Strings catching on a Dobro

L. A. Wunder · From: Lombard, Illinois, USA

I have a problem. The 3rd. string "G" and 4th. string "D" on my dobro are very difficult to tune. They seem to be getting caught on something, and get very tight before I can bring them to pitch. Suddenly they make a "bang" sound and then come up very sharp. I took it in to a local music store a few weeks ago. The guy there said that the strings had worn gooves in the inexpensive plastic bridge saddle and that was the cause of the problem. He replaced the bridge saddle with something called "Tuskor," and also replaced the tuning machines. (the old ones were stripped and litereally being pulled out of the headstock.) The problem was supposed to be fixed, but it's as bad as ever. Have any of you ever had this problem? If so, what did you do to fix it? Is there anything I can do? I'd appreciate any help you can give. I play in church, and I'm getting desparate.

Thanks in advance.

Tom Franke · From: Arizona, USA

A common place for strings to stick is in the nut. You can try putting a small amount of dry graphite lube in the nut slots. If the nut is bad or slotted for lighter gauge strings it might need replacing or refiling the slots. when a string hangs up can you lift it a bit and hear where it turns loose?I'm assuming new strings were installed when you had the work done. Old rusted or corroded strings would be another problem.

Have you taken it back to the tech who did the saddle and tuners? If he's competent and ethical he should want to make it right. There are only so many places a string can stick, and it sounds like a couple have already been fixed.

The 3rd and 4th strings are the most likely to hang up in the nut.

Edit to add: if any forum members can suggest a good Dobro set up person in the area it might be best to seek that person out. These instruments have unique qualities, and a good setup by someone who understands them can work wonders.

Jason Hull · Posted 3 Dec 2011 4:29 am

Mark MacKenzie · From: Franklin, Tennessee, USA

Sometimes I scrape the lead off a pencil into the nut grooves. Just take a razor blade or anything sharp and scrape the lead end into the grooves. Works.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Common problem with all guitars, electric, acoustic, etc. Like already stated, string windings hanging in the nut.
This should be one of the first things any competent guitar tech would look for if you properly described the problem to them. This problem will show itself if you change string gauges too as the nut is worked for a particular size in most cases.

I second Tom's suggestion on finding a Reso set-up expert to look over your instrument. There should be several competent techs/players in the Chicago area.

Dave Thier · From: Fairhope, Alabama, USA

First, I think the others are correct is suspecting the nut slots. Second, I've never seen a dobro (and I've seen quite a few) that had plastic or tusk saddles! 99% of the dobro players I know use maple, ebony over maple, or ebonex (a synthetic)over maple for saddles. Your dobro is in need of a good setup by someone who knows dobros, it will make a world of difference.

Dave

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Lubing incorrectly sized nut slots will not help the problem. And the lube will just be pulled out as the strings are brought up to pitch. I use lube on the nut if it's a guitar that I'm going to be bending on, such as my regular Teles and Strats, and my double-bender guitar. When bending, the string has to slide smoothly in the slot. From the description, the strings are binding badly in the slots. Get 'er set up right!

BTW, on guitars that get bent, I tune up to pitch, pop the string outa the slot, add a tiny drop of Vaseline, and then rub a pencil back and forth across the slot for it's graphite. Then pop the string back in. That way, the lube doesn't get pulled out by the string when tuning. It stays where it's needed.

L. A. Wunder · From: Lombard, Illinois, USA

Thanks guys. I appreciate all your suggestions. I've thought about the possibility of it hanging-up at the nut as well. By the way, this is a round-neck resonator guitar with an extension nut over the original. Although it was sold to me by a very reputable and knowledgeable steel guitar merchant, perhaps it wasn't made to be played "horizontally" long-term. Do you think this might have made any difference? I know it's a silly question, but I thought there'd be no harm in asking.

Mark Eaton · Posted 6 Dec 2011 8:11 am

Most people that convert roundnecks to lap style with nut raisers do not tune to high bass open G because that's too much tension on the neck (typical dobro string set has a .056 for the sixth string). It would not be rare to wake up one morning and see the neck seriously bowed. You didn't write earlier if you were, but are you tuning to GBDGBD? Or are you tuning to Open G that one would use on a flattop standard guitar, DGDGBD?

Brother Oswald played the same roundneck Dobro for most of his career, and he tuned to open A with as I recall an.042 for the sixth string.

Of course the guitar tech you brought it to should stand behind their work as written by others. But there are guitar techs and there are resonator guitar/dobro techs. I think a lot of guitar techs know the basics of setting up a dobro, but there are to my knowledge only a very small number of guys who actually can set up a dobro to where one hears a significant before-and-after difference in the instrument. You have one of those fellows in your part of the country, Frank Harlow in Vandalia, Ohio, south of Dayton. 200+ miles from you, you might want to do a road trip if you're into it, or pack it and ship it to him.

If you go the road trip route, you may end up coming home with one of his superb guitars! Frank is a great builder, and I know a couple guys here in California that have sent their resos to him and they have come back greatly improved.

But I'm thinking he charges in the $200 neighborhood for a new setup, which would include a new high end cone, and I don't know if you want to spend that on the instrument, we don't know what kind you are playing.

What I don't get is that a "reputable and knowledgeable steel merchant" sold you a roundneck dobro to be played lap style, with a nut extender, and didn't warn you that high bass open G tuning (if in fact you are using that tuning) could ruin the neck? Sounds like a knowledgeable steel merchant who might not be a very knowledgeable dobro/resonator merchant.
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Mark

Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

Speaking from personal experience as a Chicago native and dobro guy, there are few guitar repair technicians that i would trust to work on my instruments. One exception is Rick Cremer. His shop is located in North Aurora, not too far from where you are located.

You may want to give him a try.

http://www.cremerguitarworks.com/

Hope this helps!

Mark Eaton · Posted 6 Dec 2011 8:23 am

Great suggestion by Rob since I obviously don't know the area. Rob is an excellent player, who also owns some "drool-worthy" instruments - one Scheerhorn in particular which inspires lust in me. Wink

But it also reinforces that someone who is a good guitar tech might not be much of a dobro tech.
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Mark

L. A. Wunder · From: Lombard, Illinois, USA

Mark E.- I've never used the "high bass" G tuning. For years I tuned it DBGDBG, but for the last few years since I've been using it in church, I've been tuning it DBGDAE which gives me both a 6th. and a 9th. However, the instrument has still always had "dobro-weight" strings on it. (probably why the tuning machines were starting to pull out of the head)I'd love to invest in a "square-neck," but it would have to be "electric-accoustic" since the music director at my church is a pipe-organ playing purist, and refuses to mic anything. Church is my only "gig" and I'm lucky he lets me play in the "Contemporary" choir, since it's not exactly a "guitar" I'm holding.

Rob A.- Thanks for the tip on the Aurora repairman. I may end-up giving him a try. But...since I don't drive, my dad wants me to take it back to the guy who "repaired" it the first time, to see if he'll get it fixed. I'm kind-of in a bind right now, because I only have the one dobro, and only a couple rehearsals to go before Christmas eve.

I brought the dobro home tonight, and will try to get it to the previous repair place tomorrow. As it is, I may have to re-learn everything on a C6 lapsteel, and bring that to this Thurs. night's rehearsal. It's definately not the idea set-up, but unfortunately all I've got. I wish I had a back-up dobro, but since church is a volunteer situation I couldn't justify the expense.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. If anyone else has any ideas, I'm definately open to hearing them.

Hal Braun · From: Eustis, Florida, USA

While I know a lot of people go with pencil graphite and vaseline or other "home rememdies".. and yes they work.. they do tend to leave the nut and bridge area kind of "nasty".

Here is a product that does the same thing, has a very tiny applicator tool and keeps the area a lot neater:

http://www.bigbends.com/nutsauce/agora.cgi?product=Nut%20Sauce

I use it on my Gibsons.. it is a quality product. Not affiliated.. blah blah.. YMMV..

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

"they do tend to leave the nut and bridge area kind of "nasty"."

Hal, I haven't had that problem. Tune up to pitch, pop the string out, lube, pop string back in, wipe the pencil graphite off the top of the nut. Lube stays in slot, guitar is clean. I'm talkin' about a tiny drop o' vaseline, applied with the tip of a toothpick. Do a neat job, not a sloppy job.
Oh! And I have some Nut Sauce, just can never find it when I need it. My first task at Performance Steel Guitars was de-gunking a D-10 that someone had lubed with oil and powdered graphite. That was a mess!

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