National Resophonic electrics

[vent]

I’m after a second hand National Resophonic electric and posted a thread on Tin Can Alley. I probably need a little more info so am asking on this forum as I’m after advice.

I don’t play electric much but dabble occasionally as I have an old Watkins combo that needs ‘exercise’ every now and then.
I have an old National Jazz Blues and play open tuning slide/fingerpicking and that’s the way I fancy going with an electric.

Can anyone enlighten me on National Resophonic’s various electrics. Are the new Resoelectrics better than the ones that came out in the 90’s – would I really notice, given what I want from it? What about the Resotones or the Junior 2’s?

I don’t play live and just fancy a guitar that sounds as much like acoustic resophonic as possible but with option of mixing pick ups, tone/volume and adding reverb/echo etc?

Any info gladly received.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Vent,

If you really want a small-bodied electric resonator instrument, then a new or old National Resolectric is the way to go. I saw many of the early Resolectrics, but I have not seen many of the newer ones. Certainly the mixture of the P90 and the Highlander sounds like an interesting combination, and I am sure NRP have done their homework about which pickups to use.

Personally speaking, I have never got on with these guitars because for me, the two pickups don't work well through the same amp. I will explain... P90s sound brilliant plugged into a nice valve amp, but plugged into an acoustic amp or PA system, they sound terrible. Highlander resonator pickups sound wonderful plugged into a PA or acoustic amp, but I have never got a good sound out of one plugged into an electric guitar amp.
So for me, the whole concept of this set-up is a problem. Having said that, I should add two important points; 1) is that NRP have sold hundreds of these guitars to musicians who are very happy with them, and 2), is that I am not a great fan of the whole concept of a reso-electric guitar. This is not because I am some kind of purist that doesn't think the world should move forward, it is because I think an electric guitar with magnetic pickups is something totally different and nothing beats the classic designs of proper electric guitars.

One suggestion that may work for you is to consider getting your National Jazz Blues kitted out to be a resolectric. Fit a Highlander iP-1X on the cone, and either a P90 fitted into the body as a neck pickup, or....get a National Hotplate and get it wired so the two pickups can be mixed.

I am sure other forum members will have different opinions, but mine is that resonator guitars are one thing, and electric guitars are another.

Let me know how you get on, and please don't hesitate to ask more questions....
I hope that has been of some help.

Shine On
Michael.

[gouranga]

Hi.

Why not check out the Amistar range with the blender system. Then you can have both. The standard resonator guitar and/or the electric, or mix them as you please. You can get whatever pick-up you wish at the neck, and the piezo on the bridge and they can be used individually or blended as you wish.
I have played a few and liked them a lot. Amistar also do electrics with the cone and whatever pick-up you wish. They are nice also. But as usual with nice things, the price is nice also.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

Take care and best wishes always.

Gouranga

[gouranga]

Of course you can also check out our own Andy Solloway, Forum member Andys. His Sollophonic conversions are also very nice and good price to go with. Many forum members have them and like them a lot.
If you Google or Yahoo 'Sollophonic Guitars' you should get Andy's website.

Take care, all the best.

Gouranga

[blackjack]

Hi Vent,

I agree with Goranga , Andy Solloway's Sollophonics are great (I love mind) do check out his website - I think you will like them ! Cheers, Jack.

[Deleted]

I know this is slightly different but wondered if anyone had played an airline/valco/supro resonator (the 60s models)? I dont know much about them...I know they aren't resolectics as such (dont think they have pick-Ups)-are they more just thin bodied resonators? What's under the plate?

I tried looking on YouTube with little success and never find any in my locals. Anyone any thoughts? Im looking for something a bit different for recording folk stuff and wondered if these or the national resotone would be good

Thanks again!

[snakehips]

Hi there !

I had one of those early NRP Resolectric Jnr Mk2's (before they put a solid paint finish on them and changed the name to Resotone) - the ones with a "Hotplate" with Lollar Telecaster type pickup.
Didn't do anything for me. The pickup needs to be raised high up enough from the coverplate to get a decent signal for an amp - so I found myself raising the pickup quite high - but then it gets in the way of fingerpicking with thumb and fingerpicks.
I also wasn't really enamoured with the Tele pickup.

I used to have NRP Radiotone Bendaway with a Highlander AND a P90 soapbar pickup and it was great.
I really think the P90 pickup works better with a resonator than he Tele pickup.
My P90 had a coil tap on it with extra windings - so the pickup had a relatively clean sound or kick in the extra windings to get a more raunchy sound.
Closest pickup combination to the NRP Resolectrics ( after the earliest versions with Danelectro type lipstick pickups).

MM rightly points out that Highlander pickups don't sound great through an electric guitar amp, and also, an electric guitar pickup through an acoustic guitar amp or PA system doesn't sound great but to a lesser extent (although see my note below).
However, perhaps having two entirely different pickup systems is intended to leave the guitar flexible for what you have available to plug into. Only have a PA system, use the excellent Highlander. Only have a guitar amp to play through, use the Electric guitar pickup. Ie. not designed for alternating between both pickups between songs or even during a song.
Use both pickups together into the one amp/PA ? Forget it !
The only way around that problem is have seperate jack sockets for each pickup (the Highlander pickup requires a stereo jack socket) and plug into a guitar amp AND a PA system. Or even plug in to one of those acoustic guitar amps that also have a channel for an electric guitar (although I don't know of any whose electric guitar channel is valve).

One factor not mentioned well so far is the problem of string type to use.

Acoustic phosphor-bronze strings are great on a reso acoustically and with a Highlander pickup - but don't sound good with a magnetic electric guitar pickup. You can swap the strings for electric guitar strings (nickel-wound) but I didn't personally think they worked well on the resonator guitar acoustically. That was a good number of years back now, and I forget what sets of electric guitar strings I tried.

However, I do remember I settled on a hybrid set of strings made by DR strings - a set called Zebras. They consist of alternate windings of phosphor-bronze and nickel. These strings had the best comprimise on tone and suitability with both Highlander and P90 pickups.

So, either give up on that crazy idea, or fit a Highlander AND P90 pickup to your NRP Jazz-Blues guitar (I'm happy to give advice on installation of the P90, as I did mine myself, following on from an international phonecall advice from Don Young of NRP. He thought it was a cool idea, in case you were wondering.

[mitchfit]

Acoustic phosphor-bronze strings are great on a reso acoustically and with a Highlander pickup - but don't sound good with a magnetic electric guitar pickup. You can swap the strings for electric guitar strings (nickel-wound) but I didn't personally think they worked well on the resonator guitar acoustically. That was a good number of years back now, and I forget what sets of electric guitar strings I tried.

However, I do remember I settled on a hybrid set of strings made by DR strings - a set called Zebras. They consist of alternate windings of phosphor-bronze and nickel. These strings had the best comprimise on tone and suitability with both Highlander and P90 pickups.

thanks for that info, snakehips. well stated, thorough answer to questions i had asked in another thread.

mitchfit

[andys]

As far as strings go, I know its a personal view, but I use nickel strings on all my guitars, whether acoustic, electric, resonator or reso-electric.

I just don't get on with phosphor bronze strings at all, in fact my dreadnought acoustic is also strung with nickel strings.

Others may disagree with me on this, so its just my own personal view, plus for me I like the sound of my MM Blues with heavy nickel strings

[vent]

A big thank you to people who provided info/opinion regarding an NRP Resolectric, and also a bigger thank you to those who pointed me in the Sollophonic direction.

In the end I got a Sollophonic made, based loosely on Wilko Johnson’s black Tele with red pickguard (Wilkophonic?) for a few pints less than £400 to the door (still in tune!).

The strings/action recommended are great as I'm still able to use my heavy brass slide. Great tone and surprisingly loud when acoustic, great through a 15W practice amp and have yet to send it through 30W Watkins amp (it’s unlikely to disappoint).

If I'd gone the NRP Resolectric route I'm not sure I'd have been as impressed, given the vastly different costs and the fact that the mood on the forum was the Sollophonic take on amplifying a cone was one way to go.

Cheers

[Deleted]

Hi from a recent devotee!

I recently picked up a JAY TURSER JT-RES for about a 'song' and I think it is absolutely fabulous! Resonator pickup, bridge pick up and volume controls for both plus a centre detented blend pot.

The build quality and the sound is superb.

Anyone else tried them?