Show me your Dobros/resonators

[blue]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

Nope...

In the electric world it would be the equivalent of showing a bunch of single coil fenders in a "Show me your Humbucker guitar!" thread.

The resonator is a different design, which results in a different timbre.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by blue

Nope...

In the electric world it would be the equivalent of showing a bunch of single coil fenders in a "Show me your Humbucker guitar!" thread.

The resonator is a different design, which results in a different timbre.

Thanks Blue,for trying to defend my pedantry.

Boh National and Dobro companies introduced what are now called "resophonic" insruments.

Nationals came first in 1925(ish) with the Tricone. Due to conflict in the directorship, the prime inventor (John Dopyra) left the (his) company with his brothers, to form Dobro in direct competition, but needed to re-invent it (wooden body, inverted single cone) to avoid copyright issues.

National responded with their own singlecone design.

Both made round and square necks - round for jazz and ensemble players, and square for Hawaiian players.

In '32 (I think) the two companies merged, but the jazzers had accepted the archtop guitars and the Hawiian music rage had died out (or focussed on electric "steel" guitars).

It is my belief that this mayave brought about a glut of unsold Nationals which then became availabe to the poorer black rural blues players.

Manufacture of metal bodied guitars ceased in '41 when the USA entered WW2.

Nationals are now almost entirely associated with blues (and bottleneck) styles, whilst Dobros became more associated with country and (after Flatt & Scruggs sideman Josh Graves - into bluegrass in '55.

In 1989 Don Young and McGregor Gaines gained the trade name of National, and some tools, and advice from John Dopyra, andstarted making National metal (and wod) bodied guitars.

The Dobro brand has been owned by Gibson since 1993, and quaity has (IMHO) dropped and so now tghe best ones are made by one man maers and Beard guitars. Recently the National Resophoni started making their wn versons of the Tim Scheehorn design.

That's why Nationals ain't Dobros but, sometime one can be the other, but there are still two (or three if you count tricones) differnt designs.

[tdq]

OK, not a dobro! I know some people use it as a generic term, much like I often get "Oh, a Dire Straits guitar!".
Anyway, here's mine.

[Hey_day]

My fault. I intended this to just show off people resonators or anything in the family. I'm new to them so I don't really know the difference. Thanks for the education though.

[Cone Head]

Originally Posted by Hey_day

resonators or anything in the family.

I'm not really a Dobro guy, but I love my vintage Nationals.

[Bob Womack]

Actually, many would consider it a bit of an honor for their brand name to have become a generic term for the class. Hoover, Band-aid, Q-tip, Kleenex, Dobro.


Gretsch G9202 "Honey Dipper Special"

Bell brass body, biscuit resonator... dobro


Bob

[blue]

Originally Posted by Hey_day

My fault. I intended this to just show off people resonators or anything in the family. I'm new to them so I don't really know the difference. Thanks for the education though.

Welcome to one of the most affordable guitar addictions! Even vintage ones are affordable compared to a nice SCGC or Goodall level instrument. Used modern Nationals (NRP) are a steal! Once you hear a spider (Dobro style) and a biscuit and tricone (National styles) in person or on a good set of speakers, you'll have no trouble telling them apart, and deciding which one is your favorite.

Tricone all the way for me...

Most here seem to dig steel bodied biscuit (national style) singlecones.

In a perfect world one of each would be awesome.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by blue

Welcome to one of the most affordable guitar addictions! Even vintage ones are affordable compared to a nice SCGC or Goodall level instrument. Used modern Nationals (NRP) are a steal! Once you hear a spider (Dobro style) and a biscuit and tricone (National styles) in person or on a good set of speakers, you'll have no trouble telling them apart, and deciding which one is your favorite.

Tricone all the way for me...

Most here seem to dig steel bodied biscuit (national style) singlecones.

In a perfect world one of each would be awesome.

The whole point of the introduction of resophonics (prior to electrickery) was volume.

FWIW - I've had my lovely Style "0" for some time and it is a finely built instrument but apart from the weight, it was just TOO loud form my purposes, which is why I traded it for the cheaper but lighter and more balanced volume of the wooden bodied Estralita.

[blue]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

The whole point of the introduction of resophonics (prior to electrickery) was volume.

FWIW - I've had my lovely Style "0" for some time and it is a finely built instrument but apart from the weight, it was just TOO loud form my purposes, which is why I traded it for the cheaper but lighter and more balanced volume of the wooden bodied Estralita.

I get what you are saying. My ear just hears it a little differently though. It isn't so much the Loudness of singlecones, which do in general seem louder than tricones.

I will steal, and misuse, Dana Bourgeois' term "velocity of sound" to describe how it feels to me. They just hit so hard and fast, it is tiring to my ears. I wear Hearos ear protection when playing my single cones or my ears start feeling numb and tired. No ringing. Just an overall fatigue. I do not need to take any such precautions when playing tricones. And the volume difference between the two isn't that great. There is definitely something beyond just loudness that is affecting me.

And I do agree that my wooden single cone is a bit tamer in that department than my brass.

[cu4life7]

Semantics aside, here is mine. I love this guitar, and it has become my primary go-to player. It has a haunting tone. National Resophonic NRP-B built in 2011.

[IMG][/IMG]

[blue]

Originally Posted by cu4life7

Semantics aside, here is mine. I love this guitar, and it has become my primary go-to player. It has a haunting tone. National Resophonic NRP-B built in 2011.

I don't know if an affordable mass produced duco style finish will ever come about. But the black rust is sooooo classy. If I was going for a steel one it would be hard choice between the triolian polychrome and black rust. The polychrome looks great in person, but not in pictures. The black rust just always looks great!

[Gypsyblue]

Dunno if I've shared this already or not but here's mine: National Vintage Steel Tricone.

A steel body sounds so much better to me for Tricones than brass.

I'll be playing a few tunes on this guitar in just a few hours.

Got a little gig tonight.

[Mycroft]

Roundneck Rayco

[TBman]

Here's a shot of my Republic Tricone 200 roundneck acoustic electric. I'm even thinking about learning a little bit of slide.

[tdq]

Originally Posted by cu4life7

Semantics aside, here is mine. I love this guitar, and it has become my primary go-to player. It has a haunting tone. National Resophonic NRP-B built in 2011.

We have the same guitar! What's your serial? Pretty sure mine was built in 2011, as well. Mine is 17973. Like you, I love it. If someone held a gun to my head and told me I could only keep one of my guitars, this would be it.