lightning or blues?

[Deleted]

Hello there,

I've been on a long mission to find the most suitable resonator guitar for me and the MM range keeps popping up. I am not a slide guitarist, more of a picker, and I'm wondering if your lightning and blues models would suit that style.

Nice to see such a user friendly, approachable site, thanks.

Jack.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Jack,

Welcome to our forum.

Although National-style resonator guitars are well known for slide playing, there are many great recordings of people using these type of guitars without slides in regular tuning. Mark Knopfler, Blind Boy Fuller, Ray Davies, Scrapper Blackwell, Gary Lucas, Bo Carter, are a few names I can think of who have recorded with Nationals in regular tuning.

All three of the MM models (MM BLUES 12 FRET, MM BLUES 14 FRET and MM LIGHTNING) are fine in regular tuning for picking, but the most popular model for that style is the 14 fret MM BLUES.

If you buy one and you are not happy with it - as long as it is still in 'new' condition, you can return the guitar with a full refund. If you do order one, make sure you explain to Robin at Busker Guitars (MM guitars online store) that you are not a slide player and require a set-up for regular playing.

Keep in touch & thank you for your enquiry

Shine On
Michael.

[Deleted]

Thanks Michael, will probably be buying one of your guitars from wunjo guitars in Denmark st, london, as i have credit with them, will request a picking set up if they can do it there.

Have really enjoyed the tracks that I've heard of your stuff, will try to catch you at your Norwich gig. I have a few festival gigs this year, check out my myspace if you fancy it, not pushing it or nuffink. Thanks again.

www.myspace.com/jacksebastiannorthover

[Michael Messer]

Hi Jack,

Thanks for your kind words. Wunjo Guitars will sort you out. Speak to Ron there.

If you can make it to one of my concerts, come & say hello.

I will have a listen to your stuff on My Space. Which festivals are you playing at this year?

Shine On
Michael.

[andys]

I can vouch for the MM guitars non-slide ability. Although I use a slide on both my Buskers, I do have the action pretty low by many peoples standards, and I use my guitars for chord and fingerstyle playing, though in open tunings. I often play mine without a slide.

The chunky necks and wide fingerboards suit this style of playing for me, gives my fingers room to move around.

My little Busker Cannon which as a very similar profile neck and fingerboard spends much of its time in standard tuning, and I love it.

Resonator guitars are not just for slide playing, their tone suits other styles of music. What they give you is a different tone and feel to a standard acoustic.

[gouranga]

Hi there..
I fully agree with Andy. I use my Resonators for practically everything except slide. I am no slide player. (wish I was). The MM Blues is great for so many things. I use MMB and Busker Deco for all types of music as I Busk most days of the week. I even chant the old Hare Krishna Mantra and other Indian devotional songs and mantras with them. I like them much better that normal acoustic guitars.
I don't know why so many other guitarists don't use them in general. I suppose people have just pigeon holed them as meant for slide and blues.
Take care and best wishes always.

Gouranga

[thebluesbear( al)]

Hi
i just wanted to add that i agree with gouranga and andy resontors IMHO are great for anything

Al

[Deleted]

My Busker Delta (steel body) does everything I want, Seasick Steve to Jimi Hendrix. I would imagine the MM Blues 12 fret might be very much the same in terms of feel and sound, not having played one I cant swear to that. I get a massive amount of satisfaction and enjoyment from playing a resonator, more than any other in fact.

I am seriously considering buying an MM Lightning as well. I'd stick my neck out and say that you would be very happy with either.

Rich.

[Deleted]

Thanks everyone for the advice, what a great forum. Oh and Michael, I will be playing at the green man festival and maybe latitude, although the latter is not confirmed, thanks again.

[geoff]

I think a reso also sounds amazing when you play ancient music like medieval. There are certain combinations of tones that makes a reso sound like a non existing lute-harp-guitar cross breed.

A real resonist should ofcourse have a tricone, a steel biscuit, a brass biscuit and a spider. And if you're really mad, all metal types of tricone and another exotic reso thing almost nobody recognizes. But I'll wait a bit myself, until I can play a song...

[ken1953clark]

Geoff, I think a real resonist would have a wood biscuit as well! but in the real world i'll made do with just 2.

[geoff]

Haha, yes I forgot about the wooden biscuit. How am I ever going to be a real resonist...

I vote for the Tri-phonic or Retro-phonic as weirdest surplus:

www.beardguitars.com/guitarbeardtriphonic.html
www.beardguitars.com/guitarbeardretro.html

But to answer Jack's question, I only know the sound of the Lightning and the Blues. I think the Blues will sound most like a normal guitar and the Lightning will sound more different. I heard some standard tuning Blues fingerpicking and it sounded quite western guitar like. The Lightning has a more banjo/reso sound when fingerpicked. Just what I think I heard in comparing all them sound samples. Adding to that, a tricone can sound quite ancient and mysterious if you fingerpick old music on it. I like things that are different from what you would expect, so I would buy a Lightning, when choosing between them two. But I bought a tricone because I always ended up with that when listening to clips. A matter of taste...

[ken1953clark]

Just to agree that resonator guitars are not just for slide, or even blues. This was my first encounter with a metal-bodied resonator guitar...



I was a mere child then of course

(Oops my login name gives it away)

[Deleted]

Hey nice one Ken
Enjoyed the clip
Cheers

Rob

[Michael Messer]

Hi Ken,

Mine too! .....well I think so. It is the first I recall seeing. I have always thought that song influenced Mark Knopfler, the beginning is similar to Romeo & Juliet. I think Mark already had his Style O by then, but the sound of that intro could well have influenced him.

Shine on
Michael.