National Estralita vs Dobro Hula Blues

[MattBlair]

I'm mulling over a resonator purchase and I've found two choices on eBay that have peeked my interest. Does anyone have experience with these two options, a National Estralita and a Dorbro Hula Blues. Both wood bodied, biscuit cone (I think?). I'm looking for a bluesy sound and something that I can stick a hot plate on down the line, which may rule out the dobro, although is it half the price.

Any thoughts?

National Estralita http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/262253617880



Dobro Hula Blues http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/111886009565

[Eldergreene]

National, no contest..

[MattBlair]

How about this to throw another spanner in the works, a tricone and the seller said he would take £1100

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/141897811508




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[blue]

If you want a wooden single cone, the Estralita is hard to beat. I have a radiotone myself, which is basically the same guitar with an "art deco" aesthetic.

For a "bluesy sound" the Estralita would be a better choice than the steel tricone. I speak from experience, as I own the exact model pictured... The tricone has an incredibly rich and versatile sound. Very sophisticated sounding.

I have a hotplate in a solidbody resotone, and it is a nifty piece of kit. plug and play. Very cool!

[MattBlair]

Originally Posted by blue

If you want a wooden single cone, the Estralita is hard to beat. I have a radiotone myself, which is basically the same guitar with an "art deco" aesthetic.



For a "bluesy sound" the Estralita would be a better choice than the steel tricone. I speak from experience, as I own the exact model pictured... The tricone has an incredibly rich and versatile sound. Very sophisticated sounding.



I have a hotplate in a solidbody resotone, and it is a nifty piece of kit. plug and play. Very cool!

Thanks for the insight! Is there a trifold equivalent to a hot Plate? Most of the time I'm playing by myself and singing but I also play in church and with a few friends in a functions band playing blues - would the single cone still be the best fit of that mix? I usually just play my Avalon jumbo and I'm looking for something that I could branch out to play more lead lines and slide on

[Eldergreene]

Hi again Matt - if I were making that choice I'd opt for the single-cone - the tricone is a great sound as a solo instrument, but its longer sustain would muddy up a group sound, IMO, especially for playing rhythm.. I'd reckon that the sharper attack of the single-cone would also cut through better for lead-lines?

Just to complicate things further, Dobro made plenty of single cone, wood bodied, spider bridge resonators. The spider bridges and biscuit bridges sound quite different from one another. As you may know, both of the models you are considering have biscuit bridges. Gibson/Epiphone owns the Dobro brand and make resonators with spider bridges, but they are not the same as the older Dobro models. Just some more information here to help you make an informed choice.

[blue]

Originally Posted by MattBlair

Thanks for the insight! Is there a trifold equivalent to a hot Plate? Most of the time I'm playing by myself and singing but I also play in church and with a few friends in a functions band playing blues - would the single cone still be the best fit of that mix? I usually just play my Avalon jumbo and I'm looking for something that I could branch out to play more lead lines and slide on

Honestly, I think the wooden singlecones are very versatile. They have more sustain than the metal single cones. Significantly more. However, the harmonics can be a bit wonky. They can clash with the fundamental. A tricone doesn't do that.

So with either, when playing in a group setting, you have to step up your muting game compared to playing a flattop guitar. For the tricone, it's to control when notes end. For the singlecone it's to keep unpicked strings from stealing energy from the picked strings (reducing your volume and tone), and using that energy to throw out harmonics NOBODY wants to hear (except those folks who describe a metal singlecone as sounding like "a trash can" and meaning it as a compliment ).

Muting unplayed strings also enhances tricone tone and volume, but it's less of an issue as the harmonics are usually compatible with what you're playing.

There is no tricone hotplate, but there are other solutions, many of which are less expensive than the hotplate!

Edited to add: All the above is opinion. Others are free to, and may very well disagree.

[blue]

Here's a youtube clip of someone demonstrating a koa estralita and playing something atypical from what you usually hear on youtube. As you can see it's quite versatile. Don't sweat the wood. The body wood is very much secondary.

[joe paul]

In my experience, single cones are just more fun to play. The sound just jumps out ... so I'd go for the Estralita. But that's just me.

If you want an unbiased presentation of the two National models, take a look here :
http://antebelluminstruments.blogspo...olychrome.html

http://antebelluminstruments.blogspo...estralita.html

If you're in the UK and cost is an important factor, Michael Messer's resonator guitars are definitely worth a look at half the price of those second-hand NRPs.

[MattBlair]

Thanks so much for all the replies everyone! Lots of learning I think coinciding with what everyone has said the that Estralita is the one for me, I'm just waiting to hear back from the seller regarding shipping now!

I did see one of those Michael Messer resos on ebay with a lace sensor pickup installed for only like £450, I've never heard of the brand before, are they comparable to Nationals or are they just a cheaper alternative?

[joe paul]

The Michael Messer resonators are an interesting anomaly. Messer is a very, very good slide guitarist (and a nice guy) who decided to try to get back to the 1920s idea of national guitars, providing the design himself, as close to the old Duolian and style O as possible and working hands on with a very small family-run factory in China. They're cool and funky and often sound great.
I've owned a couple and played many. I rate them way above anything else except NRP, old National or Mike Lewis's Fine Resophonic guitars.

Here's a recording a did a few years ago now with his steel body Blues model :
https://soundcloud.com/gordon-paul/john-henry

http://www.michaelmesser.co.uk/about-mm-guitars

I've no business connection, I've just had the pleasure of participating in his slide workshops a few times and know how serious he is about resonator guitars.

My favorite guitar is my 2005 Estralita Deluxe
She has served me very well and never let me down.
The quality of build, the looks, and most importantly the sound are all top notch. Very versatile as well for all kinds of music.
She's my favorite all time guitar and I play mainly just her everyday. Resonators are relationship instruments, you have to put the play time into the right one to get it to sound as it should.

The Dobro Hula Blues is an OK instrument, but I haven't heard one that I thought sounded great. OMI as well as Gibson Dobro quality had been haphazard and inconsistent to phrase it kindly, OMI being more highly regarded than the dreaded Gibson years that ultimately killed the brand.

Good luck in your search! Mine pretty much ended with my Estralita!