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Topic: Best intro resonator |
Thornton Lewis
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2024 4:40 pm |
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I was playing with a very large, very acoustic group and they booted me because I was too loud. I was the only amplified instrument (Williams uni with a tt12) and they said come back with a dobro and happy to have you.
So I would like to try this but...I don't want to spend a bunch of time and money to find out:1) I hate non pedal steels or 2) they just didn't like the way I play.
Given two price points $900 or $1800 and no experience except
E9 and uni pedal steel, what do you recommend I buy.
I would like something that I could resell with minimum loss if it all goes sideways.
8 string seems easier to adapt to but harder to get rid of. Bigger (louder) seems better than a pickup given their issues.
Lucinda Williams/Stephen Foster's Hard Times/The Kinks Waterloo Sunset/Avett brothers is kind of the vibe though they have a huge songbook. Very vocal oriented. Thanks for your thoughts.
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Less equipment, more practice. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 1 Nov 2024 5:29 pm
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We're talking wood body, dobro style, spider bridge guitars? If so:
I live/play/work in the dobro world and stand by 2 recommendations for new, entry level dobros:
First favorites are the Gold Tone PBS, PBS-D, PBS-M, PBS-8 (8 string) guitars designed by Paul Beard. The big plus for these guitars is that even as an import the critical components are still USA made by Beard Guitars and the guitars are set up by Gold Tone in Florida.
If these guitars are still budget busters for you than I cautiously recommend the Recording King "Phil Leadbetter" model with imported components that aren't total crap and the set up is usually reasonable out of the box.
I don't recommend any other entry level dobro style guitars.
hp
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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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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 1 Nov 2024 10:58 pm
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When I decided to try a dobro, I was drawn towards the Gold Tones, but I felt they were a little bit expensive for a curious beginner. So I settled for the RK Phil Leadbetter model at about half the price, and it sounds just right. The tuning machines are a bit iffy, and their mounting hole spacing does not match ANY quality tuners on the market. Otherwise, the finish is really good.
(Later I also bought a roundnecck reso, an Epiphone/Dobro Hound Dog Deluxe, which was a big disappointment. Just like a slightly louder regular guitar, with none of the typical dobro tone. But it looks good hanging on the wall...) |
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Ken Koellner
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2024 10:12 am
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| When I was driving through MO, I stopped at Morgan Music to try some guitars. They had a Gold Tone PBS-8 and I really liked the way it played. But I'm a beginner and not ready to start learning yet another tuning, still learning the GBDGBD fretboard. I don't see it on their site but sometimes they have stuff that's not listed on line. They were asking $800-900 for it, used. You could always call and ask if they still have it. They might cut you a deal on discounting a shipping and no sales tax if you order over the phone and give them your credit card. |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2024 11:05 am Adams 8 string resonator
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Hi Thornton
As far as the Goldtone I have a base model PBS resonator that sounds very good and is a great improvement over an entry level guitar I started with (Rogue) i believe. I traded for it but valued the trade at around $800-900. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 2 Nov 2024 11:33 am
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I have a Recording King Professional (open G). $750 from Sweetwater. They even did the thorough inspection and setup. Plays and sounds great.
I also have a Regal RD-40 (open D). I can't really recommend it. I did upgrade the cone to a Beard Legend that improved it a lot.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Thornton Lewis
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2024 11:27 am
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Thanks for your advice. Still thinking, now mainly 8 with a 9th or 13th tuning. Don't play much bluegrass and fear being a little limited with gbdgbd. Will give the MO store a call. Thanks again.
_________________
Less equipment, more practice. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2024 11:57 am
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Just about any good quality resonator will be plenty loud enough. I have a round neck Dobro that can out-dB any acoustic guitar out there, and almost keep up with the banjos. If your bandmates know how to accompany your solos, you won’t have a problem.
GBDGBD is not so limited when you think and play single notes or double stops. Since you are in a large group, you won’t have to cover harmonic movement. Easily retuned to GBDF#AD, if you want more single-fret harmonic capability.
Also, get one of Charlie’s Slide Pro capos: https://charliescapo.com/
Open strings are always welcome 😎 |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 4 Nov 2024 2:08 pm
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| Thornton Lewis wrote: |
| Thanks for your advice. Still thinking, now mainly 8 with a 9th or 13th tuning. Don't play much bluegrass and fear being a little limited with gbdgbd. Will give the MO store a call. Thanks again. |
No need for fear - though there are obviously many full chords which can't be played on a tuning like GBDGBD, it's not really" limited." And it's not just "the bluegrass tuning." This often seems to be the first thing many players new to the dobro think particularly if they are used to playing 6th, 9th 13th, tunings etc. on steel guitar. Wish I had a dollar for every time I've read or heard similar comments about the limitations of Open G.
Some of the more "complex" tunings can actually get in the way if you're playing an "acousticish" Kinks song like Waterloo Sunset, or any number of Lucinda Williams songs.
I took three years of steel guitar lessons as a kid in the 1960s, and started on dobro in my early twenties in 1976. It was mainly to play bluegrass, but I had a revelation when I first heard the second solo album by Mike Auldridge and he included the massive pop hit from that era, "Killing Me Softly." The light bulb went on - even though bluegrass is sort of the "home base" of the instrument, there is all kinds of music that sounds great (in the right hands) on a resophonic guitar.
I hope you don't just blow past the links below - I took the time to track them down to illustrate that different styles of music on the dobro can be played in G tuning.
Rob Ickes playing some Stevie Wonder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9hHI4SMdnc
Rob again with Trey Hensley playing a song from another Stevie (Ray Vaughan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4FFQy4vsbk
Jerry Douglas on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from his recent new album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-26gU-snwCM
Mike Auldridge (solo version) "Killing Me Softly" - 6th string tuned down to E (EBDGBD) or technically Em7. Just changing the pitch of one string can make for a huge difference in the overall feel of the tuning. Mike of course was also the undisputed master of 8 string dobro, but he mostly used the extra strings with 6th and 9th tunings for swing/jazz numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXa2pMaXRwA
And speaking of Drop E dobro, here is Greg Booth and his brilliant version of "Wichita Lineman" including both dobro snd pedal steel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJd4vO8jkyE
Obviously, to play like these fellows might take a whole other lifetime to master, but I post the videos to show that there is no shortage of musical diversity in a dobro tuned to Open G.
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Mark |
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Thornton Lewis
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2024 9:08 am
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Point taken, thanks.
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Less equipment, more practice. |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2024 11:13 am
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There’s a Gold Tone Paul Beard (6-string) on reverb.com for $700 that appears to be a clean guitar.
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Joe Burke
From:
Toronto, Canada
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Posted 5 Nov 2024 1:07 pm
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Those Paul Beards are great. The one Brooks recommended looks like a great deal.
It's been recommended before, but I think the Gretsch squarenecks are good value. They come up used fairly often as well.
Let us know what you get! |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 5 Nov 2024 4:05 pm
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| Joe Burke wrote: |
Those Paul Beards are great. The one Brooks recommended looks like a great deal.
It's been recommended before, but I think the Gretsch squarenecks are good value. They come up used fairly often as well.
Let us know what you get! |
They are Gold Tone Paul Beard Signature guitars, designed by Paul, made in China and imported by Gold Tone in Florida. I’m not saying you mean this Joe, but the reason I bring this up is because I have come across plenty of dobro newbies over the years who think they are a budget priced model from Beard that is made in the U.S. at the Maryland shop.
The Gretsch resos are decent starter instruments but they are nowhere near in the same league as the Gold Tone/Beard guitars. And they shouldn’t be because in 2024 they are a fraction of the price.
I have played plenty of both over the years. What I don’t like about the Gretsch, and it’s difficult to put into words - to me they play a little “soft” - lacking in immediate sharp response.
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Mark |
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