Resonator reservations

[CaineIsCarter]

Hi folks

Been GASing for a resonator ever since I learned to play Romeo & Juliet. I thought a Michael Messer Lightning looked a good choice (UK), but I'm slightly put off the whole idea because of a few things I've read about action height.

To his great credit, Michael has been very honest and transparent, and acknowledges that the action on a resonator will always be tougher than my Taylor. He says the action can only be set so low, and suggests lighter strings are the way to make it easier to play.

I've no interest in bottleneck, only fingerstyle. Can anyone offer any further perspective?

Many thanks

[L20A]

I have a cheap import Reso.
The wooden saddle was replaced with bone and the action was set low.
This guitar is easy to play and sounds great.
Why would you think that the action must be high on a reso, unless it's for slide playing.
Lighter gauge strings will have more of a chance to cause fret buzz when the action is low.
I use mediums on mine.

Go ahead and lower the action. All it will cost you is a new saddle if it doesn't work out.

[CaineIsCarter]

Originally Posted by L20A

I have a cheap import Reso.
The wooden saddle was replaced with bone and the action was set low.
This guitar is easy to play and sounds great.
Why would you think that the action must be high on a reso, unless it's for slide playing.
Lighter gauge strings will have more of a chance to cause fret buzz when the action is low.
I use mediums on mine.

Go ahead and lower the action. All it will cost you is a new saddle if it doesn't work out.

https://www.michaelmesser.co.uk/mich...sser-lightning

[Silly Moustache]

I have a National Estralita. I can play bottleneck style if I wish and don't need a high action if your technique is good enough.

So, I have the action set the same as all my other guitars - app. .110" bass and .090" treble.

Nationals are not perfect but they are still the best in my opinion.

There's really nothing to prevent you from having a reso set up to whatever action specifications you want. File the nut and the bridge slots a little deeper, reduce the neck relief, and go to a lighter gauge string if you never want to play slide. The break angle will be affected a little--but only a little--and I've not personally witnessed any detrimental effect to the tone with lower action. Lighter strings might not "drive the cone" as hard as a resonator-specific set, but unless you're comparing two gauges side-by-side, how would you tell?

After owning a Republic and a Hohner, I do concur with Silly Mustache that Nationals are a cut above the rest, and also with L20A that your only real risk is the $20 cost of a new bridge.

[zeeway]

My understanding is that conventional wisdom says that you must have high action on a reso to achieve bigger sound. I built a reso from a Beard kit, and the high action was very troubling. So I operated on it to lower the action, and now I can sorta play it with a bottle neckslide. Cannot detect a loss of volume, but that may be my playing ability or lack of it.

[Mike Shipman]

Hi, I have a Michael Messer Blues 28, this is a wood body exact copy of a 28 Triolian (or Duolian, can’t re all which).
Anyhow, it is a very well made guitar, from China, better than the other Eastern copies which I tried. Doesn’t have the hootzpah of a National, but stands up pretty well with the El Trovador, and, it’s considerably cheaper at around £550.
Action is ok for both finger style and slide.
Good luck with search!

[AndrewG]

I had a National Style 0 Tricone and sorted the action for a nice compromise between rattle-free slide playing and normal stuff. The trick is finding the right balance. There's no reason to suggest that a properly set up resonator should be any harder to play than a normal acoustic.