Shopping for a new resonator guitar

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Whether you have GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) or not, Rob Anderlik has done a great job providing audio samples of various resonator guitars on his web site. All the guitars were recorded using the same equipment and signal chain, so you get about as close a comparison as you can get given the circumstances.
Among the guitars you can hear are OMI and Gibson Dobro® guitars, Gold Tone, Scheerhorn, and Wechter/Scheerhorn. He also has a variety of Weissenborn style and acoustic lap guitars, including Oahu, Weissenborn, Gold Tone, Lazy River, and Gibson. Great job!

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

ditto. great site. also http://www.folkofthewood.com/page2520.htm

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"My help comes from the Lord, maker of Heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)

Gregg McKenna · From: South Windsor, Connecticut, USA

I'm not sure I would ever make a decision on how a guitar sounds based only an internet soundclip.

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

True Gregg, but as long as I know they're all recorded using the same equipment, under the same conditions, I can still hear the basic difference between the models - one is more bassier while another has a more lively treble, etc... The reducement in sound quality is equal for all instruments so it's all relative, to put it like that..

Steinar

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"Play to express, not to impress"
www.gregertsen.com
Southern Moon Northern Lights

[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 17 November 2006 at 06:16 PM.]

Roger Marshall · From: Arroyo Grande, California, USA

Thanks for that link Brad. I use my Dobro (1933 model) almost exclusively for recording, so recorded clips are very interesting to me. Some instruments definitely sound better live than recorded and vice versa. I must say, that solid Beard/Goldtone really held it's own. Mine is a round neck that I've set up for lap. I'm looking for a square neck. I'm going to check out the GT. Then I can return the Dobro into what it was meant to be. A very cool bottleneck guitar.

Roger

Greg Booth · From: Anchorage, AK, USA

Rob is a great guy and a great player. I like his tone and he sounds just like his clips in person. That said, I wouldn't recommend choosing a guitar or ruling one out based only the clips because that guitar is going to sound different under your hands. It's interesting to compare the clips but that only shows how the guitars respond in Rob's hands. Anyway, it's a great site and resource and I consider Rob a friend after meeting at RockyGrass this summer.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I'd agree with Greg. I wouldn't make my decision on what guitar to buy based solely on these audio files. But I think for those people who aren't anywhere near a decent selection of resonator guitars, having this sort of audio comparison can be very helpful.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Michael Breid · From: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA

A lot of it depends on how much you use your dobro. Roger Blevins, steel player with the Baldknobbers Show in Branson does just a few songs on dobro, and has one of the Regal repros with a Quarterman tone ring that works fine. If you are strictly a dobro player you might want to pay the king's ransom for a Sheerhorn, or a Beard. Benoit in Lousiana makes a fine resophonic too, but they also are pricey. It depends upon your need and budget I guess. I have a 1986 Dobro I put a Quarterman tone ring in and it works very well for what little times I play dobro. It records well too.

Michael in the Ozarks

Steinar Gregertsen · From: Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.

For someone like me, living in "nobro" territory, Rob's comparison site was invaluable when deciding what dobro to buy. I had my eyes on a laminated Mahogany GT-PBS, but after hearing the difference between the laminated and solid Mahogany models I decided to spend the extra money for the solid model, it sounded that much better..

Steinar

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"Play to express, not to impress"
www.gregertsen.com
Southern Moon Northern Lights

Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

Hello Everyone:

I completely agree with the comments here - I would not recommend making a decision on an instrument (or wood choice for that matter) based solely on sound clips. My purpose in creating the guitar comparisons/sound clips section on my website was to provide a reference for anyone interested. So, if someone is in a remote area or without the means to test drive different guitars, I hope that the guitar comp/sound clips can provide a starting point or act as some sort of reference. There is no substitute for playing a guitar yourself. In fact, I recently had an experience along these lines that I'd like to share...

(copied from a post on my website)...

When I listen to the sound clips on the guitar comp page I can hear differences between the various reso's presented there. However, the differences in recorded sound are nothing compared to the differences in playability and responsiveness of the different instruments. This is a really important factor that deserves high priority in selecting an instrument and (choice of wood) and one that is easy to overlook. A good player can make a less than professional quality instrument sound great; we all know that. What's harder to unravel is understanding what it takes to produce the tone that you like, or the tone that fits your playing style and technique. So coming full circle - it would be easy to listen to sound clips or someone playing x brand/wood guitar and determine that you want that guitar, it's quite another to play specific guitars/wood choices and determine which one fits you best.

For example, I recently had an opportunity to play 2 different Harper guitars - a rosewood/cedar and all Koa. I loved the sound the rosewood/cedar guitar when Brad played it: I would describe it as dark but warm, but it's impossible to separate the player from the guitar! Brad is really an awesome player!!! Believe me when I tell you that he made that guitar sound incredible! When I picked up that guitar it was like I didn't know how to make it work! Now I didn't have a chance to play it over an extended period of time, but my first impressions are that I would have to play A LOT harder than I do now to get the sound I like out of that guitar.

A few weeks later I had an opportunity to play an all koa Harper (in fact - Andy Hall's guitar) All I can say is WOW, what a great guitar. (again, great, as in a great guitar for me)...Really fast and responsive like my maple Scheerhorn, but even warmer!!! Easily one of the best reso's I have ever played.

So, you can see the danger of making wood decision without test driving a guitar for yourself. If I had simply listened to Brad playing, I can easily imagine myself being attracted to the sound that HE got out of the rosewood/cedar guitar. When I had the chance to play both guitars I feel in love with the Koa guitar.

Greg Booth · From: Anchorage, AK, USA

Rob, perfect. That says it all.

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Well said, indeed, Rob. I do think it a useful service to post the soundclips. In light of your observations, though, I wonder if the various subjective differences in "feel and response" affect demonstration playing, ie; one or another guitar feels better, so you "play" it somewhat differently?
I really thought I could detect a slight bit more enthusiasm for one of those guitars over another! Can you guess which one? Thanks for the clips!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

I have koa/spruce Benoit and it sounds great for the tone I like ... deep, warm, swimming in overtones. My original koa/spruce Benoit, however, sounded flat out sounded amazing. That is until UPS destroyed it. R.I.Pieces.

Rob Anderlik · From: Chicago, IL

Mark:

Many years ago (mandolin great) Tim O'Brien said something which made a lot of sense to me: he said "if you play an instrument long enough, you'll learn to get the best sound out of it...When I pick up someone else's mandolin it's like I don't know how it works."

I feel confident in saying that I did not favor any single instrument in recording the sound clips on my website. I am not sure I would even know how to do that anyway...I was just trying to get the best sound I could out of each guitar as the tape was rolling.

Best,
RobA

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Thanks, Rob, I had assumed you were trying for an equal and uncolored delivery, and I think it comes across on the clips, which I found revealing and useful.
Folks are touching on some of the same questions now on a thread about pedal guitar "tone"...
I agree with the O'Brien quote, although many of us have also had the experience of playing an instrument that just "spoke" to us.
I find that nuances in response and tonal variation seem to drag my own playing in one direction or another, like digging in more, or playing with a lighter touch higher on the neck. These variables in response are one of the joys of trying out different instruments, and I suppose one of the motivators for those looking for the "holy grail".
Your clips were of recent use in helping me decide on a used Goldtone for a back-up reso, and I found it to have similar qualities under my hands to what your clips suggested. Mission acoomplished!
Funny, I'm having difficulty deciding if maybe I like it better (tonally) over my old Crafter's... maybe it's just because it's "new" and I'm enjoying exploring it, but there are tonal things I like better than the more expensive crafters.
The Goldtones are a bargain.

[This message was edited by Mark van Allen on 21 November 2006 at 11:52 AM.]

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