Most versatile reso??

[matt237]

Hey all, first time poster on this forum, looks a great friendly place to hang out, with lots of knowledge and experience.

I'm looking to get my first resonator soon, as I love their unique tone, and also with a view to developing my slide playing. I've tried a few different style reso's in the past and am planning on trying more again this year. I understand generally the different tones from the different bridge / cone types and body materials.

I only own one acoustic flat top now, having made the decision a couple of years ago to sell off my electrics, due to not really using them.
My slide playing ability is currently very limited!! My acoustic is set up to within an inch of its life, so its action is a bit too low for smooth slide or lowered tunings.

I'm happy to buy a new reso specifically for the purpose. 

I currently play both finger style and flat pick, and generally dabble in most musical genres (blues, country,  ragtime, pop etc) and 99% in standard tuning.

I imagine my reso will be used for (learning!) slide, open tunings, and also finger style in standard tuning.....as I say, I'm really a novice slider, so I can't say it will be used exclusively for slide.

I'm throwing this out to experienced peoples (you lot!!) for opinion on the most versatile resonator for my needs. I'm looking at any of the MM or Busker resonators as they certainly seem to be well respected for their cost. I definitely like the idea of the Busker Deco tricone, and like the smooth tone of the tricones.

So which Busker / MM reso do you recommend for playing both slide and finger style, standard and open tunings, without being 'pigeon holed' into a certain musical genre??

Sorry for the lengthy post, I hope a bit of background will help your answers

Cheers

Matt

[Michael Messer]

Hi Matt,

Welcome to our forum.

It is very important, when it comes to guitars, to follow your dreams and try what you like the look of. Tricones are beautiful looking guitars.

You would certainly not be making a mistake buying a Busker Tricone, it is the best Tricone around in its price bracket. However, if you are looking for the most versatile resonator guitar, in my opinion that is a single-cone 12 fret brass or wood bodied instrument.

I am sure everyone will have a different viewpoint on this and that you will get some good advice on this thread.

Shine On
Michael

[Dessery]

Hi Matt

Welcome to the forum. Michaels advice is solid. He also makes both wood and metal bodied single cone resonators which are amazing instruments and you won't find better for the money.

I can also vouch for the busker Deco which I own and absolutely love.

One thing I would say though and others may disagree with this is that one is not necessarily more versatile than an other, you could do what you want on a single cone biscuit bridge (national style) or a tricone, or even a spider bridge (Dobro style) guitar, at the end of the day it is really down to personal preference of the sound you like. Single cone biscuit bridge guitars are more traditionally associated with the blues but Eric Clapton plays on a spider bridge and sounds great doing it!!

If you are trying to mimic what you are hearing on CDs though, then as Michael says, a wood or metal 12 fret biscuit bridge resonator is most likely your best bet. MM blues 12 (steel), MM blues 28 (wood) or the MM Lightning (brass) are all exceptional guitars.

Good luck with your search
All the best
David

[stevie2sticks]

Hi Matt

I am new to guitars, having bought a reso two Pocklington Seminars ago :-) my views for what it's worth as a newbie:

1 I played three tunes with my buddies at a Music Event, the first in Open D, second in Open G, and the third yes in standard E. Two slide and one picking. Changing tunings adds to the messing round whilst playing for me. The Lightening sounded fantastic and draws a lot of attention.

2 I now have a MM Lightening which has 13-56 strings and in Open turnings it dont half growl. I also just bought a Blues 28 which has slightly lighter strings which picks and slides good, this is the one I am taking away with me.

They both are awesome for a beginner like me to play. I guess I will move towards the Lightening for slide only and the Blues28 for Open E and some slide.

You will not be disappointed with either.

If you come to Pocklington you will see & hear lots of reso guitars, maybe try out one or buy one second hand. Talk to other very experienced players.

Good luck.
Steve

[Deleted]

Yes. Buy at least two.
I like a dobro for 'rock' type tunes, and a biscuit for the blues stuff.
TT

[slide496]

When Michael demos his resos he does short passages of different styles. Maybe you could make a short list of the different styles you want the reso to handle and then test them on each, wood body and brass, to see if one calls out to you?

[matt237]

Thanks for all the responses so far! Funnily enough, I live close to Pocklington and have family there - I've just seen the thread for the event there later this year, so hopefully will make it. Its good to hear all your views and experience. I guess, same with buying flat tops, its very much a personal preference, and less about having the 'right' instrument for the style. I would certainly buy any of the MM or Busker guitars with confidence, and will do a bit more testing to narrow down which is my preferred tone. And then I guess I can't go wrong with any of them!!

Cheers guys

Matt

[Deleted]

My two cents... I used to be very reluctant to move away from standard tuning, but finally learned to embrace open tunings... don't know if I'll ever go back to standard now. And then, since I like a simple life, I decided only to play in Open G/Spanish... until a recent thread here convinced me to give Open D/Vestapol a try... which I discovered I enjoy just as much.

Fortunately, there's no reason to have only one guitar! In fact, I just today received my latest guitar (I may post pictures soon). So now I have one in each tuning. (For now, I'll retune the Open D guitar for D minor... for now...)

Like you, I'm pretty new to slide -- I like it well enough, but I still prefer fretting. Both of my new resonators came set up out of the box for hybrid playing (I suppose I could put heavier high E strings on them to bring out that string a bit more), and I've had no issues either fretting or sliding.

As for which guitar to choose: I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of choosing a guitar that just makes you want to hold it. So if you're lusting after a tricone (which are indeed really beautiful), then that's the guitar for you!

Of course, I'm not personally a "tone-seeker" -- that's never been a priority for me in choosing a guitar, which I understand is close to blasphemy for some, but there you have it. My main criterium these days is comfort (which is why I've switched to wood-bodied parlor resonators), followed by quality, looks... the tone comes pretty far down on the list, because that can be tinkered with to some extent.

Anyway, one of the most fun parts for me of playing guitar has always been ... shopping for the next one!