Parlor resonator advice

[barrycreed]

Hi all,

First post. I was put onto this site by someone on another guitar forum, and have enjoyed browsing through the threads.

I'm on the look out for a parlor sized reso round neck in the next few months probably, and will probably have to buy online due to limited choices in Ireland.

Why a parlor sized? Well, for the size really.

I used to have a regular sized Tanglewood reso. I'm not too sure what the body was made out of. Steel perhaps.

Like a fool, I sold it.

I am tempted to save the shillings and plump for a Republic Resolian and stick a Lace humbucker on it. What style exactly, I don't know.

There are other options with wooden bodies, from brands such as Paramount etc. But, as of yet, I'm not sure of the best pickup that could be mounted near the neck. Another Lace?

From what I can see Michael Messer don't do parlors.

Again, a parlor would be nice and comfy.

Musically, I'd be along the lines of Chris Whitley. Not that I play like him! But I like the almost alt style he has. I'd dirty up the sound with some gain and tremelo.....

Any advice from seasoned players and more knowledgeble folk on here.

[Deleted]

I'm in the same boat -- looking for a parlor reso, although my preference for now is a wood-bodied one, to keep the weight down. There just aren't all that many out there, I'm afraid.

The Republics sure look nice, but I'm leery about having anything shipped from that far away -- it's just too tempting for a company to send over one of their duds, knowing that sending it BACK would be too much of a PIA (not to mention the added cost) that the buyer wouldn't bother. I'd buy one from a third-party retailer, let them take the risk. Also, it looks like Republic has discontinued the Miniolian.

The Paramounts are rebranded Aeirsi guitars --which, as I've just learned from Michael Messer himself, only *look* like resonator guitars. I do know that the Paramount uses a stamped cone, not a spun cone, which is surprising given the price they're asking. I have found a dealer who says he can sell the Aeirsi for 150 pounds or so --which gives you an idea of the kind of quality we're talking about. I might go for it anyway, since the price risk isn't too high.

I'm interested in the new Washburn parlor resonators, but again, they're not available in Europe (although there is a seller importing them on Ebay.uk, so it'd cost less to send it back if you didn't like it, I suppose -- but the price gets pretty outlandish (because of the seller's costs getting them over here). I have one of the Washburn anniversary parlors -- nice guitar, but it's still a bit larger than I want.

Unfortunately, it looks like Busker is no longer carrying their Cannon model -- and I got first dibs on the next one that comes up for sale!

You might have a look at the Gretsch Alligator/Bobtail/Bobcat -- they're just a touch larger than the Washburn parlors. The lower bout is just under 36cm for the Gretsch, the Washburn is 33cm. The Resolian is just a touch over 30 cm. It's a bit thinner than the Gretsch. I think the Washburn is standard acoustic body depth.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Barry,

Welcome to our forum.

The reason I don't have a parlour guitar in the MM range is because they do not fit with the philosophy of my brand, which is to only make guitars that are based on original National guitars from the 20s, 30s and 40s. National never made a parlour guitar, apart from the 1950s solid bodied 1133 Reso-Phonic, and that is not really a proper guitar, it is a beach/picnic travel guitar.

The problem with most wood bodied parlour guitars available today, is that they are not properly constructed. They do not have a neck stick, they have a dovetail joint on the neck to body, which for National-style resonators is a total tone killer. The sound posts are not correctly installed and the body material is too thin. They have quite a sweet sound when used as a 'parlour' instrument at home, but as a professional tool they do not project the sound properly.

Full size National-style guitars are not big instruments.

I have no axes to grind, I am just giving you my honest opinion.

Best wishes,

Shine On
Michael

[Deleted]

Michael -- is this true for the Busker Cannon as well?

At this point, I think I might pay a visit to my luthier friend, place a custom order.

Edit: Hmmm... I've been looking at the National Student model (1133)...might be an interesting alternative?

[gaucho]

I have owned and played several Republic Resolians (parlor size, steel) and they can be fine sounding guitars (I own several Nationals and NRPs currently, so I do have a good basis for comparison). I do agree with you about buying one sight unseen as they have been know for spotty set-ups here and there. Personally, I wouldn't even purchase a National (even new) without playing it first if possible. They can all sound vey different! Also consider the Republic Hwy 61 (small body, cut-away with a tricone grill). I currently have a 14 fret, steel body and I love it. It sounds and plays fantastic, even right along side my Nationals and NRP. The body size/style is very comfortable to play, tho the neck is a little narrower that a NRP. I found this one in a shop where the luthier/owner/builder ordered in a couple to see how they were. He was disgusted with the set ups (he knows what a proper res set up is) and he went through this one and did a very good set up on it before he felt comfortable selling it. I picked it up one day and had to have it. If you have decent skills, you can make them playable, but they may take some tinkering.

[Deleted]

Yes, I've been looking at the Highway 61 too -- I like playing on a short-scale neck (my Framus parlor has this).

[Deleted]

I also would recommend the Highway 61, though I installed an NRP 14 fret neck on mine (I bought the Hwy 61 body alone on eBay). The Hwy 61 is a neck stick construction and thus the action can easily be tweaked by a knowledgable technician. The body is well made and with a pickup can be an aggressive blues machine.

[spatsdavenport]

Hi, and welcome.

When you say you want a parlour, is this for the body size only, or also the neck? I ask this because I did have a Republic Highway 61. The scale was 22.5", (unless I'm mistaken) and the nut was very narrow. Now, I have smallish hands and like a 1 11/16 nut. But this one felt way smaller than a Fender nut. I ended up selling it because I found it more difficult than my National, which is pretty wide for me.

Only sayin'!

Spats.

[gaucho]

The 12 fret is short scale. I believe the 14 fret neck (which is what mine is, and what I recommend to friends) is normal. Don't know if the nut width is different between the 12 and 14 fretters, but mine feels just a little narrower than my Nationals. It doesn't create a problem for me, even when immediately switching back and forth. I had a NRP Radio Tone for awhile, and the neck on that was very narrow for a reso.

[gaucho]

Here's my Hwy 61 as well as some other non-vintage....

[slide496]

Another for the highway 61, the one that KEB Mo plays amplified has a normal neck and they aren't bad sounding. but are weighty. The 14 fret model IMHO is worth considering for the longer scale.

I have both the 3/4 highway res and the woodbodied minolian and both are home, lovely instruments. The woodbodied parlor is very, very light and flashy looking. Having played vintage nationals, I would say that the Republic Duolian has the masculine presence along the lines of a national. These little ones do not. They have their own sound space.

The parlor resonators IMHO are also limited, if you want to go lower than D or G they are very hard to set up properly- mine prefer higher range and I think you can expect that with a smaller 1133. They just don't have the body cavity to support and project at lower pitches.

[barrycreed]

Thanks for the feedback. I was considering a parlor sized reso just for body size. A normal neck would suit me.
Thanks for the heads up on the Paramounts. Good to know.
I'm not too keen on a cutaway. I'd like to keep it simple.
There's a Gretsch Alligator for sale near me at the moment. If I could get over the headstock, it might be worth looking at for the price.

That said, the MM Blues Reso and the Blues 28 both look and sound great just going by the demos.

I suppose to my ear, the wooden one sounds a little warmer. Would it be much of a thing to fit a pickup to the neck of a wooden reso. Again, I refer to the Lace.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2015 19:19:49 GMT spatsdavenport said:

When you say you want a parlour, is this for the body size only, or also the neck?

For me, it's the body size. My arms are somewhat short for my torso and my shoulders are stiff from one too many falls on a motorcycle, so I end up hunching over standard-sized guitars...which pinches a weird nerve in my back, which... well, I won't tell you all what that does. This started up a few years ago, around the time I started transitioning from electric to acoustic -- took me quite a while to figure out what was causing the problem! Part of it is posture too, but I'd rather change guitar than my old bad habits.

I'm not bothered much by a narrower neck -- the neck on my Framus parlor is tiny, but I've gotten used to it, to the point where the neck on my Washburn parlor (same as gaucho's in the photo above) feels gargantuan. It didn't take me long to get used to the shorter scale of the Framus either, and now I quite like it. But I'm just as happy playing my Steinberger, which I think is a 25" scale.

Oh, also, I like the quieter, boxier tone of a parlor, it's closer to what I'm hoping to hear when I'm playing.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2015 21:24:59 GMT barrycreed said:

That said, the MM Blues Reso and the Blues 28 both look and sound great just going by the demos.

I suppose to my ear, the wooden one sounds a little warmer. Would it be much of a thing to fit a pickup to the neck of a wooden reso. Again, I refer to the Lace.

Look in the classified section of this forum, there's a MM28 up for auction -- stunningly beautiful guitar.

[barrycreed]

Jun 16, 2015 21:33:02 GMT @mickeyz said:

Jun 16, 2015 21:24:59 GMT barrycreed said:

That said, the MM Blues Reso and the Blues 28 both look and sound great just going by the demos.

I suppose to my ear, the wooden one sounds a little warmer. Would it be much of a thing to fit a pickup to the neck of a wooden reso. Again, I refer to the Lace.

Look in the classified section of this forum, there's a MM28 up for auction -- stunningly beautiful guitar.


I saw that. It's pick up in Cardiff only though