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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2007 17:20:42 GMT
hi i'm buying a resonator guitar and i just wanted to check if it is a good model to buy. It is a tanglewood steel body i think the model is TBS1000 and it costs around the 300 pound mark if i remember rightly. If you know of a better model for around the same price and where to get it from that would be helpful also. Regards
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Post by LouisianaGrey on Nov 13, 2007 17:41:50 GMT
It's as good as the Ozark 3515N or the Regal RC2 Duolian - in fact, it's pretty much the same guitar with a different brand name. Good for the price but if you want something even cheaper then the Harley Benton HBN100 from Thomann (www.thomann.de) will sound as good as the Tanglewood although the looks may not appeal quite as much (that's a matter of personal taste).
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Post by mirrormist on Nov 13, 2007 21:04:44 GMT
Hi there is a htread a little down the page "Tanglewood" started by Mike Vernon (i think)...you may find some useful info there. plus lots of other useful info and opinions on "what are termed as" budget resos...there is also a useful search option at the top of the page if you require it. good luck
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Post by kristiansmart on Nov 15, 2007 12:33:31 GMT
I have a Regal RD3 (trilion) with hardcase available in very good condition. I started out on this and recently bought a National. If you're interested please feel free to contact me at kristiansmart@hotmail.com I'll happily email photo's or answer any questions. Thanks Kristian
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Post by robn on Nov 16, 2007 9:47:44 GMT
Hi Luketr, Buying your first reso is a real quandary - given the present budget market. Many of the products use the same body parts but are differently branded - quality control is also an issue. The changes between brands are mostly cosmetic rather than functional, which is a shame because some simple functional design changes can produce good budget guitars using many of the very same basic parts The Johnson Triolian is a good option if you want a wood-bodied budget guitar - but they are difficult to come by and the quality control is suspect. As Pete Woodman says, the Harley Benton is OK, but needs a different cone and a good set-up. There are many things you can do to improve budget reso guitars (changing the strings to Michael Messer Nationals by Newtone is the first ). Pete Woodman and Dave King on this forum both provide upgrade services for budget resos. So contacting them direct is a good option. I cannot emphasize how crucial a good set-up is to your enjoyment of reso playing. A good cone and a good set-up plus a descent nut width and neck profile will make all the difference. Yours Robn
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Post by mikevernon on Nov 16, 2007 19:06:10 GMT
Hi Luketr Like you I'm new to resonators and I've spent many hours reading all the posts on this website and researching all the budget resonators on the market. I bought a used but perfect Tanglewood metal bodied instrument and at the same time I bought an Ozark, also perfect, thinking that I would keep the one I liked best and sell the other. In fact I'm impressed by both of them. Both seem very well made and finished. At first I thought the Ozark sound a bit louder, but with a new set of strings (Michael Messer Nationals) the Tanglewood sounds just as loud if not louder. I'm assuming from their weight that they are both steel bodied, although the Ozark has the engraved body and inlaid fretboard which their website suggests is only available on the brass model. I also have a wooden bodied Epiphone Biscuit but that is disappointingly lacking in volume and has a slightly flexible neck. I'm going to experiment with different bridges and perhaps a better cone if I can find one. The only other resonator I've tried was a Rally steel bodied in a local guitar shop, but that had far less volume than either of mine. I suppose that could have had an old set of strings fitted. I was tempted by the very cheap Johnson models sold by PeteMusic in Germany, but the models don't coincide with the ones listed on the Johnson website, and PM told me that the cones on their models are not made by Continental. I'd still like to try one, but the reason why a few people on here have recommended Johnson biscuit bridge guitars is that they have Continental cones, so that probably explains why the Petemusic ones are so cheap I've also looked into importing one from the US where they seem cheaper, but the shipping costs are prohibitive and there's the risk of having to pay import duty and VAT. It's a shame that nobody seems to be selling them directly out of Korea or China. In conclusion I would certainly recommend the Tanglewood or the Ozark, although the Harley Benton might be just as good at a lower price. If I were you I'd look out for a secondhand one, and if you don't get on with it or later decide to splash out on something even better, then you can re-sell it without losing a lot of money, Better still, buy one of mine! One thing I would definitely recommend is to buy a copy of Michael Messer's excellent tuition DVD. I've really enjoyed it. Regards Mike
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Post by mistercanetoad on Nov 17, 2007 0:14:07 GMT
If at all possible go out and try a few budget resos, the best are pretty good even compared to some of the more expensive models. The worst are unplayable, even amongst the same batch from the same manufacturer...If you are of a practical nature get something cheap off ebay and take it to bits, find out how these things work and set it up yourself. The hardest thing to sort out for yourself is a dodgy neck angle or alignment. If the action cannot be adjusted by altering the wooden bridge saddle forget it......
The well establised well known makers (eg National Resophonic) produce well made consistantly good instruments but at a price. There are still bargains out there, I bought a 1970s square neck dobro for £350 off ebay and it's a fantastic guitar.
I tried a recent Chinese made Dobro (as opposed to the overpriced, distinctly average Gibson versions) and was very impressed for the price (thanks Bron yr Aur Guitars Bangor N Wales ;D). Perthaps not the very best cone but okay, proper thick plywood body etc. Has anybody else come across these? It seemed to be a good "proper" resonator as opposed to something that was a redesigned dreadnought. .
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2007 10:50:45 GMT
hi Luke I’ve just been through this whole process, so much advice so much good will and two many opinions, i ended up more confused than inspired, the best recommendation i can offer is to go round and play them, I’m sure if you let the forum know what area you live in, some one is bound to know a local shop to go to to try out a few, I’m in the Birmingham area and i found about 3 or 4 different shops with different resonators instruments to try, and as some one suggested earlier you very quickly know what is alright and what is diabolical trash. and most importantly you have to choose what is right for you. Personally i settled for the Epiphone biscuit resonator, and for me it is just right, it’s not very loud but it has a really earthy back yard sound and it suits me and my voice. Also i started a thread called'to up grading or not to up grade' which proved very interesting reading.
All there is to say is the best of luck and enjoy the search
Gareth
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monki
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Post by monki on Jan 28, 2008 17:26:56 GMT
I'm in a similar position here. The more I read and more guitars I play, the more confussing it gets.
At the moment it's a toss up betwen getting the Harley Benton HBN100 and upgrading it, or getting an Ozark 3515BTE.
The Ozark did seem overly heavy, but the sound was good... a lot better than the 3515N I tried. Despite the smaller body, it was a louder and had a much better tone. Is this just the difference between the brass and steel body?
Another reason I looked at the 3515BTE was that I want to play through an amp.
Am I better off getting the HNB100 for half the price and upgrading it, adding a decent resonator pickup, or going for the Ozark and having to do less work?
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Post by robn on Jan 28, 2008 18:54:30 GMT
Hi Monki, I'd advise that you take the pick-up issue out of the equation. You will be disappointed with resonator pick-ups unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money. And the factory fitted options on budget models tend to be poorly balanced and feed back like crazy Buy the best acoustic resonator version you can afford. One of the advantages a reso has over standard acoustic guitars is that they mic up really well - because of the guitars dynamic range. This is also the best (and easiest) way to get the true resonator voice when playing most small venues. Good luck in your search, Robin
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Post by growler on Jan 28, 2008 20:51:40 GMT
HI Monki About two years ago i was going down the same road as you are on, that is buying your first resonator guitar. It is fortunate for you that you have discovered Michaels excellent site, it is jammed packed with excellent advice from himself and a lot of his advisors and forum members ......... I had not discovered it until after i had bought my first reso. What advice Robin has given you I think is exactly right , and I am in total agreement with him on what he says about buying the best acoustic resonator you can afford.
When I bought my first reso I think there were about three budget models available Ozark , Johnston and Vintage, It was unbeknown to me at the time that the last two were basically the same guitar , just the headstock name was different. I did not go for the Qzark because on reading what reviews there were of it at the time, stated that it was very heavy , although the idea of the pick up interested me. I settled for the johnston with a piezo pickup installed in it. I have had this guitar for about 2 years now, as far as I am concerned it has been an excellent entry level guitar, sadly what I paid for it at the time .......... well I know for a fact that you can get a much better resonator now , and cheaper , ( it is at this moment being replaced with a nice new Tricone.)
Going back to this question of pickups in resonators , Robin has given you all the advice you need on fhis, From my own personal experience of using a pickup in a reso, particularly the bottom end of the market pickups ,..... are a complete waste of time. I absolutely hate the amplified sound of my resonator with its piezo pickup, i liken it to playing a resonator made of ' Glass' , the over tones are awful, What you need, and what i wished i had done, is forgot about the pickup and spent the money on a Shure SM57, a much better option.
To give you an example I have recently purchased one of the top end Zoom recorders and over the weekend recorded the resonator plugged straight it to it using its pickup , and the other recording was done with a Shure SM 58 Vocal Mic, The Mic version was just far superior, it sounded just like my reso, but amplified, It wil probably sound even better when I get an SM57.
I hope this advice the advice you have been given by the forum members help you in making your decision
regards Growler
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monki
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Post by monki on Jan 29, 2008 11:41:33 GMT
Finances prevent me from buying anything other than entry level at the moment -I've just spent a load on a new acoustic.
Ozark 3515N seems out as the body was just too heavy and the lack of balance made it really awkward to play.
I've only tried the Vintage tricone so far, again pretty heavy, so i'm going to try and get my hands on a biscuit and see what it sounds like.
Thanks for all your input. Much appreciated.
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Post by wolvoboy on Jan 29, 2008 15:13:22 GMT
iv'e got a nice Resound Dobro for sale,quaterman cone ebony tipped saddle, nice sound very loud and sweet ,also case included,email me for price. wolvoboy@hotmai.co.uk
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Post by wolvoboy on Jan 29, 2008 15:16:57 GMT
I'm sure Gareth wont mind me saying, he played my Dobro on Sunday night and was impressed with it wolvoboy
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antz
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Post by antz on Dec 24, 2020 15:07:19 GMT
Hi guys I’m a newbie to this forum and I’ve just bought my first Resonator with photos attached .. it’s an Ozark which model no idea as it just had a price tag on it and no other information, the store assistant wasn’t helpful regarding the model, his answer was “I don’t know sorry ! “ .. I’ve looked on the interweb and it appears to be an Ozark 3515, from the on-line photo’s .. Ozark 3515 N or B ? , not sure as it weighs in at 3.76kgs / 8lbs 11ozs , no point trying a magnet as it would be attracted to the nickle plating on the guitar body .. no information on the interweb regarding weights of Brass and Steel bodied Ozark guitars, , it’s also strange that there are no serial or model numbers on the guitar, not even a label that can be viewed through the F holes,, so basically stumped , what’s best cleaning option? Chrome cleaner/polish yes or no .. any further info / help would be welcome, about me if it helps , I’m a bassist that can play a few chords on guitar and wanting to learn lap guitarstyle playing hence the Ozark resonator purchase , .. thanks for reading Antz
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