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Post by steverino on Jan 4, 2010 6:01:00 GMT
Andys I think it is mainly a lack of awareness of the capabilities of resonators; the thought to use them never occurs. I have been vaguely aware of Nationals and Dobros for most of my 45 years of playing guitars, mostly in relation to their traditional niche applications, but never tried them until a couple of years ago and was won over immediately. Now I am rather surprised at how relatively quiet and unresponsive most wooden acoustic guitars are, especially played up the neck.
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Post by steverino on Jan 4, 2010 5:26:08 GMT
Holy cow eastmountain, Big Muddy sounds great! I really like the acoustic overdrive ZZ Top sound. I'm not sure anyone else has managed this to quite the same extent with resonators, though tricones can sometimes generate a bit of crunch. With what appears to be a thick, stiff resonator and the open well I was expecting it to be bass shy, but it sounds very even across the strings. Nice work!
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Post by steverino on Dec 29, 2009 18:02:18 GMT
So gouranga if I understand you correctly, you feel the greater good is accomplished by starting your list thread even at the cost of ignoring the wishes of our host. Is that about right?
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Post by steverino on Dec 29, 2009 16:21:10 GMT
So gouranga, you are back to creating "list" threads, despite Michael's past request to not do this and your past acknowlegement of his request. Why?
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Post by steverino on Nov 24, 2009 19:01:02 GMT
As far as I know Ed Gerhard hasn't put out a Weissenborn instructional DVD yet, but I have learned a lot by watching his videos on YouTube. I was lucky to catch him performing this tune live at the NAMM Show this past January:
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Post by steverino on Nov 23, 2009 7:00:45 GMT
I recently shipped a pair of 1930s loudspeaker drivers that I had restored to a customer in the U.K. I was unable to ship them via United States Postal Service due to an insurance limit of USD$650 per box, and the speakers are easily worth $2,000 each. Apparently the limitation was not with USPS but with the U.K. postal service. I shipped them via Fedex, and still had to accept a limit on insurance of $1,250 per box. It seems that few organizations have confidence in their ability to deliver a parcel without losing or damaging it.
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Post by steverino on Oct 21, 2009 16:59:49 GMT
Okay fellas, I hear your cautions and agree to a point. I have been shaping and installing bone nuts for a while now, so I do not fear the dreaded deep slot. Also, I have found that a bit of superglue mixed with bone dust will fix the occasional booboo.
This whole subject of set up and working on one's own instruments is a big one, and of course it is possible to wade into the deep end and get into trouble. The simple answer would be "Don't touch it; refer to qualified service personnel." I have found that diving in and working on my guitars is rewarding in many ways, and that spending a couple hundred bucks on nut files and other tools has been well worthwhile.
One pet peeve of mine is unreasonably high nut slots. How many millions of kids have attempted to learn guitar on a "starter" instrument, and given up because the darn thing was near impossible to play? It certainly saves on factory labor to leave everything high, but many instruments are never set up correctly. Some very old instruments out there give evidence of this. Okay, off my soapbox!
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Post by steverino on Oct 20, 2009 19:39:24 GMT
I have found that many resonators have the slots in the nut cut unnecessarily high. What I do is to deepen them until the .014" blade of an automotive type feeler gauge just fits between the underside of the string and the top of the first fret. This makes chording on the first few frets much easier but doesn't seem to cause any harm when using the slide.
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Post by steverino on Sept 12, 2009 6:50:51 GMT
Michael, I believe the original cones would have been without spirals and of a smaller diameter than standard. I do not have these, though a set of completely trashed late 1920s cones was in the case. These have the spirals that merge with the outer compliance rather than feathering off as more modern cones do. These early cones produce a great deal of high frequencies when rubbed with the fingers compared to more modern cones... hmmm. The T bridge on this guitar is an early, nonstandard effort, hand made from two pieces of aluminum stock joined together. The "points" are about 6 1/8" apart, which causes modern cones to contact the outer edge of the cone well and pop up in the center. Don Young has told me that the current spec is a 6" spacing, and I have an NRP T bridge on order. I hope to bring this instrument up to a high musical standard, but will of course save and document all original parts for posterity.
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Post by steverino on Sept 11, 2009 6:33:18 GMT
Barn, thank you for reviving this thread. I had missed some of the earlier comments, notably Michael's comments to me. Your new tricone is looking fabulous and I can't wait to hear that MP3!
Thank you for your comments, Michael. I have not yet tried a felt gasket, but I shall endeavor to do this. I recently purchased a very early square neck tricone, #169, one of the first hand-hammered instruments, a Style 2. Replacement of the badly deteriorated wooden cone well is underway and I feel as though John and Rudy Dopyera are looking over my shoulder as I undertake this work. I can almost sense their excitement at cranking out these first instruments, revolutionary and superior to anything else available at the time.
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Post by steverino on Sept 2, 2009 15:55:50 GMT
Thanks for the clarification, Dave. The music that plays behind the credits after that initial blast of noise has a terrific, laid back groove. Good job, Michael!
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Post by steverino on Sept 1, 2009 22:48:23 GMT
Ha! Excuse me while I wipe the egg...
Mostly it was the level they chose. I listen to computer sounds via headphones, and the entrance music is cranked to 11 compared to the program. This had me ripping the 'phones off in a panic the first time. I could question their choice of an aggressive uptempo chart with blazing horns for a profile of the relaxed Mike Lewis. Like I was saying though, superb music though a bit too loud.
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Post by steverino on Sept 1, 2009 18:45:06 GMT
Wonderful series, marred only by a loud blast of truly obnoxious music at the beginning and end of each segment. Can't wait for #5...
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Post by steverino on Aug 10, 2009 16:45:45 GMT
Assuming that we have slid into home at the 5th or 7th fret, it makes sense to decorate the chord a little. Sometimes I'll venture up two frets on the first string, or slide from one fret below on the second string. Finding some notes nearby that serve the melody can make things interesting. Often though, less is more and an impassioned single note can say more than a bunch of them strung together:
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Post by steverino on Jul 27, 2009 17:54:01 GMT
Jonnybees, I have fixed up a couple of Rogue Triolians (same guitar, really) for friends to play finger style rather than slide. I set the action pretty low and strung with Martin Silk & Steel .0115" - .047". This unlikely combination actually sounds great, making for a very lively sounding and easy to play guitar. I would use considerably heavier strings and a higher set up for slide, but then I would prefer a metal bodied guitar for this anyway.
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