The thread about something else

[mirrormist]

;D
hello guys

I know it may seem obvious but I thought I would ask anyway

What part does the coverplate play on a resonator guitar...for example does it need to be made from metal?

thanks

Regards

[Deleted]

I don't know if the coverplate plays any part in the sound as some kind of reflector; I doubt it but a more knowledgeable person may disagree. I think National did make some from wood on one model (can't remember which and I don't have Bob Brozman's book to hand). They switched back to metal pretty quickly though because they kept breaking, and I'd guess were difficult to manufacture. I've often thought that a transparent coverplate would be nice; glass may be too heavy but polycarbonate might work.

[LouisianaGrey]

It doesn't have to be made from metal but once you have the tooling set up it's much easier to make metal coverplates in large numbers than wooden ones.

There's no reason why they shouldn't be wood though. Del Vecchios and Paul Norman's beautiful guitars spring to mind www.forbiddenguitars.com/creations.html

[faceless]

The cover plate is only there to protect the cone. So any material is fine, in fact the metal cover plate restrict sound from escaping. If you think of the cone as a speaker then the cover plate is the fabric that protect the speaker.

[Michael Messer]

Some National Aragons have wood coverplates, Del Vecchios, and as Pete has said, Paul Norman. Back in the 1980s Nigel Thornbory built a resophonic guitar for Richard Cox Smith and that had quite an elaborate wood coverplate. The problem with wood coverplates is that they are not as durable as metal. Unless of course you build one like a Del Vecchio, which is more like the lid of a tea caddy than the coverplate of a resophonic guitar.

The coverplate is really just there to protect the cone - however IMO resophonic guitars do not sound as good with the coverplate off. I think they lose some of their echo qualities and generally don't have as much character without the coverplate. As I have said before; everything on a guitar affects the tone and sound of the instrument and sometimes it is not possible to itemise what each bit does. But put the whole thing together with the right components and a little magic happens.

In addition - be careful if you play your National-type guitars without the coverplate, as it is too easy to crunch the cone.

Shine On,
Michael.

[mirrormist]

Hello Blisters…I was talking to my friend today…he is a cabinet maker by trade. He worked on Michael Schumacher’s catamaran as well as two Rolls Royce silver shadows (I think) for the Sultan of Bruni...he said he spent seven months working on the veneers (the whole thing must have cost a fortune)

Hello Pete…thanks for the info and links…I have seen those guitars before…the snake one is so cool…I have also seen some Del Vecchio’s but was unsure of the coverplate material.

My reason for asking is…I have drawn up some designs from ideas that i have for sound hole and coverplate decoration and toying with the thought of having a Luther realise the guitar for me but first I plan to buy a cheap Triolian style guitar for my cabinet maker friend to make a mock up for me…if it looks ok and the cost of having it made isn’t going to cripple me financially i may go ahead

Thanks again

Thanks… faceless much appreciated…that is what I was thinking also

Hello Michael…thanks indeed…in your experience what sort thicknesses have the wooden coverplates been that you have come across?
I would prefer wood for style but based on your advice I think I would have to manufacture one from metal as well if i went ahead with the idea

Thanks a lot guys

Regards

[Michael Messer]

Hi Anthony,

Your plan sounds great. Regarding your question about coverplate thickness - I will ask Dave about the National Aragon that he restored. It was plywood pressed into shape, which I would think is the way to go.

Keep us posted

Shine On
Michael

[mirrormist]

Thanks Michael

My friend was telling me about various ways the project could be approached...he hasn't made a guitar before but he does know his business and i have seen the quality of his jigs and fixtures at first had (we work for the same company) so i am hopeful.

regards

[Alan]

These are big picks but look here
gmvintagerestorations.com/IMG_4036t.jpg

gmvintagerestorations.com/IMG_4037t.jpg

[Deleted]

The DelVecchio coverplate is flat, not domed, so would be pretty easy to make, tho' its held in place in a circular raised rim with a spring steel loop (sort of like a giant circlip made of wire) which snaps into a groove in the raised rim.

Making a guitar and cabinet making use a lot of the same craft techniques, and there's a lot of 'transferable skills', but you really do need a thorough understanding of the way a guitar is put together and how everything works. I'm not saying don't do it, but I think most people who build guitars will tell you there's a lot to learn, and there's a lot of trial and error learning along the way.

I think there's also a lot of things that have evolved with guitar making that have a certain idiosyncracy about them (in particular with reso instruments), and a regular cabinetmaker might quibble with why something is done in a particular way. Good luck with the project.

[marshcat]

Here's a 'sixties Del Vecchio Dinamico, though somebody apparently needed a tea strainer for their cuppa:



I once had a cheaper Japanese copy, a Shaftesbury, which had a sweet tone but no volume.

[marshcat]

This one, however, was so loud you just had to keep the sound in there somehow... Locomotive Skin?

[Michael Messer]

Marshcat, nice photo of the Locomotive Skin style O.

The Del Vecchio is the one that was for sale at the Reso Centre. It is a beautiful guitar with a tone to die for. I was seriously considering buying it. Originally when it arrived at the shop it was complete with handrest, but at some point it came off the Del Vecchio and was put on a Shaftesbury copy to make a sale.

Shine On,
Michael.

[Deleted]

I too had a Shaftesbury copy (bought off eBay cheaply), the cone had collapsed and somebody had nailed a block of wood under the biscuit to sort of straighten it up..and they also punched holes in the cone with screwdriver. It loked nice but sounded apalling. Even after fitting a cone which National spun for me...it still lacked volume. It really sounded very muffled...although it had been retro-fitted with a magnetic pickup and was nice plugged in. Got admit, it looked so cool, thats why I bought it..and I don't think the guy who was selling it realised what it was a copy of.

[andys]

I convert Telecasters into solid bodied resonators, and I use both standard metal coverplates, and mirror plastic ones. The trouble with some telecasters, and other solid bodied guitars is that sometimes the routing beyond the cavity for the cone is such that it cannot be easily hidden by standard sized coverplates. Thus I make my own using mirror plastic, which can be cut to any size. I find it makes little difference to the tone, and gives you the advantage of having the top of the biscuit bridge exposed for damping with the palm of your hand.
I am looking to use other materials such as aluminium, or brass, but plastic seems to work pretty well on my more cheaper guitars.

Andy S