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Post by slidefever on Jun 8, 2021 22:05:44 GMT
Hi Michael, I have a 1937 Model 27 round neck 14 fret Dobro. My question is: Is there anything to be gained by taking the cover plate off and cleaning off the layer of gunk on the cone, without actually removing it?
I am very happy with the sound as is. The action is on the slightly high side, which l like. MM Monels seem to be the strings that suit it best. There has been an improvement in the intonation since fitting them and the tone is lovely. I would describe it as Blues not Bluegrass. The guitar doesn’t appear to have been messed with, if at all for a very long time. Any guidance would be appreciated. Regards Chris ‘I love slide me’
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 9, 2021 7:27:26 GMT
Hi Chris, If you are happy with the sound your Dobro is producing, be careful not to change anything. Regarding the dirt on the cone, that is a difficult one because everything affects the tone. In 2015 Mike Lewis and I opened my 1998 koa Fine Resophonic because it needed something done to the frets. The cone was very dusty and most people would have given it a good clean, but we decided to just brush it with a soft paint brush and blow the loose dust off. We did no more than that and it was fine. Be careful because "everything" affects the sound in some way. The difficulty in your case is that cleaning it "might" improve the sound. Hmmm... I'd leave it alone. I like your comment that it sounds more Blues than Bluegrass. You don't think it's you that sounds more Blues than Bluegrass do you? Shine On Michael
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Post by slidefever on Jun 9, 2021 8:07:11 GMT
Hi Chris, If you are happy with the sound your Dobro is producing, be careful not to change anything. Regarding the dirt on the cone, that is a difficult one because everything affects the tone. In 2015 Mike Lewis and I opened my 1998 koa Fine Resophonic because it needed something done to the frets. The cone was very dusty and most people would have given it a good clean, but we decided to just brush it with a soft paint brush and blow the loose dust off. We did no more than that and it was fine. Be careful because "everything" affects the sound in some way. The difficulty in your case is that cleaning it "might" improve the sound. Hmmm... I'd leave it alone. I like your comment that it sounds more Blues than Bluegrass. You don't think it's you that sounds more Blues than Bluegrass do you? Shine On Michael Thanks Michael, That all makes sense; l’m going to leave it alone until it has to be opened up for a more pressing reason. The fretboard is worn as are the frets. The neck seems straight and fine but l’m no expert. 99% of what l know about resonators came from you anyway, so thanks a lot. Also, l’m definitely Blues not Bluegrass! Regards Chris ‘I love slide me’
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Post by maui_chimes on Jul 29, 2021 18:40:35 GMT
You should be able to clean it without much trouble, as long as you are comfortable putting it all back together, and also prepared to encounter additional possible problems when you open that can of worms It might also give you an opportunity to adjust the action.
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