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Post by lexluthier on Sept 22, 2018 0:18:02 GMT
Hi! I've not had a ton of experience with new cones but what I can say is if you remove a cone/cones for whatever reasons and then re-install them, (imo) they take weeks or even months to bed in again and sound 'right'. I hate having to un-button a reso' even if I'm deserate to make an adjustment for this exact reason. Playing does help speed up the process as others here have rightly said.
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Apr 26, 2018 0:08:51 GMT
Hi! I couldn't agree with CBJ more, there's too many 'techs' out there who don't have the humility or the honesty to admit their limitations and who'll just grab the money and 'ave a go! I also think some customers can have unrealistic expectations at times. Personally I only work with friends and their referals, people who will understand after a discussion any risks involved or even take a 'no' graciously. Finding and having a good relationship with an honest, competent tech is a lot of peace of mind! Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Mar 19, 2018 21:50:56 GMT
Hi! CBJ mentioned this guy has a great slide tone and God he's not kidding! And that guitar sounds fabulous too!! Someone who's name I won't mention here once said; 'describing sound is like dancing architecture'. Having said that, I'm begining to realise I've had next to no personal experience with steel bodied resonators and started wondering if I'm missing out on that 'dry' sound compared with the more 'liquid' sound of the brass bodied models I have and have played. It never seemed so obviously different to me before but sounds alot more rootsy-bluesy. Is there much of a difference to the ears of y'all out there? In the mean time, more Jim......
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Mar 19, 2018 21:00:52 GMT
Hi! Following up on my last entry on this thread, I've found the details of the guitar mentioned and can confirm it has an unbound neck and bears the serial number:- MMB 0050 08. Just for the record!
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Mar 14, 2018 1:47:50 GMT
Hi Michael. I haven't had the exposure to all the instruments you have but I do believe I know what you mean about modern Tricones. No matter what I do to 'improve' them, and they can be improved, I can't get them to produce a harmonically complex sound. They're all a bit flat, impersonal and uninspiring to my ears, even boxy. I can get them loud, I can get them to sustain but I can't make any of them sound like my train wreck of a 'Continental'. I've still never heard an origional tricone in the flesh but if my worked over Conti', which is sweet as a nut, is still not the full shilling, then the difference between a Shanghai special and a 20s/30s National must be like night and day. I REALLY want another tricone in my life but when push comes to shove I can't bring myself to buy a Chinese model, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't bond with it. As well as the quality and correctness of the build itself, I think there's a recipe to make a great Tricone that's more to do with some the subtleties of the ingredience rather than just ticking all the ingredience boxes. Sometimes less is more!
''If you build it, they will come''.
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Mar 13, 2018 21:01:53 GMT
Hi! I much prefere a slightly radiused fretboard and my strings flat at the bridge and 'normal' at the nut. It gives a little more action on the treble side which is more forgiving when I'm only playing on strings 5 and/or 6, and it is fairly normal to have the bass side a little higher. I think you can already see from the comments you've recieved, everyone has a different preferance.
My MM lightning has a flat fretboard, I wish it didn't but I wasn't going to cut of my nose to spite my face when I bought it since it is so great in so many other ways. So I take your point about adapting to the instrument, unless you're lucky or very patient or willing and able to spend alot, some compromise is usually nessessary somewhere.
I would recommend one of Michaels guitars above anything else in that price point(or a fair way above it!) A tricone is tricky(er) as they need a good, specialist set-up, more than any other guitar I've ever worked on anyway. I looked at the Paramount a few years back and decided it was too much of a lottery, even new and out of the box. Too expensive for what you're getting as well! Today I would probably look at the Icarus brand as they do have some level of set-up and represent good value. Otherwise, I'd be patient and wait for a second hand Busker. Good luck!
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Mar 8, 2018 23:23:17 GMT
Hi again! Thanks to you both, seems to now work as obviously as assumed it should in the first place, don't know what was going on before. Great idea anyway, very interesting. Tricones having a much better show than I might have thought, it's still the one I'd walk out of the burning house(or club!) with. Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Mar 8, 2018 21:28:52 GMT
Hi! Is this poll over or am I just too dumb to know how to participate?
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Feb 16, 2018 1:03:32 GMT
Hi! Shubb do replacement 'rubber bits' if thats all thats wrong with it. I also did exactly the same as PD to get a flat capo(take the rubber thingy off before straightening in the vice!) Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Feb 15, 2018 0:49:42 GMT
Hi! I've never tried the NRP cones myself but nearly every time I've read the comments of those that have, the report is usually not that they are better(or worse) but just ''different''. A search in this forum I think will bear this out. I couldn't agree more with the learned comments above about the set-up and the difference it can make to a resophonic guitar that needs one. The accumalative effect of a number of seemingly subtle changes can add up to dramatically better sounding guitar. I would say this about any guitar but non so much as with a Tricone.
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Jan 7, 2018 2:06:11 GMT
Hi! I can experiment and figure out alot of stuff in my head but there is no substitute for time and experience so thank you for your insight. I'm sure I'm not alone in finding the views and opinions of the deeply immersed in this world, such as yourself, facinating. Cheers!
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Jan 7, 2018 0:10:19 GMT
Hi Michael! As Bonzo said, great back story and thank you for that. I was aware that you owned the 'Harry' guitar and remember some backward and forward between you and Bob B on the subject on this forum. I think you are right, it was Bob who speculated about cones being 'selected' for this guitar. As non of us were there when the guitar was built or, I assume, we have no verbatum account, we can't do any more than speculate and I don't think there is any thing wrong with that is there? I was not presuming this was a fact which is why I described it as a 'story' I had heard and it was just my way of posing a question to those with greater knowledge and experience.
I by no means wish this to be taken as being confrontational but I have to say I am suprised to hear you say you don't think there was this level of knowledge with at least a few people at the National company. As a company with production pressures like any other, I think it would have been far too much of a stretch to be swapping out cones and experimenting on a production line to get the best sound out of every Tricone. But if you have the time and wanted to go to the nth degree with the finer details, well perhaps it may bear even sweeter fruit. I must say that even with my limited experience with Resonators, I've found that care with small details produces great results.
Mike Lewis's opinion on the subject would be wondeful as we know from his own stated experience, spinning a cone shaped object is not enough. Spinning produces work hardening in the aluminium and changes the tension and rigidity giving a higher, more bell like tone than a cone that is just stamped out. Learning to impart the right amount of pressure against the mandrel to produce the 'right' tone is the art, so I would be facinated to hear from this learned artist!
Again, I hope you don't find any of this confrontational or peddling fantasy, I just have an Aspergian interest in absorbing information and fine detail, especially through speculative and theoretical conversations with the wise.
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Jan 6, 2018 0:45:05 GMT
Hi! I've finally got around to buying three brand new Continental cones for my '92 Continental Tricone. As good as I think this guitar sounds, I've always suspected it lacked a little sparkle at the top end and have always wondered if the folk at AMI had nailed the black art of cone spinning in the earliest days. In a conversation we had about his newly acquired early Conti' Tricone, Fred C came to the same conclusion, changed his for new ones and was happy with the result. Looking forward to getting mine fitted and hoping for a similar result! And(finally) to my point.....
Paul Beard certainly tap tones' all the cones he spins in order to hive of the best ones for his best guitars. I also seem to remember a story of when the National company were building the famous 'Harry' Tricone, they 'selected' the cones that went into it. As it happens, I have 4 different cones to choose from. Two of them tap at about the same pitch, one taps lower and the other taps higher.
Has anyone out there any experience experimenting with cones in this matter. IE. Which would be better, three cones tap pitched the same or all three tapping at different pitches. I'm thinking it may be the latter which gives a good Tricone that 'choral' sound but I'm more than interested if anyone has any other opinions on the subject.
Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Jan 2, 2018 22:19:33 GMT
Hi Stevie! It's made from sintered nickel-tungsten carbide. Tungsten is heavy but not hard enough on its own and the nickel is added to the tungsten-carbide because that stuff is too brittle! It's worth while visiting the Wolfram website to check all this stuff out and come to an appreciation of what these folks are achieving. Chris
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Post by lexluthier on Jan 2, 2018 21:24:12 GMT
Hi! I coughed up my £250 2 years ago now, never had one single moment of doubt or regret, never picked up another slide since. I haven't handled any of their other models but I'll say as an engineer, anyone capable of making such fantastically perfect and beautiful object out of such a difficult material to work with, will make a superlative slide out of any suitable material. I think the only question to ask yourself when thinking of purchasing a Martin Simpson signature slide is will those dimensions work for you, especially with the inner taper which is not for everyone.
Chris
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