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Topic: Amplified Reso |
Ian
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 11 Jan 2019 7:32 pm |
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Hey Gang,
Happy New Year! Anyway, I usually play dobro, unamplified, and it works great in a certain settings. Played a gig last night, electric, Asher Hawaiian Jr., which is a "nice hunk of wood" but, as my bass player said, "I was hoping you'd play the pretty one" - that is, the dobro. Plus standing up gets the crowd going. So it looks like the JD Aura pedal is in my future. I haven't good luck with dobro luthiers in the Bay Area (to install the Fishman) and people used to think that the Fishman equipped Gretch Bobtail was perfectly serviceable. Just curious: Is there another resonably priced dobro/fishman combo that people are liking?
Thanks so much,
Ian |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 6:56 am
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What’s your definition of “reasonably priced� Several of the Gold Tone Beard models come with the Fishman pickup pre-installed.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 7:42 am
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New build?
Speaking only of my recollection of Beard products, the Odyssey & Douglas models. Frankly, I think many new builds from Beard and others offer the pickup as a
"standard option". The Nashville pickup is hugely popular.
As Brad asks, what is your budget? For a domestic guitar the Beard Copper Mountain and Deco Phonics are priced less than $2K (start price).
I thought my Odyssey was a screaming deal at $4K but reso is my "thing". It might not be your focus.
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:14 am
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As of yet, I've gotten by with just the donut pickup on various and sundry resonators. 
Erv
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:27 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
As of yet, I've gotten by with just the donut pickup on various and sundry resonators.
Erv
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Whatever floats your boat I suppose.
h |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:36 am
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Some people spend $4,000 and others get by a little cheaper. 
Erv |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:40 am
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Funny, just like pedal steel guitar.
Some folks want more than "get by".
Yes?
h |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 8:46 am
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Different strokes for different folks.
If you think it makes you sound better, I'm all for it.
Erv |
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Ian
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 9:05 am
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Thank everyone!
I'm going to call Gary Brauer, a well respected SF guitar guy, and see if he has any experience installing the Fishman.
Cheers,
Ian |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 9:07 am
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Well it does BUT...
The second advantage of the system is its inherent resistance to feedback over any cone mounted pickup.
When playing in "non traditional" settings the system can really be cranked. The other advantage of course is the mating to the Aura pedal. It really makes the guitar sound "glorious"
But, the downside is cost and installation of the newer system. Hard to believe that the Nashville system is approx 15 (?) yo now. The pickup itself is on its 2nd generation.
My personal gratitude to Larry Fishman, Paul Beard & Jerry Douglas (he defined the requirement) for the development.
It was a game changer for many of us who shared the need.
Don't have the need? Save your $$$$ for something else.
h |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 1:40 pm
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My first dobro was a Gretsch Bobtail with the Fishman Nashville pickup installed from the factory. I would not recommend it. I found the build quality very suspect and the bottom two strings were basically useless, particularly when amplified. They just sounded flabby and mushy and they caused a lot of feedback. I was using a JD pedal and playing into a Fishman Loudbox (I actually tried two different Loudboxes).
I finally spent about $1000 for a used Appalachian Resonator, also with the Fishman Nashville pickup installed. This dobro sounds worlds better to me, both acoustically and amplified. I can use all six strings and have far fewer feedback problems. I still have to cut the bass on my amp and the FOH to control bass roaring. In my opinion a dobro is one of the hardest acoustic instruments to amplify when the stage volume gets too high. Move as far away as possible from the bass guitar or any subwoofers. Once the cone of the reso gets saturated by those low frequencies you're done.
PS: I'm not much of a dobro player.
_________________
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 3:52 pm
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| Howard Parker wrote: |
| ...the downside is cost and installation of the newer system. |
Is the installation really all that difficult? From looking at Fishman's Nashville Series Pickups Installation Guide online, it appears to be a fairly straightforward procedure.
I have an early eighties OMI Model 60-D that I installed a new Beard cone, spider, and saddles a couple years back, so I know how they come apart and go back together. The instrument sounded better than ever.
If a person has experience working on string instruments, and all the necessary tools at hand, installing the Nashville pickup and jack looks doable to me. Am I missing something? |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 12 Jan 2019 4:34 pm
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
If a person has experience working on string instruments, and all the necessary tools at hand, installing the Nashville pickup and jack looks doable to me. Am I missing something? |
I can't answer for you. You'll have to slot the pickup and mount it. The standard spider is not recommended. Players have migrated to the Beard "adjustable" and Schoonover "modular" spiders which facilitate adjustment. The other stuff, soldering, jack are all pretty minor.
If you "miss" with either the slotting or damage while mounting you've just blown a wad of cash. If you're comfortable with dobro setups then who am I to suggest that you take it elsewhere for installation?
h |
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Jimmie Hudson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 17 Jan 2019 9:07 pm Re: Amplified Reso
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| Ian wrote: |
Hey Gang,
Happy New Year! Anyway, I usually play dobro, unamplified, and it works great in a certain settings. Played a gig last night, electric, Asher Hawaiian Jr., which is a "nice hunk of wood" but, as my bass player said, "I was hoping you'd play the pretty one" - that is, the dobro. Plus standing up gets the crowd going. So it looks like the JD Aura pedal is in my future. I haven't good luck with dobro luthiers in the Bay Area (to install the Fishman) and people used to think that the Fishman equipped Gretch Bobtail was perfectly serviceable. Just curious: Is there another resonably priced dobro/fishman combo that people are liking?
Thanks so much,
Ian |
Here is a reso body with amp built in
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 18 Jan 2019 4:15 am
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| I dig that, Jimmie. |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2019 8:17 am
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| It's a duo-cone. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2019 8:23 am
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They look like small speakers fed by the onboard amp.
I don't think there's any resonator cone involved.
Erv |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2019 8:25 am
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It was a joke, Erv. As in, two speaker cones.  |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 18 Jan 2019 8:32 am
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Bill,
I gotcha! 
Erv |
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