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  #16  
Old 01-10-2012, 01:43 PM
Dotneck Dotneck is offline
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I'm one of those guitar players who dabbles in resonators. Don't know if its snobby or not...but I've learned to buy guitars you want rather than get close and trade up later...losing money on each deal.

When I wanted a resonator I skipped the imports and went right to NRP. Now I have a steel Tricone and an M1 Tricone. Had the M1 out this morning before work...and it's tone just made me smile and wonder why its been in the closet so long....I think I'm going to put new strings on the steel Tricone tonight.
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  #17  
Old 01-10-2012, 01:58 PM
Bingoccc Bingoccc is offline
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I compromised my last guitar purchase. Wanted a Gretch White Falcon but got a Gretsch Electromatic in white. I'm going to do some upgrades on it but I'm sorry I didn't wait now. I am going to wait to get a National Style 1 Tricone, probably used, but it's what I know I want.
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  #18  
Old 01-10-2012, 03:47 PM
bizirk bizirk is offline
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A few years ago I was looking for a reso to buy. I didn't have a lot of money to spend, but wanted something decent. I had played a few but never really paid much attention to what I was playing as I really hadn't done my homework yet. There was one that I had played in a small store that had always stuck as really nice sounding and very easy playing. When it came time to buy and I had done a lot of research, I was really leaning towards Paul Beard Gold Tone. Asian made but cone, bridge and set up all done in Paul Beards Shop with the same cones and bridges he puts in his high end instruments. With Jerry Douglas playing his reso, I figured they can't be too shabby. Well before I bought I called that small music shop to find out what brand that one was I had played a year or so before as it's sound was still stuck in my mind. It was a Paul Beard Gold Tone.
That is what I bought and have had a blast the last 4 years with it. I was watching a Youtube interview with Paul Beard and he said if any time you wanted to up grade to one of his higher end instruments, he would give a full refund credit on the Gold Tone towards it's purchase. In this vid he describes 3 aspects of a resonator. 1) the Build of the guitar itself, 2) cone and bridge and 3) the set up. The quality of the Asian built guitar is actually very good. It has held up great, great neck (it is a round neck) and pretty darn good finish. Numbers 2 and 3 are the great Paul Beard quality.
If I had to do it all over, I wouldn't hesitate to make the same decision as when I made the purchase.
I am moving into a 5th wheel for a couple years and have reduced my guitar numbers from 10 to 2. This is one of the keepers. Gone are all the Gibsons, Fenders and Taylors....
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  #19  
Old 01-10-2012, 08:07 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blue View Post
Think of them as a different instrument with a familiar interface. The same input creates a qualitatively different output. Most of them may be metal, but they have every bit as much soul as a fine wood guitar.
Well said.


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  #20  
Old 01-11-2012, 01:42 AM
snakehips snakehips is offline
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Hi there !

I believe Lenny at vintagenationals.com is the man behind the reso brand Hot Rod. He has some sort of trade-in deal too, for a Hot Rod guitar bought from him, if you subsequently want to buy a National Resophonic guitar.

I have dealt with him many times before and he is a good guy.
To be fair though, I haven't played any of his Hot Rod guitars BUT I know that they have their set-ups done by probably the most respected National repair guy in the world - Marc Schoenberger - and on a par with Don Young himself. He is apparently used by Bob Brozman and John Hammond Jnr for their National guitar repairs and set-ups.
So, that should give you confidence for the Hot Rod brand itself.
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  #21  
Old 01-11-2012, 04:19 PM
Kevin A Kevin A is offline
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I really dont give a hoot about 'how' my new little cheapie resonator is viewed by other reso owners. I've always drooled over the nice National Resos for years, but I just couldnt rationalize paying the $$$ for a type of guitar I may or may not 'bond' with. My brother has a couple of nice Nationals & swears by them. Nice guitars! some day.....

right now, I'm just enjoying this little guy! If I decide to upgrade to a nice National in the future, at least I got my feet wet with minimal investment...

This guitar:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=237495
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  #22  
Old 03-14-2012, 10:44 PM
mattdaddy mattdaddy is offline
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[QUOTE=snakehips;2893897]Hi there !

I believe Lenny at vintagenationals.com is the man behind the reso brand Hot Rod. He has some sort of trade-in deal too, for a Hot Rod guitar bought from him, if you subsequently want to buy a National Resophonic guitar.


His deal is only valid for one year from date of purchase for the upgrade. Now if Lenny offered the same upgrade as Beard does , that would be a bargain, meaning anytime (if that is true?).

Me, I bought a used Johnson Triolian in a hardcase for $220. I will probably replace the biscuit and nut and do a complete setup up myself and then decide after some playing whether I want to upgrade the cone. I've heard from others that the continental cone is fine, but the biscuit is poor from the factory, plastic nut, and poor setup. Performing these things is easy these days with the multitude of reference material from various locations; stewmac, littlebrotherblues.com, youtube, etc..So with some simple tools and a little time and patience, transforming a cheap resonator into a nice one should be easy to do. Later I may want a better one, Hot Rod or National, but for now it's the Johnson.

I'm looking forward to playing with my upgraded Johnson!

Last edited by mattdaddy; 03-18-2012 at 12:23 AM.
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  #23  
Old 10-06-2014, 11:47 PM
MOSES JONES MOSES JONES is offline
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Hi I am Oz artist and I have been playing Republic Resonators for a number of years…

Doing Ragtime, Jazz, Country Blues etc etc…

Very ,very happy with them……

It’s true I have them set up properly

and they are fitted with Highlander pickups (Is there any other?)

All in all they cost me around $1500 AUS

I need a few guitars as I play in different tunings so it can get quite expensive…

but recently I had the money to buy a National Steel…..

And I’ve always “wanted” a National…

but I wanted to compare them to my Republics

and if they are as good as they say

Well I’ll get one….

I went down to the shop…

The Nationals were advertised for $4600 but my mate worked there

and could get them for me for $3500..

I brought my Republic in and compared them….

And just to make sure I had another mate who’s a professional musician

Who brought his ears…

I played the same song for all the guitars I tested

and lol and behold my Republic was better..

Every National I tried wasn’t as good or as good

but not twice as good or 3 times as good!……what’s going on?

Ok let’s think about this for a minute…

It is in the end a tin can with a guitar neck on it…

So I could have paid $3500 which is more than double the Republic

and gotten something as good perhaps, for $2000 extra!

Now the people who build and play Nationals will all shake their heads

And state that their guitars are better…

Of coarse they would wouldn’t they?

There’s money in them there hills ain’t there?

Wank value is just that…

Wank..

I've got a job to do and if the Republic does the job then so be it…..

I have ordered another Republic and it'll be here in a couple of days….

Last edited by MOSES JONES; 10-07-2014 at 12:10 AM. Reason: Grammer
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  #24  
Old 10-07-2014, 02:05 PM
Cone Head Cone Head is offline
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It's great if you're satisfied with your Republic, but I have yet to hear one that is truly comparable to a National.

I've been playing Nationals for a long time and have had nine vintage Nationals pass through my hands (I still own a '29 wood bodied Triolian, a '31 Triolian, a '36 Style O, and a '30 Triolian mandolin).

Not sure what you mean by "wank value"...but having played my share of modern National Reso-Phonic guitars, I don't think that Republic's copies compare favorably in terms of sound or playability, either.
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  #25  
Old 10-07-2014, 04:06 PM
cu4life7 cu4life7 is offline
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My ears eventually led me to keep saving my money and getting a National Reso-phonic NRP. I played as many budget resos as I could, but in the end I was looking for a specific tone that was "sweeter". I didn't have a chance to play many republics though and I know they are well thought of in the reso community, but all the other resonators I tried were simply "brash" in terms of tone. I think some of that is the point of a resonator, but there are far more complexities to resonator tone that I never thought would be there when I started my journey to find one. I would have taken a flyer on a Mule Resonator but didn't want to wait on the 1 year waiting list for something I hadn't heard before. I have no doubts it would have been great, but I couldn't be happier with my National Reso-phonic. The details and fit&finish on the NRP are quite simply the best I have owned and would be comparable to Collings as far as neck feel, frets, etc. The "black rust" finish is beautiful and it doesn't show fingerprints. It seems to me the reso community is very passionate and smaller (like mandolin) so there aren't as many varying opinions or options as guitars.
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  #26  
Old 10-07-2014, 04:10 PM
HHP HHP is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cu4life7 View Post
My ears eventually led me to keep saving my money and getting a National Reso-phonic NRP. I played as many budget resos as I could, but in the end I was looking for a specific tone that was "sweeter". I didn't have a chance to play many republics though and I know they are well thought of in the reso community, but all the other resonators I tried were simply "brash" in terms of tone. I think some of that is the point of a resonator, but there are far more complexities to resonator tone that I never thought would be there when I started my journey to find one. I would have taken a flyer on a Mule Resonator but didn't want to wait on the 1 year waiting list for something I hadn't heard before. I have no doubts it would have been great, but I couldn't be happier with my National Reso-phonic. The details and fit&finish on the NRP are quite simply the best I have owned and would be comparable to Collings as far as neck feel, frets, etc. The "black rust" finish is beautiful and it doesn't show fingerprints. It seems to me the reso community is very passionate and smaller (like mandolin) so there aren't as many varying opinions or options as guitars.
So, they're not "snobby" anymore, just "passionate"?
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  #27  
Old 10-07-2014, 04:54 PM
cu4life7 cu4life7 is offline
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Exactly.
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  #28  
Old 10-07-2014, 07:07 PM
blue blue is offline
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Good for you. Check out Lenny's (vintage national/hot rod guitars) series on youtube on making a national. You'll understand why in general a National has a fit and finish that reminds you of a boutique guitar. It IS a boutique guitar.

The biggest difference, and the reason a National is so affordable, yes affordable, for a boutique built US made guitar is in part due to the fact that there is less time required in the building of a national because of the simple fact that they don't have the material requirements/limitations of a guitar like a collings. Aging wood? Resting the guitar between steps? Well the neck blanks, sure, but once the necks hit the CNC carver, the building of a National can be done in close to the speed the workers can work at. So you let the workers work at a speed that allows them to get it right, and you end up with a pretty special guitar.
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  #29  
Old 10-08-2014, 06:31 PM
Dan Carey Dan Carey is offline
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Yes, folks with Nationals always looked down their noses at my Regals (a Tricone and a Duolian)...until they heard them. A Quarterman cone in the Duolian and a spider tweak in the Tricone...after a setup done by my local Mom & Pop assured that they were playable and sounded very nice. Then I told them my financial outlay and their attitudes changed dramatically.
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  #30  
Old 10-08-2014, 09:43 PM
blue blue is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Carey View Post
Yes, folks with Nationals always looked down their noses at my Regals (a Tricone and a Duolian)...until they heard them. A Quarterman cone in the Duolian and a spider tweak in the Tricone...after a setup done by my local Mom & Pop assured that they were playable and sounded very nice. Then I told them my financial outlay and their attitudes changed dramatically.
I find it very interesting that nobody would ever claim that a First Act guitar with a setup, bone nut and saddle, and great strings is the equal of a D-28. Yet everybody who buys a Rogue, Regal, or Gretsch manages to find one that sounds as good as a National.

They also always manage to find friends and National owners who agree with them...
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