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Post by bryanbradfield on Feb 18, 2021 2:54:20 GMT
The body was built by Arthur Hensel, and the cover plate and resonator were stamped by Charles Edward (Ted) Brasher. Both of these gents were from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Date these guitars to the 1930s and possibly the 1940s. There were several different names on the head stocks, including no name. There were several different kinds of openings in the cover plates. The were several different types of openings in the top where the f-holes are in the guitar in question. The resonators were made of either brass or aluminum. The biscuit bridges came in a variety of materials. Here are a couple of photos of my instrument. Attachments:
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Post by bryanbradfield on Feb 12, 2021 22:22:12 GMT
Pete1951 - Thanks for the reply regarding preamps; however, I was asking about your comment "it would sound best with very short leads or a preamp close to the guitar". I'm curious about the "preamp close to the guitar" aspect.
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Post by bryanbradfield on Feb 11, 2021 23:38:17 GMT
Pete1951 - Please elaborate on the need for the preamp to be very close to the guitar. I've never heard that advice before.
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Post by bryanbradfield on Apr 5, 2020 22:11:56 GMT
"Regarding the "Worco" resonator guitar mentioned in "Ask Frets (Feb 89), I'd like to shed a little light on it's history.Adolph Hitler's love for the Dobro became an obsession with him, and in 1937 he proclaimed that every German family would have a resonator instrument in their home. In 1937 he commissioned Italian luthier, Vito Worconni, to design a low budget resonator guitar to be called the "Blitzenplecker". The guitar had a coverplate screwed to the two-ply body, without a cone or resonator. The sound was so inferior that the project was abandoned. In 1939 Worconni fled to the United States and settled in Chicago.
In 1947 Kay of Chicago built bodies for Worconni"s student guitars. These instruments were sold at J.J. Newberry and W.T. Grant stores for $6.95 retail. Today, the "Worco" guitar is worth its original value, about $6.95.
There is an interesting historical footnote to the story. When Worconni fled Germany he left behind 1,000 coverplates at the Blitzenplecker plant on the Oder River in Frankfurt. Because of a steel shortage in 1939 these coverplates were used as hubcaps on the early Volkswagen. The holes in the coverplates caused the hubcap to whistle when the auto reached the speed of 32 mph and the German people loved it. Unfortunately, this was Worconni's only success in the field of sound.
From 1958-79 Worconni was curator at the Dog Collar Museum in Whipsburg, Pennsylvania. Two Worco guitars are still on display at the museum, and one has been made into a floor lamp. Vito Worconni died of gunshot wounds in Richmond, Virginia, Oct. 14, 1981."
(Howard Parker posted this in the Steel Guitar Forum in 2013. He said it originated in 1990 in Frets magazine.)
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Post by bryanbradfield on Dec 16, 2019 2:19:20 GMT
Michael Messer, I don't think that the cover plate is a Brasher creation. It is unlike his known design in the bridge and strap areas. I truly cannot image that he would introduce a unique design solely for New Zealand export.
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Post by bryanbradfield on Dec 8, 2019 4:04:59 GMT
Here is a 1920-ish (I believe) Oscar Schmidt Stella, which I've always felt was made for Russian immigrants.
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Post by bryanbradfield on Jul 3, 2019 22:25:45 GMT
I like it. That 13 fret neck is a wonderful artifact of that era.
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Post by bryanbradfield on May 23, 2019 0:18:56 GMT
It appears that this plastic lover should finally try some brass finger picks, for tone.
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Post by bryanbradfield on May 21, 2019 1:48:43 GMT
tiki359 - Is your disappointment with plastic picks and nail extensions on banjos related to tone?
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Post by bryanbradfield on May 20, 2019 20:31:56 GMT
I switched to plastic finger picks after discovering and listening to Stacy Phillips. He used clear Dobro finger picks. I use Dunlop (I believe?) white finger picks with no identifying marks on them, thicker than the run of the mill unmarked ones. I found a batch a few decades ago, and bought all of the stock that the store had. These are very small and it took several weeks for me to become accustomed to the pain, which I no longer notice. More recently I discovered a touring Canadian player named John Cronin. We were mutually attracted to each others' tones. He has acrylic finger nails re-attached to his index and middle fingers about once every 3 weeks, and maintains them himself in between beauty shop visits. When not playing he keeps his right (picking) hand in his pocket.
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Post by bryanbradfield on May 20, 2019 18:24:53 GMT
This post reminds me that my 1930s Regal Dobro was missing screen inserts when I acquired it in the 1970s. I bought new ones and aged them artificially with chemicals and judicious use of 000 steel wool and got them to approximate the aged look of the original hardware. Over the years I've replaced the cover plate (for string height reasons), the tailpiece (for cosmetic reasons), and the tuners (for practical tuning reasons). Now, I am unhappy with myself for having "aged" the screen inserts, and suggest that you be careful what you ask for. If you find some antique screen inserts for a reasonable price, hold on to those "nasty" shiny ones.
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Post by bryanbradfield on May 7, 2019 3:07:24 GMT
My 1932 round neck (really good) guitar came to me from the original owner with a nut extender in the string pocket. Now I understand why. He never used it as far as I know (the nut extender, that is).
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Post by bryanbradfield on Nov 27, 2018 1:05:05 GMT
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Post by bryanbradfield on Dec 18, 2017 1:13:22 GMT
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Post by bryanbradfield on Oct 13, 2017 2:06:00 GMT
Action for slide, or finger-style, or a blend of both is such a personal thing. I don't think that hoping for new gear to solve the dilemma is the answer. If you get the new stuff with the action a bit high, and then lower it, you may go past your hoped for arrival point. Then what? I would be inclined to try to mod what you have. If shimming is impractical, a new taller saddle could do the trick. What you have not mentioned is any dissatisfaction with existing sound. If you like your current sound, I believe it would be wise to try to retain that aspect of your current set-up. I have to admit that I don't play a biscuit bridge instrument and never have to any great extent, so I'm not sure how agreeable it would be to shimming the saddle, but it is the first thing I would consider. I also have to admit that I am very handy with tools and guitar repair, resophonic or otherwise, and I thoroughly enjoy doing my own set-ups.
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