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#16
11-25-2010, 12:09 PM
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Be a Resonator God add a tune a matic bridge, Highway 61 republic resonator guitar with a tune a matic bridge
 Why install a Tune a matic adjustable intonation bridge to a resonator guitar. Well, there are two reasons why this set up is far superior to anything anyone can make. The first reason is that resonators are instruments that are extremely sensitive to intonation issues, which is string length and harmonics junk. This means you can have a good string next to one that is flat and not screaming out the note. This bad sting can be adjusted into proper intonation with the tune a matic. The other important reason why this is the best set-up comes from my back ground in Geophysic; I got an A in a graduate level Geophysics class, O yes the only one who aced the class. Sound waves travel better through the same or similar materials. This means you want to go metal to metal, wood to wood. It is like sex kinda, skin on skin is better, unless you catch herps, then that would just suck.  The modification has made my Republic Highway 61 resonator guitar sound amazing, breath taking really. And, there is no resonator I would not be willing to go head to head, up against as far as sound quality goes. And, I will even use cheap stings and the continental cone in the challenge since I squished my $75 national hot rod and have no money to replace it. Although, once you go metal on metal, you could use a kitchen pan and still kick *** really. How good, I am actually sitting in bed writing this blog naked with the cold cold steel of my resonator in my lap. I would fight Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and the entire US military industrial complex naked to keep this customized screamer in my lap.  I feel like Gollum holding on to a magic ring.  To make the modification on a Highway 61 guitar or any resonator will only take about 2 hours and is easy cheese. I picked up a $13 Proline les Paul style bridge at guitar center. Not my first chose because they don’t have a flat bottom, but unfortunately there is a slight arch so it won’t sit flat on the plate. But $13 had me sanding the curve out with some 60 grit sand paper, which took about 15 minutes. I also sanded the name off the back of the tune a matic so there is a flat contact.  I suggest you surf ebay for an Old Rickenbacker tunable bridge because I think they are made out of aluminum. And, like skin on skin, since the cone is aluminum you really want an aluminum bridge. Basically anytime you change material, metal, different kinds of metal, to bone, to wood, to glue or epoxy, you end up filtering out a wave length of vibrations, at every switch decreasing your vibration signals intensity. And, remember the goal with the resonator is to get every bit of sound vibration out of the strings to hit as hard as it can right into the hollowed out sound board. That is, unless you have not woken up from your deep un-inventive sleep for the last 100 years, you worthless traditionalist and have not hollowed out your sound board by this time.  So all you do is cut out a square hole in the cover plate the length off your tune a matic which needs to cover the crown of your cone. Any hand held Reciprocating Saw is fine, I used an Orbital Action Jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. For the Highway 61 using the continental cone, a ¼ inch thick piece of aluminum worked perfectly, with my Epiphone neck. You might have to acquire a thicker piece of aluminum and sand in down until your string height is good. So the second thing you do is you need to cut out a piece of aluminum that fits in your hole with a little adjustment on all 4 sides. O no, no touchy touchy here. We do not share the vibrations with the cone cover plate; so leave a sloppy gap. Use nooooooooo glue, nooooooooo screws, the string tension will easily hold the aluminum plate and the tune a matic down tight and secure. If your strings are off set or out of alignment, drop a small bit of epoxy on the side of the tune a matic and the aluminum plate after you find up and line up the sweet spot. Although, even gluing the tunamatic to your plate, you will still be able to slide the ¼ inch plate on the cone crest and of course adjust each string with the tune a matic. Never glue the ¼ Aluminum plate to the cone, which I guess you could say would be like using a condom on a virgin. And don’t you dare put glue on of bottom of your tun a matic, and stick it to your plate or I will cut you. A small drop on the side and edge of the tune a matic max but only if you have too. Mine is fine with no condom but it would make string changes a little easier. The entire build of my highway 61 guitar is posted here and includes and neck replacement and a hollowed out sound board, here and a few other places. http://www.resohangout.com/forum/top...topic_ID=15427 Now go make me music my little demon horde. 
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