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Topic: Reso-Hot-Rod |
Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 4:19 pm |
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I'm trying to make a buy/no-buy decision on another "dobro". Downside - it's a Regal (import). Upside - it's an open design - no soundwell- rather, it has sound posts with a baffle... REAL upside - it has been professionally upgraded to a Quarterman Cone with #14 Spider - bone nut and hardened wood saddles with bone saddle pins. REAL, REAL upside, the guy's only asking $225 for the guitar AND case. The owner claims it has an INCREDIBLE sound as a result of the upgrades. Reason for selling - he's a mandolin player and the Regal was a gift from his ex. So ... do I have a reason to be excited about buying this, or should I come back to reality?? Thanks in advance for any input!
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[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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Bob Blair
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 5:12 pm
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| At that price you really don't have much to lose even if you aren't as thrilled with it as its current owner. |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 5:14 pm
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Great point, Bob! Thanks!
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 5:18 pm
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My thinking is pretty simple. The upgrade components; Quarterman Cone, #14 spider, bone nut and saddle (not to mention the case) are likely worth MORE than the asking price of the guitar. So even if the "whole" isn't worth the sum of the parts, I'm likely in it for less than what it's worth. Besides, I hear that Quarterman Cones are really getting hard to come by! We'll see...
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 5:31 pm
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| I don't know anything about that particular open well model, but it sounds like a no brainer to me. I bought a Q cone for $55 bucks back in 08, but I think they're more like $75 now if you can find them. #14 spiders are up there too. Figure a hard case is worth at least $65 bucks. I don't see how you can lose. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 5:43 pm
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I second Jerry's "no brainer" assessment.
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Mark |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 6:03 pm
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Jerry & Mark, thanks. I've gotta agree - a no brainer. It's funny, I've been looking to either upgrade my Morgan Monroe reso or hold up a liquor store to finance buying a good domestic reso. I have done a ton of research on what an upgrade consists of and dang if this guitar isn't exactly what was going to be required. Life's a funny thing... Thanks for the input!
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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Bill Mollenhauer
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 6:08 pm
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You have over 1/2 the cost in upgrades alone even if you did all the work yourself so you are really paying less than 125$ for the guitar. A Beard upgrade would have cost you 200$ plus 50$ each way shipping and you wouldnt get the spider. If you bought a Regal on ebay for 175$ you would pay 40$ shipping and maybe get a case but no upgrades.
I upgraded a Regal with just a 14 spider, Smith and Young cone and capped bridges and it made a big difference in the volume. You cant lose. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 6:27 pm
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You can probably upgrade your MM with Beard parts for about $150 if you do it yourself, maybe less.
But of course the set-up is the critical thing. If that has been done by someone who knows how, the Regal should make for a very playable and nice sounding instrument. There's only so much you can do with the existing original body and materials however, so don't expect that it will sound like a high end guitar.
There's a reason folks pay thousands of dollars for those.
Anyway, you should easily recover your investment plus if you find it's not what you expected. |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2013 6:59 pm
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Thanks, Bill & Jerry. On the one hand, I'd love to dream about owning a really PROFESSIONAL level ($$$$) guitar, but I'm also a realist. I can afford only what I can afford and this guitar really fits financially! I have no illusion about an upgraded Regal sounding like an MA-6 or a Rob Ickes Scheerhorn, but I've grown acustomed to the sound of my MM and this Regal has GOT to be about a 100% improvement. As much as I love the pedal steel, a good, throaty Dobro in the hands of someone who can really play is like musich from heaven!!
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2013 1:07 am
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| Buy |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2013 6:51 am
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Thanks, John. I agreed to buy the guitar and was on my way to get it when the guy texted me that he had sold it to someone else. If you ever get a chance to deal with a Mandolin player from Douglasville, GA named Kenneth Newell, PASS it up!! Bummer...
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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rodger_mcbride
From:
Minnesota
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Posted 22 Feb 2013 7:36 am
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You may have dodged the bullet. I modded a Regal Black lightning and it was better, especially with a Fishman under saddle PU, and acoustically better, but not as good as a used Goldtone at just a bit more money. The body thickness is the key, the Regal is thinner. Regal has never made an open model that I know of. If the modification just removed the soundwell and put some posts in there is no internal bracing to bear the weight. Most Regal soundwell mods merge the holes in the existing soundwell and don't remove it entirely.
rodger |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2013 7:45 am
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Thanks, Rodger... GREAT info! You're probably right about dodging a bullet... Yea, I'd LOVE to have a nice used GoldTone. They're just so hard to find. I was talking to Jimmy Heffernan (GoldTone dealer) the other day and he said that Paul Beard didn't have any PBSM models (imports) and would likely have to wait several months before any arrived. Of course, I could always modify my MM, but not really sure who to contact to do that.
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2013 9:54 am
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| Quote: |
| ...hold up a liquor store to finance buying a good domestic reso. |
I'm pret-dang sure there'n a great country song in that ->  <- but if the other boys in the prison band want to dress you up in a frock, lipstick and answer to "Betty-Lou".... well, it's a judgement call, for sure.  |
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Bob Eldridge
From:
Bartlesville, OK USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2013 10:14 am
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Ain't it so, David!!
_________________
[beldridge02@gmail.com 1964 Fender Showman, Fender Mustang V, 1965 Mosrite, Beard Gold Tone Resonator, Carter S10, Sh0-Bud Maverick, Recording King Resonator |
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