Resonator String Choices.. not sure if this is correct forum for this :)

[Debritton]

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this..here goes...

I own a Liberty Resonator LO-100 with an upgraded cone to that of a National cone. I purchased this resonator on E-bay and when I got it I noticed that the strings were a bit old.. BUT it sounded sweet.

One day I got the bright idea to change the strings and purchased a set of D'Addario Resophonic strings 1st E being thick 016- 6th 056.

Problem: As soon as I played my first slide note..I noticed right away the guitar all of a sudden sounded "ultra dull"... totally lost the spice it once had with the older strings. I did notice that the new "Resonator D'Addarios" seemed to be about 3 gauges heavier then what was on there...

Question: Have you guys with Resonators run into this issue when changing strings (brands/guages)? I am thinking of just going with a standard "Heavy Gauge Accoustic 13s and try those. I have changed string types on my other Dregs and eventhough there are sometimes slight changes in tone with brands/// I have never heard a difference like this change on the Liberty...

Any recommendations. The sound was such a "let down" after the string purchase that I was actually wondering if I had strung it incorrectly somehow.. which at this point I have confirmed that the guitar IS INDEED strung correctly. Did my Liberty blow a cylinder???? LOL

[AndrewG]

In theory a resonator works best with hefty strings; I owned a Regal RD45 and anything lighter than 15's was not really enough to get the cone moving properly. Are you playing lap style with a bar or conventionally with a bottleneck? Maybe your slide isn't heavy enough; I use a Dunlop hefty chromed brass slide so I can really dig in and get some energy into the strings-and that's with a regular acoustic.

[Dug]

I've owned a Regal (biscuit) for several years, and have always used medium gauge strings. I have always shyed away from anything heavier because I think it would be harder to chord the guitar. I could be wrong on this point.

Also, I believe a heavier string could do some damage to the cone with some open tunings; causing extra tension.

Best thing is to go over to Big Road Blues site and ask there. There's some great people there that will answer any questions.

Good Luck! And keep on slidin'!!

Dug

[Debritton]

I am playing as a regular guitar.. I went with a Dunlop chrome slide (med/heav) and this helped a bit... with the high action..the 16s are hard to bar too... but duable... I might drop at least one gauge and try that and/or experiment with dif slide materials... The sweet spot is out there...it's just a challenge to find it... that's the fun part I suppose...

[Debritton]

I was considering purchasing a used Aria AC-50 Classical and wanted to see if any of you gents/ladies have experience with this particuliar guitar? How does the tone compare to the Spanish models???? I was also considering a Yamaha as an alternative also... My budget is around $450 (used)

[stoney]

Debritton,

I think you might have purchased the set that is actually intended for squareneck, played lap-style, where the strings are never fretted. The strings on a squareneck reso are very high off of the fretboard. My dobro doesn't even have frets, but just flush markers.

I may be wrong, but I believe the D'Addario EJ-17 set of 13-56 would be a viable choice for you.

Happy Slidin'!

Stoney

[brian a.]

Originally Posted by Debritton

...............One day I got the bright idea to change the strings and purchased a set of D'Addario Resophonic strings 1st E being thick 016- 6th 056...Any recommendations....

For bottle neck playing on my Dobro I use a set of Phos. Bronze lights 12 to 53. BUT I take out the 12 (1st string) and replace it with the 16 (2nd string in the pack) and replace the 16 with either an 18 or 19 (as the 2nd string).

Does your reso have an adjustable truss rod? If so, you might want to tighten it slightly to compensate for the increased tension caused by the new heavier strings.

[Freeman]

Originally Posted by brian a.

For bottle neck playing on my Dobro I use a set of Phos. Bronze lights 12 to 53. BUT I take out the 12 (1st string) and replace it with the 16 (2nd string in the pack) and replace the 16 with either an 18 or 19 (as the 2nd string).

Does your reso have an adjustable truss rod? If so, you might want to tighten it slightly to compensate for the increased tension caused by the new heavier strings.

I do almost the same thing on my biscuit - mediums PB's, and 015 on top and an unwound third (024 I think). I play mostly in open G and D, but when I play in "standard" I follow BBF and tune down two half steps. I happen to like a heavy home made wine bottle neck and think that a reso needs fingerpicks to sound the best.

The set you are talking about is intended for "dobro G" (or high bass G) as is usually played on a spider. The bottom two strings will be tuned up instead of down - remember that a spider can take a lot more tension than a biscuit.

The few biscuit players that tune up (Scott Ainsley is one) are very careful about string break angle and usually use pretty light strings - a friend borrowed mine once, tuned to open A and crushed the cone (that is the only thing I like about a 14 fretter - you can cape up to A). Scott says his break angle if very shallow.

Last, some National historians say that the original Nat brand strings were a nickle alloy. I've never tried nickles on mine but some players use them for more of a vintage sound.

[dthumb]

i have a micheal kelly bayou"e" (electric and acoustic) and have been playing on a hybrid set of d'addario electric (nickel alloy) 12-54 wound "g" with great success....no problems at all and a sweet, mellow tone fwiw.

[brian a.]

Freeman,

My Dobro Duolian is a biscuit bridge and I play mostly tuned down to in Open G. If I am going to play something tuned-up - like some the songs in Scott Ainslie and Dave Whitehill's "Robert Johnson - At the Crossroads" - then I tune two steps down and capo at the second fret. With the lighter bass strings I can get the tone i want with bare fingers instead of using finger picks on a heavier string.

Next string change I may try medium strings or even a "resonator set", which I think are 16 to 56.

B