Gentlemen, start your hacksaws?

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

I recall that Canadian reso artist Steve Miller cut away the "hand rest" portion of the coverplate (the part right over the bridge saddles) on his Yanuziello guitar so he could mute the strings like an electric lap steeler. i can't recall seeing any other reso modified in this manner.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Has anyone else tried it?

It seems that most of the time I'm looking for the tone that results from picking pretty close to the bridge and when my right hand is in that position the coverplate gets in the way of palm muting.

I'm interested interested in hearing from those with experience in this area.

Ian McLatchie are you listening?

By the way, Miller's "Dobrology" album is great--especially for those of us who enjoy music other than bluegrass played on the instrument. Highly recommended.

Thanks

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

I'm not an expert, but if you remove the hand rest, then you won't have anything to rest your hand on when you're picking normally. That is, without the hand rest, you'll either be muting the strings ALL THE TIME, or you'll have to pick while holding your hand above the strings and without touching them (doesn't sound like an easy thing to do) unless you can somehow figure out how to rest your hand on another part of the coverplate (also doesn't sound easy).

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I wouldn't ever suggest doing that to a resophonic guitar. That bridge cover is there to protect the bridge from kicking in the resonator cone accidentally.
I agree with you about Steve Miller's "Dobrology" - it's a great collection!

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Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

I'm with Brad. Cut away the handrest, and you expose the bridge and the spider. It wouldn't take much of a lick to break the bridge inserts, crack the spider, or warp the cone. Block right in front of the rest, you'll be fine.

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

National R-P has done this to several guitars on owners request. Usually it's just the bass side.
I've also seen quite a few old ones with them missing and it is nice to be able to damp the bass stings on roundnecks when playing shuffles, or to tone down the bass line. John Reuter makes custom Spider bridge guitar without handguards too.

The warnings given are good ones but if you're careful it's possible to safely play them sans guard. PLEASE though, if you have a vintage model buy a new cover to cut up.

[This message was edited by Mike D on 20 December 2002 at 03:36 PM.]

R. L. Jones · From: Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

I agree ,It`s not the best idea to cut off the bridge protector. Mr. Carroll Benoit did have to cut away part of one, or enlarged the space in , the 10 string guitars , to make way for the strings.

You would never know it to look at it.

R. L.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Thanks guys,

Mike D - Thanks for the info. It would seem that round-neck reso fingerpickers would be very interested in muting those bass strings. I'd never abuse a vintage instrument--mine is a 1990 OMI, bought it as new old stock a couple of years ago. I would buy a new cover for the experiment.

Steve Gambrell - Thanks for your comments as well. I am already blocking in front of the handrest, when I want to block. However, picking in that area I can't get the same tone as when I place my hand further back towards the bridge, on the hand rest. But the hand rest prevents blocking. That's the problem.

To my ears, the loudest tone and the sound that "cuts through" best on an acoustic reso is obtained when picking close to the bridge. That's a major reason why so many reso pickers park their right hand on the hand rest most of the time.

Happy Holidays

Ian McLatchie · From: Sechelt, British Columbia

Bob: As I recall, Steve had two Yanuziello resophonics at the time, and had the coverplate cut away on one as an experiment. I think he was quite happy with the results but not with the butt-ugly look it gave the instrument. As beautiful as Joe's resos are,
it does seem a sacrilege to do such a thing. I pick far enough above the bridge on my Yanuziello that I've never really found the bridge cover to much of an obstacle, certainly not compared to, say, a Rickenbacher horseshoe or a Fender trapezoidal pickup - and I certainly don't contemplate taking a hacksaw to any of the Ricks or Fenders!

I'm a big fan of "Dobrology" too. Steve's not only a fine steel player, but an outstanding guitarist as well, and it's refreshing to hear resophonic and lap steel versions of such unusual material as "Under Paris Skies," "Yardbird Suite" and "Delilah."
Anyone wanting to get a copy of the album can try this address:
http://www.hagelberger.com/dobrology.htm

- or email me.

[This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 22 December 2002 at 06:35 AM.]

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Thanks for writing, Ian.

"Butt-ugly" is pretty strong language to describe a coverplate with no hand rest. If a cover was made that way in the first place and had delicate curves and was fully plated it could probably look okay. I like good looking instruments, but in the end what matters most to me is how it sounds how easy it is to play.

A key point here is right hand position on an acoustic reso steel compared to right hand position for electric steel playing.

When I play electric steel my right hand is usually far from the bridge. I have no problem with interference with the pickup on my Ric Bakelite or the bridge cover on my Stringmaster.

The Dobro is another animal, in my opinion. Although I sometimes pick well forward of the bridge, I usually want to pick pretty close to the bridge to get the tone and volume I'm looking for. My experience is that most reso pickers are usually picking from that area too. Even with my right hand on the "hand rest," when I want to play really loud somtimes I'll pick strings (usually 4 and 5) with my index finger that I would normally pick with my thumb. The index finger is farther back towards the bridge and has a different angle of attack. The combined effect results in a more penetrating, louder tone. I was thinking that having the hand rest removed would provide more right hand position flexibility.

By the way, the "gentlemen start your hacksaws" bit was tongue in cheek. Looks like it was a good attention getter.

I'd like to communicate with Steve directly but have lost his e-mail address. Do you have it?

Don't slip on the ice. It's beautiful here.

Happy Holidays

Michael T. Hermsmeyer · From: Branson, Missouri, USA

I have my Morrell roundneck set up Hawaiian with ext. nut, without the coverplate at all to do some pickup experimentation. I was curious to see if this worked without the plate so I tried it. It does work, but I would only recommend this for experimentation, not full time. Things are right out there in the open and could get damaged easily, not that I am worried about this guitar, it's not worth very much. I do see benefits though in experimenting with tranducer placements. You can rest your hand over and behind the bridge, but pressing down too hard will lightly mute the cone, and pressing too hard will dent the cone with the spider legs. If you try this, be very careful. Especially with an expensive guitar.
As far as blocking is concerned, I "pick-block" most of the time, so there is not anything that gets in the way. I have always felt that I needed to adapt myself to the instrument rather than vice-versa. Perhaps that is why I can play so many. Check out Paul Franklin's advice on "Pick-Blocking" he makes a lot of sense. However I was playing this way long before I knew what it was called.
Speaking of Franklin, I believe the Ped-a-bro's coverplate is cut away in the afore-mentioned manner to make room for the 10 string roller bridge.
Thanks, God Bless,
Michael T.

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