Resonator Volume

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

I have a steel bodied (inexpensive Rogue) resonator, and it is very loud! It also has a pleasant tone. I have owned a few wooden bodied resonators, and sold them now because they were not as loud.
I love taking mine to acoustic jam sessions, and being the loudest (unless there is a banjo)

MY QUESTION IS:
Are all wooden bodied resonators lower in volume than steel bodied?
Maybe I have to pay a lot more to get a loud one?

The only problem I have is with the weight when I stand up and play. The metal body is so heavy on my neck and back!

That is why I am considering another wooden one.

Dom
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Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Take a metal can. Take a wooden can of the same size. Bang on each one. Which will be louder?

You can buy a wooden resonator guitar that will be loud, but it won't be in the price range of that Rogue metal body guitar. It will almost certainly have a better tone (or at least, a different tone).
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Eric Ebner · From: Texas Republic

I'm an acoustic guy and have some experience here. I know what you're talking about. I own a National Resophonic Model "D" [Dobro] and think it's pretty loud. The reasons why it's loud for a wooden body I suspect is the following:

1) Smaller/shallower body cavity
2) Pretty heavy build
3) Overall good quality with tight tolerances
4) Stiff walnut neck
5) Set up right

The drawback is they are not real cheap and volume is not far and away louder over others... but it seems to have the most of the wooden resonators I've played. On the other hand the NRP M-2's and Estralitas (biscuit bridge) are quiet IMO but have a similar body cavity. Must be the biscuit resonator?

I also agree with Brad's analogy... that wood will never be metal. The original National's were metal for a reason. It was before electric amplification. Hope this helps.
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David Doggett · Posted 10 Jun 2009 2:56 pm

In general, biscuit bridges are louder than spider bridges, but have less sustain. Also, I've played some biscuit bridges that were okay in the lows and mids, but really sang more loudly in the highs. The more expensive wood-body spider resos are much louder than the less expensive ones.

Scott Dickson · From: Steinbeck Country CA

Or you could bring a Banjer player......on second thought.......

Mark Eaton · Posted 10 Jun 2009 10:09 pm

I don't know if I agree with much of anything in these posts, based on my personal experience, which of course can be different than everyone else here.

For example, I was playing awhile back with a guy who had a round neck newer National Tricone metal body, and my Clinesmith resonator pretty much dominated it in terms of volume.

I know we're talking about an expensive wood-bodied spider bridge reso here, and maybe that's the qualification: higher quality. Because a lot of the modern design larger bodied wooden resos from a number of builders can be really loud.

I was playing with my brother the other night, and he had his new Fender Buddy Miller model dreadnought, which has some projection, and I told him I would really back off on the picking intensity on the Clinesmith so that we could actually hear his guitar.
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John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

I have two old Dobro roundnecks. The wooden, Regal-made, 1937 is much louder than the 1935 brass-bodied guitar.

Todd Clinesmith · From: Lone Rock Free State Oregon

I have had a few well set up Tricones from around 1928. Although they had a very sweet sound, in a jam situation the sound would be lost. Compared to a wooden bodied resonator with a pro set up, and spider bridge , the wood reso really shines.
David is correct a biscuit cone has a louder attack but less sustain. Sustain is more important that loud attack in a steel guitar. The biscuit bridge guitars work great for blues and fingerstyle.
Todd

Mark Eaton · Posted 11 Jun 2009 7:12 am

Speak of the devil! Good morning Todd.
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Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

This is my Republic tri-cone and it is LOUD!

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

Thanks guys.... Now I am just as confused as ever! So It seems quality, price, different styles of body and cones don't always translate to VOLUME.
I have owned an older Regal, a cheap National copy, and a Newer Fender resonator, all very different guitars I know, but the Rogue steel body @ (349.00 at Musicians Friend) is a keeper.

I guess I am going to have to bring it along when I try out a new wood resonator, to compare.

Thanks
Dom Franco
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Mark Eaton · Posted 11 Jun 2009 7:47 am

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

Does an 8 string original '70's Dobro count?

This one isn't too shabby either:

David Doggett · Posted 11 Jun 2009 8:19 am

No, top-of-the-line modern wood-body spider-bridge resos are much louder than the old ones. And as said above, they can be louder than the old metal bodies and biscuit bridges. But if a modern maker tried to get maximum volume out of a metal-body biscuit bridge, all bets are off.

Mark Eaton · Posted 11 Jun 2009 11:46 am

That England is a fine looking guitar.

And I concur with David, an eight string, wood bodied OMI Dobro isn't going to be nearly as loud as a lot of the contemporary instruments. Whole different league. Part of it has to do with the soundwell construction,and the body not being as deep, but there are some loud modern soundwell guitars, like those built by Gregg McKenna. I had an 8 string OMI Dobro from the 70's for awhile many years ago, but I sold it because at the time I was in sort of a hardcore bluegrass mode, so I preferred a six string Dobro, couldn't "get my head around" the eight string for whatever reason.

And I have found that eight string resos in general are not as loud as the six string version, I'm not a luthier so I don't have the intelligent answer to that, but I think it has something to do with the extra load distributed through the cone from two additional strings.
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Jim Konrad · From: The Great Black Swamp USA

Dom,

There are a number of ways you can get a wood body to cut through the mix better. You may already know most of this but anyway...

To start with,

Get a good cone, level the spider, smooth the ledge the cone sits on, put in some tall maple/ebony bridge inserts, and a good brass or bone nut. All of the above are standards for getting the most horse power out of any reso. YMMV depending on what you are starting with of course.

A couple non-standard things I have done with good results.....

Wire your tail piece to the cover plate. Most people use leather or foam under their tail piece to keep it from rattling. Instead of putting something under it, just wire it to the cover plate to carry those vibrations instead of muting them. This can be done in a manner that you can hardly even tell something is different. It also increases you break angle at the bridge giving you a little more weight on the come. When I did this my Dobro ended up being louder, with a little more bass and also picked up a more woody flat top tone to it.

I have also "case" hardened my bridge inserts by coating them with a thin layer of super glue and also gluing it to the spider at the same time.

Those last two ideas have a tradeoff however. You will loose a lot of warmth in your tone. My wooden OMI Dobro is very loud and cuts like a knife but it is also has a very brash cold sound to it. Still sounds like you would expect an OMI Dobro to sound just louder and harsher.

I have also heard of guys that coat the ledge the cone sits on, with a thin layer of super glue to make it harder in an attempt to make it resonate more. I have not tried this as it is more or less a permanent thing that is not reversible.

But you can definitely get a small plywood body to be pretty loud. It just depends on how much work you want to do and the sound you want end up with.

Just thought I would throw it out there for ya.

Good luck!!

Dom Franco · From: Beaverton, OR, 97007

Thanks for the tricks! Smile

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