). You don't want them loose or your tuning will slip, especially if using heavier strings, just free enuff to adjust easily.

... What does the hole in the center of the bridge do? I assume that there is a screw down there for adjusting something. My guess is the bridge height for adjusting the action. Is this so? If not, what does it do ...

The screw/bolt in between the 2 halves of the saddle is to adjust the tightness of the bridge that lies beneath the top (the spider's legs) to seat that 'garbage can lid' (cone), more or less to hold the cone in place as it sits on a wooden tone ring. If the spider is too loose, the gap will cause the cone to rattle and buzz and you won't be pleased with the resulting tone.

...how does one adjust the action.

Mainly by shaving some off the bottom of the (maple) saddle, the way you might mess a bit with any acoustic guitar. Your action is purposely a bit high from the factory for slide work, with the saddle probably at full height for the dobro model of the JR200 like mine.

BTW, there doesn't appear to be a truss rod adjustment screw anywhere.

Like an Ovation and some other acoustics, it's inside the body, at the base of the neck, accessible by removing the spaghetti strainer.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Thanks Wingsdad.

Yes, I thought that the action was high on purpose as most people want to play slide on these.

I am not gonna mess with anything...for a while at least.

 

[tjcurtin1]

Yeah, I've decided to leave things be. It sounds good as it is so why mess things up (resisting the tinkering urge... all of those little screws are helping me in this regard). Besides, I've heard you can lose a finger messing with this guitar...

Mine definitely has a plain maple saddle - interesting they are different, I'll see what the one I got for my brother has - it comes tomorrow. I did put on some Martin resonator strings (all I could find at the moment) - they are a little brighter and louder than what was on. I haven't looked, but there is what looks to be a truss rod cover - no access there to the truss rod?

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Besides, I've heard you can lose a finger messing with this guitar...

Does the spider shoot out if you release it?

Odd that your bridge is not ebony capped.

Mine looks exactly like this:

 

[tjcurtin1]

Just got the second Johnson, and it's not as well fit up as the first. Main problem is that the spider sits up much higher in the guitar, so that the saddles are sitting very low in the bridge, and the action is still too high - and can't be lowered further. I'm wondering if it's just a matter of taking it apart and resetting the spider; or perhaps the cone is not sitting all the way down in it's well... Any thoughts? Oh, yes, this one also has the plain maple saddles.

 

[Jipes]

Just got the second Johnson, and it's not as well fit up as the first. Main problem is that the spider sits up much higher in the guitar, so that the saddles are sitting very low in the bridge, and the action is still too high - and can't be lowered further. I'm wondering if it's just a matter of taking it apart and resetting the spider; or perhaps the cone is not sitting all the way down in it's well... Any thoughts? Oh, yes, this one also has the plain maple saddles.

It's well possible that the cone has moved during transport but if it's under warranty I would bring it back

 

[tjcurtin1]

Too late! My brother is an inveterate tinkerer (woodwork, cars, guitars, diving gear...) and before I got to see what was happening, he took it all apart, rebuilt the insides (I had heard someone else say the the innards of these low-end imports are pretty rough), adjusted the spider and made new saddles...and put it all back together! Yikes! I should have known. So now it sounds and plays fine. We had fun playing together this afternoon.

 

[Jipes]

Yikes! I should have known. So now it sounds and plays fine. We had fun playing together this afternoon.

Great to have such a nice brother and playing together is a lot's of fun :AOK:

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Too late! My brother is an inveterate tinkerer (woodwork, cars, guitars, diving gear...) and before I got to see what was happening, he took it all apart, rebuilt the insides (I had heard someone else say the the innards of these low-end imports are pretty rough), adjusted the spider and made new saddles...and put it all back together! Yikes! I should have known. So now it sounds and plays fine. We had fun playing together this afternoon.

I'll bet that there are no pics. It would'a been cool to see all the parts.

 

[tjcurtin1]

Yeah, I was a little bummed that he didn't wait for the weekend so that I could have seen the insides. When I said that, his response (typical) was , "You'll just have to take yours apart." And here I was looking forward to the vicarious pleasure of getting to see the guts without having to open my own....

 

[sollophonic]

Just found this thread so I thought Id join in.

A great resource for stuff about resonators is the forum at www.michaelmesser.co.uk Lots of stuff about caring for, playing, modding and buying a resonator.

Also +1 on the Busker Michael Messer resonators. I have one and it is a real beauty. It gets played every day, and is a wonderful guitar. www.buskerguitars.co.uk

And yes, I use 15 or 16s strings on mine in open G or Gm tunings.