Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: shaman on September 30, 2008, 02:59:41 AM
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something from "left field", as we say....
(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/cavatator/dobro1.jpg)
...a mid 30's Dobro/Dopyra Brothers resonator!!M-32,I think...a friend had the neck rebuilt, and we set it up lefty....mine now...can anyone hear those hellhounds on my trail??...any resonator friends out there??
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Cr@p!!!! I WANT!!!!!
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Nice find Shaman!! My father in law has a couple(not as fancy as that beauty), he takes it to those once a month bluegrass gigs. There are at least three guys that showup with Dobros, awesome players!!!, then there are the banjos, fiddle, bass, mandolin, acoustic guitars and singers. I really like that sound..... unique!!
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Excellent- I would dearly like to get a resonator one day-I just love the tone.
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Agh! (Can't see pictures at work)
But yeah, I'm a resonator friend. I seem to head more to National O styles than Dobro though (not that I can afford a real one).
I've got two "O style" copies:
One is made by Vintage that's four or five years old. It's OK, but the internal design means the biscuit bridge is somewhat taller/deeper than is desirable. This coupled with the cheap cone means it's a bit lacking in the bass department for me.
The other is made by Republic (Chinese I believe) got it a month or so back (there's a pic in this thread: http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13964.0 (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13964.0)). This one is very nice, and I actually preferred it's tone to a National that was in the same shop. It's got one of these "European" spun cones. I'm about to restring it with 15s or so in the next week or two, so we'll see what we see, but so far it's got that "old" resonator tone. It's only problem is very average tuners, but I'll fix that at some point.
The Vintage is tuned to E at the moment (it works better at E/A rather than D/G) but I don't tend to use that tuning a lot.
The Republic is tuned to G, I tried it on E and D, but it doesn't sound as good as G - but that might change with heavier strings.
Looking forward to seeing your pic when I get home.
"If today was christmas eve, and tomorrow christmas day..." :D
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wow! nice path! ;)
sweet guitar too. holding something that old, which always holds an air of mystery, is always special. what places has it been? who has it seen? untold mojo in that machine. best of luck with it, enjoy
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Nice Dobro - I would like one as well. I use a fourth hand £20 Hohner Countryman from ebay for slide - perfect - very high action and no harmonic overtones to interfere with the sound of the slide. Strung with 16s and tune to G - very death letter in tone.
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I can't play one at all, but I'm helping a luthier with a prototype one. It's going to be special :lol:
He can be found at www.deltaresonatorguitars.co.uk His stuff is truely awesome.
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I've really wanted a 30s dobro or national after getting into Rory Gallagher!
So where did you get it?
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Agh! (Can't see pictures at work)
But yeah, I'm a resonator friend. I seem to head more to National O styles than Dobro though (not that I can afford a real one).
I've got two "O style" copies:
One is made by Vintage that's four or five years old. It's OK, but the internal design means the biscuit bridge is somewhat taller/deeper than is desirable. This coupled with the cheap cone means it's a bit lacking in the bass department for me.
The other is made by Republic (Chinese I believe) got it a month or so back (there's a pic in this thread: http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13964.0 (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=13964.0)). This one is very nice, and I actually preferred it's tone to a National that was in the same shop. It's got one of these "European" spun cones. I'm about to restring it with 15s or so in the next week or two, so we'll see what we see, but so far it's got that "old" resonator tone. It's only problem is very average tuners, but I'll fix that at some point.
The Vintage is tuned to E at the moment (it works better at E/A rather than D/G) but I don't tend to use that tuning a lot.
The Republic is tuned to G, I tried it on E and D, but it doesn't sound as good as G - but that might change with heavier strings.
Looking forward to seeing your pic when I get home.
"If today was christmas eve, and tomorrow christmas day..." :D
-great info..its so versatile with the different tuning/different string guage possibilities-cool thing about this one is...it takes both a bisquit AND a spider cone- :D
-found it via ebay-it was in horrid shape-the neck is almost totally new(2 graphite rods inserted and new fretboard..new tuning machines..)that kills some of the "originality" of it, but she was almost dead anyway, and we lefties can't be choosy!!!!
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I can see the pic now - nice one :D
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They look bloody cool, but i don't think i have ever heard one :(
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I'm a lefty that has a metal body reso too. It's a Regal single cone with a biscuit. I put a national pickup in it & it works just fine. The guitar you have is one to die for. I also have square neck (lap style ) resonators too. A Regal black lightning & an old 1938 Rickenbacher lap with the big magnetic wrap around horse shoe pickup. That is a powerful pickup.
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All I can say is that that looks the business so much better when theyre not so shiney
I am assuming it looks even better in real life than the photo
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This thread really isn't helping me with the guilt I've got from buying another Esquire instead of a resonator..
I'd really like a Busker Delta, great guitars.. Ah well it will have to be my next purchase when I have some cash burning holes in my pockets again.
Beautiful guitar, for some reason it reminds me of those really old scuba diving helmets Lol
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ha...thanks guys-it has a Les Paul like neck....think it is about the same as a slim taper 60's neck at the nut!some don't like that, but I do...I play occasional slide,but I wanted to play traditional solo work as well-it is cool-I will be trying the biscuit cone out soon..it def. has some serious MOJO
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They look bloody cool, but i don't think i have ever heard one :(
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=lwTpGRMYZ70
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That is beautiful. Thank you Fernando
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I have a Vintage VM400, it was my first resonator, and has had some serious upgrades, like a bone nut, a Quarterman cone, and big strings over a National bridge. It is loud, brash and great fun.
I usually have a solid bodied reso under construction or just finished, like the ones in my Avatar
Finally I have an old battered Spider cone dobro style, which hangs on my wall at work, and gets used for lunchtime noodling.
Resonators are great fun, and can open up a completely new style of playing, which can often be brought back to have an influence on the way you play other guitars, including electrics.
Finally I have played a couple of the new Busker Michael Messer guitars, and they are really good for the money. Well set up, and very good authentic versions of 1930s Nationals.
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Oh dear Sollophonic - you got me going with those Busker Michael Messers! :lol:
I only got a 14 fretter Republic a month ago, and now you point me at these... sigh...
Interesting that they're both made in the same workshop in China though.
Have you seen Michael Messer live by the way? - what a stunning guitarist.
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Check if these links still works:
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/ninefingers_2007/Dob1.jpg
http://www.michaelmesser.co.uk/MM%20IMAGES%20DELTA%203.jpg
And I still can't see the picture in the original post :(
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Oh dear Sollophonic - you got me going with those Busker Michael Messers! :lol:
I only got a 14 fretter Republic a month ago, and now you point me at these... sigh...
Interesting that they're both made in the same workshop in China though.
Have you seen Michael Messer live by the way? - what a stunning guitarist.
AFAIK, 'Republic' and 'Busker' are both exactly the same guitars, made in exactly the same factory, they are just set up by different people and therefore have different brand names.. I think Republic are for US and Busker are for UK, generally.
Michael Messer are made in a different place and are a bit more authentic with closer attention to sticking with vintage national specs.
All are great guitars though and the best quality:cost ratio, my resonator obsessed friend tells me.
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They look bloody cool, but i don't think i have ever heard one :(
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=lwTpGRMYZ70
Such a good video that. Apparently its quite a cheapo one hes using aswell.
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Resonators are fantastic-I have hankered after one for years.The Missus loves the look of them and really wants me to get one. I borrowed one a while back and she loved the sound and, oddly enough, my slide playing. I was aware of Republic guitars but not the Busker brand- thanks for the heads up.
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Oh dear Sollophonic - you got me going with those Busker Michael Messers! :lol:
I only got a 14 fretter Republic a month ago, and now you point me at these... sigh...
Interesting that they're both made in the same workshop in China though.
Have you seen Michael Messer live by the way? - what a stunning guitarist.
AFAIK, 'Republic' and 'Busker' are both exactly the same guitars, made in exactly the same factory, they are just set up by different people and therefore have different brand names.. I think Republic are for US and Busker are for UK, generally.
Michael Messer are made in a different place and are a bit more authentic with closer attention to sticking with vintage national specs.
All are great guitars though and the best quality:cost ratio, my resonator obsessed friend tells me.
As far as I can make out (I ended up doing a load of surfing yesterday - Michael Messer's site, the Busker site) it seems the MMs are made in the same workshop, but to his specs, and he has his own quality control team (which appears to be Busker). There are loads of pictures of the workshop where they're getting made.
I'd definitely recommend the Republics, so it looks like I'd recommend the Buskers as well :D. And I'd like to get my hands on a MM to try - everything he says about what he's trying to achieve makes me think that they might be just a tiny bit "more" (mojo-wise) and for the same price!!.
38th - V&R in Denmark St stock the Republics, and the Busker site says Wunjo across the road is an outlet for them. I might have to make a little trip to the latter (but leave the wallet at home :lol:). You're looking at around the £500 mark depending on what the model is, whether it's engraved, etc...
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I teach a bit of guitar to someone who has just bought one of the Michael Messer approved Buskers, and it is a great guitar. His is the 12 fret to the body model with the sunbursty colouring on. I have to say though when he first got it, the strings that were on it were a bit on the light side, and putting a set of 15-58s made the thing come alive. The other small point I noticed about his was that although it had a nice wide fingerboard like the old Nationals, the string spacing at the nut was a bit narrow, ie it could use more of the fingerboard width. However that could be just me, I widen string spacing on all guitars I own, because I like a bit more room. Heck I can get 38mm string width out of a Tele neck.
But for the money, it was a superb guitar and really nice to play. I think the next batch of these that are coming in will be even more difficult for me to resist as they are 14 frets to the body, which I prefer.
Well done to Michael for putting the time in to get these guitars, and I'd recommend them.
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How much is one from the Messing guy? :D
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Are the MM's steelies or wood?
I had a fiddle with a Tanglewood Steel one a while back and it seemed fairly nice. Weighed a tonne and a half though, I think a lot of the budget steel ones are made using too thick metal. Ozark also make a steel one but I've heard they need a fair bit of fiddling to get them set up right.
I've got a 6 inch cone here (from a tri-cone) to make a little Cigar Box Guitar resonator. Going to be a cute :lol: I've also decided that I'm going to set up my firebird for slide guitar, for no other reason other than I can't be arsed to refret it :?
As far as slides go, I've met a bloke called Ian (through my reso building buddy) who does some really nice slides... not that I'm experianced in slide in the slightest. But when I set my Firebird up for slide, I'll be getting one off him.
http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com
I love reso's, me.
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The websites say the MM "Blue" is Steel, and the "Lightning" is plated brass.
Both are under £500 !!!!
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No dobro for me, I think :(
£500 is much money when your currency value is about a quarter part than pounds...
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No dobro for me, I think :(
£500 is much money when your currency value is about a quarter part than pounds...
How about US $ Fernando? (I'm not much use on exchange rates)
When I first bought my Republic I went searching to see what it was, and I found these guys in the States http://www.republicguitars.com (http://www.republicguitars.com). Come from the same workshop in China as the Buskers and the MMs, just badged and set up different (and the MMs seem to be getting some extra attention because he's putting his name on them).
If you go to the single cone models page (http://www.republicguitars.com/singleconemodels.html (http://www.republicguitars.com/singleconemodels.html)), mines second from the bottom - "Bell Brass 14th Fret O Style Reso- relic Finish $629 W/Case".
If that's no good, you'll have to ditch the woodwork tools, stop buying wenge and spalted tops, and do a metal-work course :D
I reckon "Fernando" stamped into a reso headstock would look just as good as "Michael Messer" :lol:
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If that's no good, you'll have to ditch the woodwork tools, stop buying wenge and spalted tops, and do a metal-work course :D
I reckon "Fernando" stamped into a reso headstock would look just as good as "Michael Messer" :lol:
I sign only "F"... I fear that Fernando doesn't sound good as brand worldwide...
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2909526789_33e34be345_o.jpg)
Would be nice make a resonator, but I think I'll try to build eletric guitars :D
Maybe someday 8)
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That headstock makes me want a Firebird.
This thread makes me want a reso.
DAMN IT!
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If that's no good, you'll have to ditch the woodwork tools, stop buying wenge and spalted tops, and do a metal-work course :D
I reckon "Fernando" stamped into a reso headstock would look just as good as "Michael Messer" :lol:
I sign only "F"... I fear that Fernando doesn't sound good as brand worldwide...
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2909526789_33e34be345_o.jpg)
Would be nice make a resonator, but I think I'll try to build eletric guitars :D
Maybe someday 8)
I haven't really been following this thread, as no particular interest in dobros/resonators, but that's a nice looking guitar! :D
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Yep, just come back from elsewhere after my earlier post, and when I saw your first post of the pic Fernando, I thought "Philly will like that" - something about the headstock, sizewise it's heading towards the 70s one, but not as "offensively large" (:D) so I still like it as well! And the woods, obviously, etc...
But hey! On fenderish guitars, I usually want scratchplates... on strat-shapes, I usually want single coils... but you've posted two guitars that break those "rules" in the last few days - and I really like them :D
Oh and before I sign off to have me dinner and drink Jack Daniels with the missus - I've been dying to do this for ages, and this seems the most appropriate opportunity:
I haven't really been following this thread, as no particular interest in dobros/resonators
:o
You Philly-stine!!
(Bet you never heard that before :roll:)
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Thanks guys! that guitar I build in a guitar making course in Brazil... looking forward to do a good course soon 8)
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Oh and before I sign off to have me dinner and drink Jack Daniels with the missus - I've been dying to do this for ages, and this seems the most appropriate opportunity:
I haven't really been following this thread, as no particular interest in dobros/resonators
:o
You Philly-stine!!
(Bet you never heard that before :roll:)
:lol: Back in my Sunday School days, I always thought the Philistines had an undeservedly bad rep.
Just to clarify, I quite like the sound of a resonator, I just have no desire to play/own one. I don't get on with acoustics generally, I find them too hard to play - and I suspect that thing would be damn near impossible.
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Thanks guys! that guitar I build in a guitar making course in Brazil... looking forward to do a good course soon 8)
it looks good to me fernando.. was it from scratch? because if so... what are you hoping to learn from the new course? Thats a very nice lookign guitar
the logo reminds me of gordon ramseys cooking program called 'the f word' - you might not get that so here is a pic
(http://i00.rnhh.de/eu/shared-images/blog/2008/05/gordon_f-word.jpg)
I really like the headstock... very N4
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The headstock came from N4...
Well, was "almost" from scratch... I didn't cut the blanks nor made the neck pocket... it came made, but raw... The course wasn't as I expected (it's the only one here) and I'm not working with it for long 5 years now, also want to do it for life, so no point in not doing a course if I'll let it serious... :D
The logo of the guys looks close too, hope he is nice :lol:
Ahhh the inlays was made by me... on the first guitar... :oops: youngs are mad :lol:
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Fernando, that guitar looks awesome :D
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That is a great looking guitar Fernado-you have great taste.