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Topic: Gold Tone Reso 8 String Exact Spacing? |
Ben Feher
From:
Austin TX
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Posted 15 Oct 2011 3:02 pm |
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I'm pretty sure I want to go down the 8 string route while my 6 string gets repaired... (in case fall, heastock whiplash, complete seperation, very little lap, bad news)
Anyone own a Gold Tone PBS-8 string resonator?
Can you do me a favor and measure the outside to outside of the bridge and nut string spacing?
I've searched around heard that the string to string distance its supposed to be the same as standard 6 string spacing, but I couldn't find any actual measurements or testimony confriming this from people who own instruemnts.
Thanks!!!
Edit: Also, can you look at the bridge to palmrest distance? Does the bridge look tall enough? I.E. do they get wider string spacing at the expense of making the bridge lower? Concerned with string brake angle issues. |
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Veit Doehler
From:
Hamburg, Germany
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Posted 16 Oct 2011 9:35 am
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Hi Ben,
The string spacings of the Goldtone PBS-8 are:
Next to bridge: 65 mm = 9,3mm from string to string
Nut: 54 mm
Compared to that the string spacing of the PBS-6 is 58 mm = 11,6 mm from string to string.
The width of the bridge insert in the spider seems to be the same as at the 6-string. They squeezed the additional two strings on the top part by not slanting it as much, so that it became wider on the top.
They bridge heigth also seems to be the same with the two variants.
Although the PBS-8 has an 8-string tailpiece with the strings fan up more than on the 6-string which results in a higher tension for the 1st and 8th string. In my case that made the 1st string jump out of the string groove with hard picking. I had to recut that. I wonder why they did not build a wider tailpiece so that the strings run parallel to to bridge - as they do on the PBS-6.
If these explanations seem soo fuzzy, contact me offline, I can send you pics.
Veit. |
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Ben Feher
From:
Austin TX
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Posted 16 Oct 2011 10:47 am
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Thanks!!!
Ok, so it sounds like the string spacing is just a hair short of the standard lap steel 3/8s (9.525mm) vs your 9.3mm, but still a long ways from the 6 string dobro (11.3mm).
Still its a little bit wider than my pedal steel; standard 11/32s (8.731mm), and that makes me happy, I allways feel cramped on that spacing.
I guess maybe a better question is how does the spacing feel?
It seems like its going to feel more like my pedal steel than my dobro, which I guess I am okay with... I was hoping it would be in the other direction though. |
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Veit Doehler
From:
Hamburg, Germany
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Posted 17 Oct 2011 9:03 am
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I never played pedal steel, but the last couple of months I mainly played my Adams 8-string. That one seems to have exactly the same spacing as a pedal steel: 8.715 mm. It still gives me a hard time when I'm switching from regular guitar, lap steel or banjo to that 8-string thing. On an acoustic instrument you have to pick much harder anyway than on an electric to get a decent sound and not sound faint. At least for me harder picking is "harder" whith a narrow string spacing. I prefer the Adams anyway, among other things because the strings do not fan out from the tailpiece and the pressure from bridge to spider seems to be more even. 1st and 8th string don't hang that much "in the air".
Also - according to Mr. Adams - 8-strings sound weaker than 6-strings anyway because of the pressure of the two extra strings which sort of mutes the cone. You also have to compensate for that.
I think the problem with the 8-string resonator guitars that I know is that they are all hybrids. They use 6-string parts and then squeeze 8-strings on top. Therefore they have to compromise.
I'd be curious whether someone here has experiences with an original Beard Mike Auldridge 8-string model. Maybe these high end members of the 8-string brotherhood can compensate for all these compromises... At least in the hands of Mr. Auldrigde it sounds like they succeeded. 
Veit. |
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Beard Guitars
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2011 9:24 am
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Our 8 string spacings are as follows:
Nut = 7.5mm
Bridge = 9.75mm
The only limitation is the width under the palm rest. We use appropriate width blanks at the nut and bridge which are wider then 6 string blanks.
This goes for the Auldridge 8 string as well as any PBS8 bodies that we set up. The necks on the MA8 and PBS8 are also wider than their 6 string counterparts
The PBS8 is a great guitar for the money. Mike's 8 string is on another planet though.
Both of these guitars are designed as 8 strings from the ground up.
bbg
_________________
Beard Guitars, LLC
21736 Leitersburg Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21742
301-733-8271
pbeardguitars@hotmail.com |
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Ben Feher
From:
Austin TX
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Posted 17 Oct 2011 11:23 am
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| Beard Guitars wrote: |
This goes for the Auldridge 8 string as well as any PBS8 bodies that we set up.
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Not to overanalyse your grammar/syntax, but does this mean that not all PSB8s are set up at the beard factory?
I figured the palm rest was the limiting factor for string spacing at the bridge. One thing I love about resonators is digging in. I love the feeling of playing powerfully and realling getting the instrument to sing.
1mm extra spacing over pedal steel doesn't sound like much, but I bet you can feel it.
Unfortuantly, I told myself I can't get it untill I got a week ahead in my lesson plans for the class I'm teaching, and I didn't do it yet!!! Gotta be good and do schoolwork before I can have a new toy... |
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Beard Guitars
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2011 11:34 am
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| Quote: |
| Not to overanalyse your grammar/syntax, but does this mean that not all PSB8s are set up at the beard factory? |
No factory here  Just a custom guitar shop. I'd guess we setup 5%-8% of the Goldtone resonator guitars. It is Paul and one guy doing setups.
Ben...You are withing reasonable driving distance. Come on down and check us out. Maybe there's an Auldridge guitar in your future
bbg
_________________
Beard Guitars, LLC
21736 Leitersburg Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21742
301-733-8271
pbeardguitars@hotmail.com |
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