Resonator players

[bloozeman]

what guage and brand strings do you use to play your resonator and what material for slide? Glass? Porcelain? Brass? I just picked up a new resonator and the strings run 12 to 52 and I beleive im going to have to get a heavier guage for slide playing and also not sure which type of slide would be best suited for that swampy Mississippi delta feel and vibe.

[H165]

I play a spider version (pic below) .

EJ 42 16-56, and I replace the 16 with a 17.

https://www.zzounds.com/item--DADEJ4...xoCRO8QAvD_BwE

[blue]

Starting point is string height. 3/32nds is the target at the 12th fret. I do think it's important to use the lightest strings you can. But that's a moving target. It might be 12s or it might be 16s. It's all about what you enjoy.

From about 2000 to 2003 I played 16-56. This is on modern Nationals. I blame Bob Brozman. But he played them like a percussion instrument. The result of those years was very precise slide work, but saints preserve us if I tried to play a guitar with 13s!

I made myself "learn" to use 13s. A "heavy" glass slide. Nothing you can buy at GC. I started on the first fret on the 1st string and slide up to the 12th. Each time I moved up a fret. Kind of like doing scales. I also started with open open strings and hit all the "usual suspect" notes on all the strings. A bunch of other made up exercises as well. There were no short cuts. You have to put in the work.

Recently, due to a thread I believe you started I noticed @Rockabilly69 used 12s. I figured the Pandemic was a great time to try something new. So I worked on that. Again, there were days of rattling up the frets. But now I can use my super heavy brass Leo Kottke signature slide (latch lake) cleanly with 12s on my singlecone.

So first question is what guitar are you playing? A National triolian yeah? That can take 16-56 for a while. But it's not as safe as 13s, and you better not tune to A or E. But stepping up to 13s and eating your spinach and working on your slide technique would be where I would start in your shoes.

As to brands I buy what's cheap. So EJ17s for 13s. You can find them in 3 packs on sale on the time.

Don't over think it. Try 13s. If that doesn't work jump up to 16s. If that's super clean with no effort, try a normal 13 set with a 14 1st string. Getting to where you can play slide on any guitar someone hands you was what made me work to lighter strings.

[bloozeman]

Originally Posted by blue

Starting point is string height. 3/32nds is the target at the 12th fret. I do think it's important to use the lightest strings you can. But that's a moving target. It might be 12s or it might be 16s. It's all about what you enjoy.

From about 2000 to 2003 I played 16-56. This is on modern Nationals. I blame Bob Brozman. But he played them like a percussion instrument. The result of those years was very precise slide work, but saints preserve us if I tried to play a guitar with 13s!

I made myself "learn" to use 13s. A "heavy" glass slide. Nothing you can buy at GC. I started on the first fret on the 1st string and slide up to the 12th. Each time I moved up a fret. Kind of like doing scales. I also started with open open strings and hit all the "usual suspect" notes on all the strings. A bunch of other made up exercises as well. There were no short cuts. You have to put in the work.

Recently, due to a thread I believe you started I noticed @Rockabilly69 used 12s. I figured the Pandemic was a great time to try something new. So I worked on that. Again, there were days of rattling up the frets. But now I can use my super heavy brass Leo Kottke signature slide (latch lake) cleanly with 12s on my singlecone.

So first question is what guitar are you playing? A National triolian yeah? That can take 16-56 for a while. But it's not as safe as 13s, and you better not tune to A or E. But stepping up to 13s and eating your spinach and working on your slide technique would be where I would start in your shoes.

As to brands I buy what's cheap. So EJ17s for 13s. You can find them in 3 packs on sale on the time.

Don't over think it. Try 13s. If that doesn't work jump up to 16s. If that's super clean with no effort, try a normal 13 set with a 14 1st string. Getting to where you can play slide on any guitar someone hands you was what made me work to lighter strings.

Great reply. Thank you for the information. I just received my new national reso rockett. And its strung with John Pearce 12 to 52 I believe. Im going to be tuning half step down and using mostly an open D tuning or open E

[bloozeman]

Originally Posted by blue

Starting point is string height. 3/32nds is the target at the 12th fret. I do think it's important to use the lightest strings you can. But that's a moving target. It might be 12s or it might be 16s. It's all about what you enjoy.

From about 2000 to 2003 I played 16-56. This is on modern Nationals. I blame Bob Brozman. But he played them like a percussion instrument. The result of those years was very precise slide work, but saints preserve us if I tried to play a guitar with 13s!

I made myself "learn" to use 13s. A "heavy" glass slide. Nothing you can buy at GC. I started on the first fret on the 1st string and slide up to the 12th. Each time I moved up a fret. Kind of like doing scales. I also started with open open strings and hit all the "usual suspect" notes on all the strings. A bunch of other made up exercises as well. There were no short cuts. You have to put in the work.

Recently, due to a thread I believe you started I noticed @Rockabilly69 used 12s. I figured the Pandemic was a great time to try something new. So I worked on that. Again, there were days of rattling up the frets. But now I can use my super heavy brass Leo Kottke signature slide (latch lake) cleanly with 12s on my singlecone.

So first question is what guitar are you playing? A National triolian yeah? That can take 16-56 for a while. But it's not as safe as 13s, and you better not tune to A or E. But stepping up to 13s and eating your spinach and working on your slide technique would be where I would start in your shoes.

As to brands I buy what's cheap. So EJ17s for 13s. You can find them in 3 packs on sale on the time.

Don't over think it. Try 13s. If that doesn't work jump up to 16s. If that's super clean with no effort, try a normal 13 set with a 14 1st string. Getting to where you can play slide on any guitar someone hands you was what made me work to lighter strings.

Come to find out I have john pearse 13s on my national reso rockett. But im having a slight issue with the low E string staying in tune. Its a little flat and I find myself getting frustrated by having to tune it up then strumming an.open E chord and its out a little. Is this common on new resonators? Could it be that the guitar is so new that the strings haven't stretched fully out yet?

[blue]

Originally Posted by bloozeman

Come to find out I have john pearse 13s on my national reso rockett. But im having a slight issue with the low E string staying in tune. Its a little flat and I find myself getting frustrated by having to tune it up then strumming an.open E chord and its out a little. Is this common on new resonators? Could it be that the guitar is so new that the strings haven't stretched fully out yet? I have a 6k national with tuning issues and im not happy with that at all. So.much so that I asked to return it to the factory to have them take a look at it again which they said to send it back and they would go over it

Could just be sticking in the bone nut. Slot might be a bit tight.

[Silly Moustache]

Usually Medium gauge (EJ17s) taken off a flat top, plus a new 17 on 1st.
Slightly worn strings seem smoother for my National Estralita.

On Dobro, I've used Dunlop PB resonator strings which had an additional 18 for the first but they've stopped that now - so, now, I guess its back to EJ42s but as I have no reason to play my dobro any more it is fairly academic.

[ohiopicker]

I have a Republic Minolian Parlor with maple veneer. While not my first reso, it is my first biscuit bridge reso. It came with 12s, and the trebles played too light for me, so I restrung it with 13s, (D’Addario phosphor bronze) and changed the 13 to a 15 for a thicker treble sound. It was ok to do that because I only play in open D or occasionally in open G. Despite telling Republic my playing style, the truss rod required major adjustment.

My slides are: thick walled glass, copper, brass, chrome, and steel. I like glass and copper best.

[mtdmind]

I don't have a resonator. I just use my strat or my parlor. I use a glass slide because I just learned to cut glass and made a couple of slides from wine bottles.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by bloozeman

what guage and brand strings do you use to play your resonator and what material for slide? Glass? Porcelain? Brass? I just picked up a new resonator and the strings run 12 to 52 and I beleive im going to have to get a heavier guage for slide playing and also not sure which type of slide would be best suited for that swampy Mississippi delta feel and vibe.

My first response to your question would be more questions. Round or square neck? I am guessing round neck, but that is based solely on your comment about slide materials. Square neck resonators are able to take much higher tension than Roundnecks usually are, because with a round neck the player often wants to be able to fret the the strings as well as to play with a slide, and due to the different tuning that are used. How much fretting do you plan to do? The higher the action and heavier the strings the harder it is to play hybrid slide. Which leads us to: what tuning do you think that you will play in the most? Standard, Open G or Open D are the most common. If you plan to keep it in one of the tuned down Open tuning (But not the Dobro "High-Bass G, which requires tuning several strings up and not down) you could probably use the heavier set. I play my Rayco a lot tuned to Open D, and found the John Pearse New Mediums have heavier strings that match the ones that tune down. (I do put a heavier .014 or .015 on the high E, for a meater tone and better slide support) Pearse also has a Spanish neck Resophonic (.013-.056) set that I like. Right now the Rayco has a standard set of lights on it, because I'm mostly playing in standard. You might need to shim the nut at first, to give yourself clearance. But as you gain control of the slide you will probably come down in both clearance and gauge. At least, that is what happened to me.

Slide materials? You will probably wind up with a drawer full of cast-off slides, in search of the tone that you like and a slide that fits right. I primarily like glass bottleneck (real glass, not those Pyrex things) Never cared much for metal before, and I had Brass, copper, 11/16" spark plug sockets. But I got a Rockslide brass that I find that I really like as well.

OMMV

On my 2019 National Triolian 12 Fret I use John Pearse 790NR Phosphor Bronze Spanish Neck Resophonic strings: .013, .017, .026w, .036, .046, .056. I play in Open D and Open G. I fingerpick with large Dunlop white plastic fingerpicks and a large Dunlop tortoise shell plastic thumb pick. To slide I use real bottlenecks on my pinky. My current favorite is a Diamond Bottlenecks Mike Dowling signature

[joe paul]

Here's another vote for Diamond Bottlenecks, glass. Daddyslides, a small German company for metal slides. I have one in phosphor bronze that I like a lot.
As far as strings go, I like Newtone Michael Messer (round-core) strings best for resonator guitar, and it depends on the guitar whether I'll put a 13, 14, 15 or 16 on the top E. I agree with Blue though, a 13 or 14 is good for working on your touch with the slide.
How is your Reso-rocket? I seem to remember being impressed with the sound of a steel one, the wooden one not so much.

[bloozeman]

Do any of you tune your resonator down a whole step from standard tuning? i just did and not only does it feel a little easier to play, I am finding that it has a much more better tone to my ears for that Mississippi blues feel as well.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by bloozeman

Do any of you tune your resonator down a whole step from standard tuning? i just did and not only does it feel a little easier to play, I am finding that it has a much more better tone to my ears for that Mississippi blues feel as well.

I play blues in Open G with slide and when I started playing round neck Resonator I had to go to Reso strings (16-56). Then I started playing it on electric with 10's - it really taught me a LOT about touch and now have my Reso strung with 12's. Not as much volume but i no longer fret out on the high e or b. The more you play slide, the lighter strings you can play (if it's your preference) IME. YMMV, etc.

[MC5C]

re: tuning down a whole step. It's my personal feeling, based on my experiments with all of the guitars I own, that the normal E-E tuning for guitars is a hold-over from classical guitars strung with gut, or nylon. Steel strung acoustic guitars seem to always come alive when I tune them down a full step, regardless of type (archtop, resonator, flat top). Electric guitars not so much, but I tend to string them with less tension. Anyway, yes I agree that tuning down a whole step can make a big difference to the sound and feel of a guitar. On my slide instruments I tend to tune DGDGBD. Kind of a middle ground between down a full tone and regular.

Edit: more thoughts - tuning down a step lets me either get lower tension with a given set of strings, or get the same tension with strings with more mass. I think the mass of a string is very important to tone, so if I can tune a slide guitar to D on the first string, I can also use a thicker string to get back the tension. I tend to look for between 25-30 lbs of tension for a string at a given pitch as a starting point.