Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 23, 2013 15:21:14 GMT
I was browsing my local guitar shop today, and they had quite a few interesting new guitars in. I tried a few, and after a while the assistant handed me a Hofner Resonator guitar to try. It really impressed me. It looked great (vintage/relic'd appearance), felt very nice and played quite easily. It also sounded very good when playing bluesy stuff. Not so much on folksy fingerstyle, but otherwise excellent. I'd never really considered a resonator (well, okay I did a little bit after HB3), and this out of the blue has got me wondering. This is the guitar I tried: The shop price was a bit steep at £549. The owner wouldn't budge on price, but said he'd throw in a gig bag if I paid cash As I know next to nothing about these things, I was reluctant to throw so much money at what was effectively a 'punt', so I left it saying I'd think about it. Also, it turns out I can get it about £70 cheaper than that, but my question is: Is it worth it? At this sort of level, what resonator guitar is considered to be the best, and can I get better for less, or would I be better off spending more to get a lot better. Might not buy one at all, but it's got me thinking alright - might be a great way to get into slide guitar. Hope slidingwolf reads this too
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Post by cottonopolis on Feb 23, 2013 16:14:40 GMT
Martin, it may be worth having a look on `Busker Guitars` website. They make different types of Resonators around the price who have been given.They are very well regarded by players. You also get to choose how you want your guitar set up ,as well as plenty of advice about resonators in general. Steve.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 23, 2013 16:41:38 GMT
Thanks Steve. I'd have loved a wee Busker Cannon, but they're not available right now. The others look good, but again there is a bewildering choice on the site Very nice looking guitars, though.
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Wild Violet
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Post by Wild Violet on Feb 23, 2013 16:59:19 GMT
Maybe Slidingwolf can help here... but I'd recommend looking at Busker Guitars as well. In my limited experience, for a proper dobro to play on your lap, these are really nice: www.buskerguitars.co.uk/10.htmlIf you want a roundneck, I think you need to figure out what sound you want, and wood or metal body. You should email Robin and ask about a Canon, he may have some that haven't been put on the website yet. He can also help you with selecting the right style for you. Very helpful guy I think you have to up your budget quite a bit to get something better than the Busker guitars. He sets them up properly too, which is something most guitar shops have no idea how to do.
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Post by keithambridge on Feb 23, 2013 17:15:24 GMT
Check out the "Michael Messer" forum for tons of friendly advice. Busker supply the Messer "Blues"and "Lightning" they don't have cannons anymore although "Republic Guitars"in the States do a "Miniolian"which is the same as the cannon, you'll find them on ebay. Regarding the Hofner, I don't know for sure but many of these resonators are not built in the correct way. Another recommendation would be the very keenly priced Gretsch resonators, they are well spoken of.
Hope that helps. Keith.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 23, 2013 17:21:57 GMT
Maybe Slidingwolf can help here... but I'd recommend looking at Busker Guitars as well. Yeah maybe he'll chip in, hopefully. In my limited experience, for a proper dobro to play on your lap, these are really nice: www.buskerguitars.co.uk/10.htmlIf you want a roundneck, I think you need to figure out what sound you want, and wood or metal body. You should email Robin and ask about a Canon, he may have some that haven't been put on the website yet. He can also help you with selecting the right style for you. Very helpful guy I think you have to up your budget quite a bit to get something better than the Busker guitars. He sets them up properly too, which is something most guitar shops have no idea how to do. I wouldn't want a lap guitar - just a normal one would do. No idea about the different types/sounds actually - maybe I need to find out what they all do first! Thanks WV Check out the "Michael Messer" forum for tons of friendly advice. Busker supply the Messer "Blues"and "Lightning" they don't have cannons anymore although "Republic Guitars"in the States do a "Miniolian"which is the same as the cannon, you'll find them on ebay. Regarding the Hofner, I don't know for sure but many of these resonators are not built in the correct way. Another recommendation would be the very keenly priced Gretsch resonators, they are well spoken of. Hope that helps. Keith. Might check out those forums, Keith. Some of the Gretsch ones look nice - thanks for the advice
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Post by keithambridge on Feb 23, 2013 17:30:07 GMT
No Republics on the bay but loads of Gretch's!
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Post by slidingwolf on Feb 24, 2013 12:57:18 GMT
Hi Martin, There's some very good advice on here already but here, for what it's worth, is mine. £549 seems quite high to me for a Hofner. Take a look at the following: www.guitarvillage.co.uk/allproducts/161/All-Bluegrass-Resonators-products.aspx The Hofner is £499 with case. There's a Gretsch is on there as well at £315. I haven't played one but know someone who is very pleased with his. You've decided you want a round neck (ie "normal" guitar) rather than a square neck (for playing lap slide) . There are two other major considerations: metal or wood, and biscuit or spider cone. These determine the type of sound you get. The Hofner you were looking at is a wood bodied spider cone. The tone difference between metal and wood is fairly obvious but you will get a very different tone from a biscuit bridge. Take a look at the link above and in particular, the 3rd and 4th guitars. The third is a biscuit cone - you can see the round disc underneath the bridge, that's the biscuit. The spider cone has a different cover plate (the 4th guitar.) The different tone comes from the cone itself: the biscuit cone faces into the guitar body whereas the spider cone faces the guitar top. Very roughly speaking, spider cones (Dobro type) tend to be associated with bluegrass and country music whereas biscuits (Nationals) tend to be associated with the blues, but there aren't any rules. Have a rummage round You Tube and you'll find plenty of examples of both. The other point to remember is that it's not the wood that's important, it's the cone and the set up. The set up, in particular on a resonator is even more important than on a conventional acoustic. The reso I played Long Distance Love on at HB3, for example, I picked up off e bay for a very good price . It wasn't very playable when I got it but improved no end with a proper set up. Unfortunately you have to know a luthier who can do it - lots of guitar shops think they can but you do hear some horror stories .......... I'm afraid I don't know any in your neck of the woods. So if you have found a reso that is set up properly, that's a bonus because when they come from the factory, they invariably do need adjustment. The set up is also different if you intend to play mostly slide rather than just fingerpicking. Another thing to check is the intonation up the neck, which can be a bit dodgy on resos. This will matter less if you do intend to play a lot of slide but you will still want it to stay in tune up to at least the 5th fret. Sorry for the ramble and apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, and I'm not even sure that any of the above will have helped anyway. But in summary, that does look a full price to pay and you could maybe get something better s/h for a similar price plus a set up, but then again, if it is a good set up and you can hear it calling you................. If you get serious about buying one I would certainly try some more. Did you just play the one? SW www.martinjwood.co.uk
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andrewjw
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Post by andrewjw on Feb 24, 2013 14:59:34 GMT
Can you put a capo on a resonator/dobro style instrument?
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 24, 2013 15:29:34 GMT
Hi Martin, There's some very good advice on here already but here, for what it's worth, is mine. £549 seems quite high to me for a Hofner. Take a look at the following: www.guitarvillage.co.uk/allproducts/161/All-Bluegrass-Resonators-products.aspx The Hofner is £499 with case. There's a Gretsch is on there as well at £315. I haven't played one but know someone who is very pleased with his. You've decided you want a round neck (ie "normal" guitar) rather than a square neck (for playing lap slide) . There are two other major considerations: metal or wood, and biscuit or spider cone. These determine the type of sound you get. The Hofner you were looking at is a wood bodied spider cone. The tone difference between metal and wood is fairly obvious but you will get a very different tone from a biscuit bridge. Take a look at the link above and in particular, the 3rd and 4th guitars. The third is a biscuit cone - you can see the round disc underneath the bridge, that's the biscuit. The spider cone has a different cover plate (the 4th guitar.) The different tone comes from the cone itself: the biscuit cone faces into the guitar body whereas the spider cone faces the guitar top. Very roughly speaking, spider cones (Dobro type) tend to be associated with bluegrass and country music whereas biscuits (Nationals) tend to be associated with the blues, but there aren't any rules. Have a rummage round You Tube and you'll find plenty of examples of both. The other point to remember is that it's not the wood that's important, it's the cone and the set up. The set up, in particular on a resonator is even more important than on a conventional acoustic. The reso I played Long Distance Love on at HB3, for example, I picked up off e bay for a very good price . It wasn't very playable when I got it but improved no end with a proper set up. Unfortunately you have to know a luthier who can do it - lots of guitar shops think they can but you do hear some horror stories .......... I'm afraid I don't know any in your neck of the woods. So if you have found a reso that is set up properly, that's a bonus because when they come from the factory, they invariably do need adjustment. The set up is also different if you intend to play mostly slide rather than just fingerpicking. Another thing to check is the intonation up the neck, which can be a bit dodgy on resos. This will matter less if you do intend to play a lot of slide but you will still want it to stay in tune up to at least the 5th fret. Sorry for the ramble and apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, and I'm not even sure that any of the above will have helped anyway. But in summary, that does look a full price to pay and you could maybe get something better s/h for a similar price plus a set up, but then again, if it is a good set up and you can hear it calling you................. If you get serious about buying one I would certainly try some more. Did you just play the one? Thanks for the reply, Martin. It's appreciated as I genuinely know nothing about these guitars. When I tried it yesterday, it was unexpected and although I liked it (the look particularly) it is the only resonator guitar I've ever played I felt it was too expensive, and more research plus your own opinion have borne that out. I had no clue about the type of cone and I certainly wouldn't be up for setting one up properly. The Gretsch you linked too seems very nice and sounds great in the YT clip, but I guess choosing anything at this stage would seem to be a huge gamble based on all the variables that are at play. Bearing that in mind, I think I'll shelve the idea for now
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Feb 24, 2013 16:15:30 GMT
Can you put a capo on a resonator/dobro style instrument? Yes - the Beard Capo for one:
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Post by andrewjw on Feb 24, 2013 17:16:37 GMT
Thanks Dave...I too know zilch about these instruments..
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Post by slidingwolf on Feb 24, 2013 20:20:51 GMT
You can play slide with an ordinary capo as well, as long as the action's not too high. You just need to adjust your technique a bit. The one Dave has shown is for lap slide where the action is much higher, as shown in the top picture. SW www.martinjwood.co.uk
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Post by keithambridge on Mar 15, 2013 13:36:59 GMT
Martin, there's a Miniolian (same as Busker Cannon)just been put up for offer on the "Tin Can Alley" section of the Michael Messer forum. No price, you have to PM the seller!
Keith.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Mar 15, 2013 14:00:01 GMT
Thanks for the heads-up Keith. I'll keep an eye on that. I'm always a bit reluctant to contact someone where there's no price mentioned - it's that old chestnut, if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it!
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