[Noodler]

My wife brought me a resonator (single cone, 6 string) from ebay for my birthday. It was a bargain price of$230 Australian considering it has a pickup, looks great in tobacco sunburst.

It's a fun guitar, but I compare it to an all-chrome Tanglewood that I played in a bluegrass shop, and this one from online has problems.

If I tune it so the open strings are all in tune and then play a chord, like open D it sounds aweful! Not just a little bit out. Aweful! I can tune it to open G by ear, and play slide and that goes OK, but if I tried to tune it and play a song by fretting notes I couldn't do it. Intonation? Well that seems unchangeable. The saddle is a strip of timber which is straight (not compensated) directly over the cone.

Further, to get a resonator sound, you can only get it on the first three strings, AND you have to pluck up near the saddle to get any kind of banjo twang at all. ie any real treble.

The bass strings sound terrible. There's no tone to speak of, just blah. I've played other resonators, so I know it should sound sweet and deep in open G.

Will a tech be able to set it up? The action is perfect for slide and chords. What would the set-up involve? Can anything be done about the lower strings? Someone told me you can tighten the cone and that helps. Where do you do that?

[allthumbs]

I am assuming you have put new strings on it. I have never heard of that before. Odd that open G is fine and open D is not. Have a tech look at it. Have him do the mushroom mod, that will help with volume and tone. You could also swap out the cone for a national or custom after market cone, but first find the problem.

[scotty_b]

Noodler
There is a guy in the ACT who specialises in resonators. His name is Barron Clarke, found him through Google. He does setups and sells accessories.
There is also a guy from Tassie - I think his business is calles Molonator Guitars. He offers replacement cones etc.

[Noodler]

Originally Posted by allthumbs

I am assuming you have put new strings on it. I have never heard of that before. Odd that open G is fine and open D is not. Have a tech look at it. Have him do the mushroom mod, that will help with volume and tone. You could also swap out the cone for a national or custom after market cone, but first find the problem.

Sorry, I expressed that poorly.
I can play slide in open G tuning just fine. ie without fretting notes.
If I tune to standard tuning and play an open D chord, or G, or A (ie fret notes), then it sounds way out of tune. Only one string has the harmonic differ from the same note at the 12th fret.

I don't know what the mushroom mod is, but I have a "guy" in Brizzy who specialises in bluegrass instruments. I actually wanted one from his shop that I played (and was perfect), but it was $1200, and my wife brought me this other one, so I can't offend her. It looks really nice anyway.

This is the one I wanted:

Welcome to The Guitar Repairers! It's in other stringed surprises.

[Noodler]

Interesting. I haven't changed the strings since I got it. They are in perfect condition after hours of playing, so I am loathe to change them ($$$) until I get it set up for intonation. I wish all my strings lasted so long!

It's also intersting that you use medium lights. That's what I use on my regular axes. It'd be easier to play, but I am positive the guy who owns the shop above is going to make me put 15's on it! The slide he recommended was industrial weight; it felt like a truck part!

Yes, new strings may help. I am also jealous of your chrome resonator. L350 would be about the same price as the Tanglewood (which comes with a hard case).

I'll take it to the tech and let you know how she sounds with new strings/ set up.

[scotty_b]

I use a 16 on my top string E, down to a 56 on the bottom E.
That is a typical setup for a resonator. Get far more sustain/volume/tone that way, and the slide loves it.

[Noodler]

Does it twang more? And can you still fret notes easily?

What type of strings are bright gold and are more for country again? I always forget. They give me phosphor bronze, but that's not it. The ones I want are brighter.