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Author
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Topic: Dobros by other makers
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Kenny Davis
Member From: Great State of Oklahoma
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posted 16 October 2002 10:56 AM
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I probably played the mahogony/spruce Crafter's guitar a couple of weeks ago at the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival. The guitar sounded really nice. I turned down the "reduced" price and will be ordering a Benoit soon. Something about ordering a guitar to your specifications, and dealing with someone like Carroll will make it a special experience I'm sure! |
Stephen Gambrell
Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA
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posted 16 October 2002 02:00 PM
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Ted, I don't want to argue, but didn't Jerry take out the screens so he could put a rubber band around that old Lawrence pickup he was using? |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 16 October 2002 04:49 PM
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Ted, there may not be "one" tone that people want. I would imagine most people who play a lot, and professionally, want more than one instrument. If you are playing by yourself or with a small, quiet acoustic group, you can use a lot of bass and low mids. But if you play with a loud group, you need strong highs to cut through. If you are playing with loud bluegrassers and having to move back and forth to the mic, you want the loudest thing you can possibly get, especially for the highs - that's why Josh Graves used an 0.018 guage string on top. If you are recording or being miked through a good PA with your own mic, you need something balanced with good tone all over.It all depends, but generally people like a lot of volume. The bar is not as solid (loud) as fretting on a solid neck. And playing square neck, all the sound goes straight up instead of out like the other instruments, and finger picks are not as loud as a flat pick - so you usually need a lot of volume to make up for all that. I don't see how you can go wrong with a lot of volume - whether you put it mostly low, high, or in the middle depends on the player and the purpose of the instrument. |
Del Rangel
Member From: Sacramento, CA, USA
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posted 16 October 2002 05:16 PM
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For me, squarenecks always seem to be lacking in the mid a bit, but particularly the bass end. This of course is more accentuated in less expensive models. My little Epiphone Spider pumps out plenty of highs but is okay in the mid and deficient in the bass end. I look forward to the 8-string I have ordered from Ted since to me the Melobros are banjo slayers that have great mids and lows to boot. I plan to put one of Ted's reso drivers on the Epiphone to squeeze a bit more low end out of it. As far as all around volume I'll go with a Melobro. Other advantage is that Ted can changes baffles. Personally I wonder if slightly warmer treble end and slightly bright bass baffles might be the way to go overall. Again, it always seems that we want more singing sustain out of that bass side. |
Andy Alford
Member From: Alabama
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posted 16 October 2002 07:54 PM
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You might like to visit the FOLK of the Wood web site, for some great info and pictures of the Tenn.dobro that Tut's son builds.The web site is rich in info.and pictures of other dobro's as well.This along with Brad's page of steel can help in looking for a dobro.Remember the FOLK of the WOOD,and Brad's site.How did we make it before the Steel Guitar Forum? |
Kevin Hatton
Member From: Amherst, N.Y.
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posted 16 October 2002 09:53 PM
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The resophonic guitar market is about to be hit with a revolutionary design. The Flueger
resonator. It has just been introduced into Nashville and is starting to be played by the name players. It is the ONLY resophonic guitar in the world that has a hollow neck with "tuned port" construction. They are nearly twice as loud as any other resophonic. Marvin Flueger builds them. He is a retired airline mechanic. Duanne Marrs (formerly of Sho-Bud) is the sole distributor in the U.S.
His phone number is 615-868-5344. You are going to start seeing these guitars on the Opry in the near future. They look like a Weisenborn with a resonator, but they have a tuned port in the hollow neck that acts like a venturi. Marvin Flueger is a genius and I will predict in the next two years he will be recognized world wide. I am getting one and will post a picture next month. |
Andy Alford
Member From: Alabama
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posted 17 October 2002 03:50 AM
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KevinThat sounds great.I have wondered why someone did not try that very thing.The hollow neck of some of the early Hawaiian,guitars had their own sound unlike a dobro but with a tone that many of the Hawaiian masters loved.Do you know when some pictures of the new guitar will be posted? |
Mike D
Member From: Phx, Az
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posted 17 October 2002 07:38 AM
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The Flueger sounds neat. Just wanted to point out that I've been making Weissenborn-style wood bodied tricones for three years and Manzanita in Germany has made a Weiss-style spider bridge guitar for at least that long. |
Andy Alford
Member From: Alabama
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posted 17 October 2002 08:48 AM
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Mike,Can you post some pictures for us?Many like myself love the hollow neck guitar's and dobro's.How long does it take you to build one of your guitar's?Have you considered using a spider bridge set up?How do you feel about other wood substitutes for guitar bodies?Reese has moved us into another realm with his new MSA.Will dobro or hollow neck production move in the direction of something that has not been thought of yet?Please post some pictures or tell us where to see your guitar's on the net. |
Kevin Hatton
Member From: Amherst, N.Y.
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posted 17 October 2002 10:04 AM
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Many people build Weisenborn types, but not like the Flueger. Apparently Mr. Flueger researched resophonic patents and steel guitar patents for a year before coming up with his design. His woods and construction
are absolutely unique. I was down in Nashville last week picking up a custom shop Sho-Bud when Duanne took out a Flueger resonator and started playing it. It was made out of African Sepili wood. Duanne Marrs has info flyers with pictures that he can email you. They are not cheap. $2000.00 each, but ohhhhh what a sound. I was floored when I heard one. The loudest most balanced resonator that I've heard. [This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 17 October 2002 at 10:23 AM.] [This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 17 October 2002 at 10:37 AM.] |
Andy Alford
Member From: Alabama
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posted 17 October 2002 10:38 AM
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The Fluger sounds like a new direction, that will combine the best of both worlds? |
Roy Thomson
Member From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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posted 17 October 2002 11:03 AM
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Kevin,
Would you please email me
Duanne Marrs Email Address?
Thanks,Roy Thomson |
Mike D
Member From: Phx, Az
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posted 17 October 2002 11:35 AM
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Andy, here's a pic of one I just shipped out.
Koa with ebony trim. http://www.ellieguitars.com/content/links/images/maricopa_koa_weiss.jpg There's a Mahogany one for sale at http://www.resocentre.com/ My site is http://www.MaricopaGuitarCo.com I didn't really mean all this as some big sales pitch, I build on an extremely limited basis, and in fact right now I'm building only on spec (ie I build 'em first, then sell) I just wanted to point out that the Flueger design, while I'm sure is very nice (I'd sure like to see one) isn't completely new.
[This message was edited by Mike D on 17 October 2002 at 11:37 AM.] |
Andy Alford
Member From: Alabama
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posted 17 October 2002 12:08 PM
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MikeYour guitars look fantastic.What I like about the design is that it is so very different from anything I have seen.Thanks for the pictures. |
Mike D
Member From: Phx, Az
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posted 17 October 2002 01:32 PM
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Thanks Andy. I'm actually a bit of a thief, Some from Weissenborn, some from the Dopyeras, some from Benedetto. Just a clever re-packaging job really. 
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Kevin Hatton
Member From: Amherst, N.Y.
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posted 17 October 2002 02:06 PM
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Duanne Marrs email address is marrsofmadison@aol.com. By the way Lloyd Green has a Flueger resonator.[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 17 October 2002 at 02:11 PM.] |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 17 October 2002 04:13 PM
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Mike D, I was looking at the same guitar on the London Reso Center site. A beautiful piece of work it is and a question for you:It's a tricone as it has three cones inside. On the left lower bout, there's a slot. What purpose does that serve? BTW, last night I saw Jerry Douglas in concert at BB King's here in NY. What a show. It amazes me, the voicings he gets out of a simple major triad tuning. He played two Scheerhorns and of course they had different sound and tone as they were tuned differently. They both sounded great. A couple of weeks ago, I saw Cindy Cashdollar in concert. I think she was playing a Beard. She had great tone. I missed The Resocasters in St. Louis, but I can't imagine Jim Heffernan and Mike Auldridge sounding anything less than stellar on their Guernsey's. There are many innovative and masterful luthiers creating high quality resophonic guitars, that it seems difficult to go wrong. In conclusion..."So many resonators, so little time." |
Mike D
Member From: Phx, Az
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posted 17 October 2002 04:27 PM
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Howard, yes it's the 'original' resonator set up, same as a National metal body.
The hole in the lower bout allows the cones to be removed in case of damage etc.
There are several pics of the first one's construction on my webpage. |
Gerald Menke
Member From: Brooklyn, NY, USA
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posted 18 October 2002 01:03 PM
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I would like to add that I adore the "vintage cherry" Beard that I bought from Mandolin Brothers. I tried Gibsons, a Tut Taylor and some others but Paul's guitars really spoke to me. Amazing sustain and tone, even volume all over the neck, and really powerful, easy on the eyes to boot. I played one at Gruhn's last December and could not get the sound out of my head. I am, to be sure, NO great shakes on the resonator yet, and at this point the Beard sounds better than I do, but I will say having a really beautiful-sounding instrument is a big inspiration to practice. It smells great too. I had a Fishman resophonic pickup installed and I must say it sounds damn convincing, even through my steel amp. (Cannot bring yet another amp.) Great thread, very informative.Gerald |
Andy Volk
Member From: Boston, MA
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posted 18 October 2002 05:37 PM
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Tone is in the ear of the beholder. Personally, my Koa & Spruce tio Benoit surpasses anything I've ever played or heard for tone I like to hear - Rich and warm, lost of harmonics and mid-way between acoustic guitar tone & dobro twang.Hey Mike, as a graphic designer, I really dig your Marconia logo. Do forget that revised Weissonator pic for the book! |
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