HELP needed with ROGUE resonator guitar
Terry
I know I wanted one so I could play Delta Blues.
What I bought is terrible !
I'm afraid to buy another. I might get the same thing.
The one I bought is a ROGUE SPIDER roundneck.
The strings are so high above the frets I can't press down on any
strings.
I know blues player press down on their strings to do "turnarounds",
but there's no way I can on this guitar.
What do I need to know on my next purchase?
Terry in Texas
bk
like if you filed or sanded down the bridge to lower the strings to
closer to the fretboard, you would be in good shape. I have on occasion,
merely slipped the string out of its slot and then reached in there with
a little file and notched the string slot. Or you could take it to
someone to set it up and maybe adjust the nut and neck too. Costs $50
or so in Austin area. billy
Songsmith
up stripping a truss rod nut or worse. Trust me, it's a bargain.
I really like my Rogue spider reso... it was my first reso instrument, it
was cheap and sturdy, and once I shaved down the spider and put decent
strings on it, it sounds pretty good... kind of edgy and bright, it punches
through the mix. Plus, it was $150 US on sale!--->JMS
"bk" <bka...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:l%%rj.20$Mw...@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
Terry
> $50 well spent. If you're a newbie, get a pro to do a setup, or you may wind
> up stripping a truss rod nut or worse. Trust me, it's a bargain.
> I really like my Rogue spider reso... it was my first reso instrument, it
> was cheap and sturdy, and once I shaved down the spider and put decent
> strings on it, it sounds pretty good... kind of edgy and bright, it punches
>
> news:l%%rj.20$Mw...@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
>
>
>
> > Hi Terry, I'm only an amateur duffer with this luthier work, but seems
> > like if you filed or sanded down the bridge to lower the strings to
> > closer to the fretboard, you would be in good shape. I have on occasion,
> > merely slipped the string out of its slot and then reached in there with
> > a little file and notched the string slot. Or you could take it to
> > someone to set it up and maybe adjust the nut and neck too. Costs $50
>
> - Show quoted text -
thanks for all the GOOD inputs ! (sometimes when I ask a question on
these boards I get idiots that have no common sense on how to answer a
simple question, all they want to do is criticize.)
Yes I do want to be able to do some blues "turnarounds" so it sounds
like I need to have it adjust half-way and change the strings
probably.
Right now it's unplayable the way it is.
I'm sure I'll be happy with it once it's playing properly.
I wanted a real cheap one so I could get an idea if this is what I
really wanted to do.
After 35yrs of playing, I just found out about "Open Tuning". It's
great !
I'm strickly a rhythm player with big fat hands, so "Open Tuning" has
open me up to a whole new world of guitar playing.
I don't even use standard tuning anymore.
Thanks,
Terry in Texas (DeSoto)
Red Dog
Regal (I think a paid $175). Also just put in a new cone and did set up on a
new Republic Style-O. Both are now great instruments! If you get in a real
jam or need to discuss what you are doing just let me know and I'll give you
my phone #.
Red Dog
"Terry" <terry...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a5ce6777-9fc4-4e91...@z17g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Benj
> Yes I do want to be able to do some blues "turnarounds" so it sounds
> like I need to have it adjust half-way and change the strings
> probably.
It's not just about "blues turnarounds" but being able to play with
BOTH a slide and fingering the notes on the frets. But remember you do
NOT want an action that is too low (like found on electric guitars) or
your slide won't work properly.
> Right now it's unplayable the way it is.
> I'm sure I'll be happy with it once it's playing properly.
What is "properly" is the question you'll have to answer. Remember
that a slide open tuned guitar has to have a high action for a number
of reasons. One is for the slide (and you'll also want heavy strings
for the same reason). Another reason for a high action is that you
want a resonator guitar to play loud to get that "vintage" sound out
of it. The way the guys used to play is with a kind of down and
pushing-off action with the pick. IF the action is too low then that
loud picking action won't work right. But on the other hand you also
want to be able to finger the notes at the frets. And you especially
don't want the action so high that the strings are stretched out of
tune as you press them to the frets. Compromise! But remember that
fingering on high action guitars is going to take some strength. This
ain't no electric with ultra-light strings you've got!
Now the kick in the butt comes from the fact that adjusting the action
tends to be a kind of irreversible thing on a resonator guitar. You've
got to sand the bridge down to lower the strings. IF you go too far
you have to get a new bridge. They aren't real expensive so if you
plan to try to adjust this yourself buy a few ahead of time. The key
is slow progressive adjustments.
Personally, one reason I love cheap guitars is because I can use them
as learning experiences without risking a fortune. I've done lots of
things to my stable of cheapo resonators. I've changed cones, added
pickups, and got the action just where I want it. Doing a set up is
rather tricky because you have to get it right the first time and you
have to deal with both the bridge and neck. If you can't do a truss
rod adjustment on a standard guitar, it's probably wise not to have a
resonator neck be your first one! On the other hand, in my mind paying
$150 for a setup on a $100 guitar just don't seem right. I'd rather
ruin the guitar and write it off as $100 in guitar setup lessons! On
the other hand, I'd PAY the cash if the luthier would let me watch and
ask questions while he's doing it!
For me the cheapo guitars can be tweeked in to have really great tone
and a playability that certainly passes my standards. For me it's all
about learning how to get the max out of the instrument and this is
where I think learning what does what on a low end guitar is a great
first step toward mastery of the instrument and style. Hey, if you
get into trouble just stop back here and ask questions. The guys here
have a ton of experience with all manner of resonator adjustments and
setups. Hopefully if you ask first and saw second you won't have to
buy too many replacement parts! :-)
Good luck.
Songsmith
were made by mostly poor people, who didn't have money for top-notch
instruments, and had nowhere to take them for pro mods and setups. It's
kinda like Kay upright basses and Valco lap steels... they were meant to be
el cheapo student models, but became so ubiquitous, so common, that the
sound they made actually became the desired sound for their respective types
of music. What that means is, while there are excellent high-dollar reso's
out there, and I certainly wouldn't turn one away, you don't HAVE to pay a
lot, especially with the influx of Chinese and Korean instruments that have
amazingly increased their quality with tooling from shuttered American
factories. I can say, however, that you'll likely eventually make the next
step to higher-quality instruments. I plan to later tonight, when I win the
Powerball Lottery. ;-) -------->JMS
"Benj" <bja...@iwaynet.net> wrote in message
news:3d2849b8-a659-4d8b...@d70g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
Uncle Jimmypie
> a reso were made by mostly poor people,
A little over-romanticized, I think. The 20's and 30's resonators were by
no means the cheapest available guitars at the time. As I understand it,
one of the reasons that National developed single-cone models was that as
the depression hit fewer people could afford the more-expensive-to-produce
tricones. There were always cheaper options than resos. People shelled out
extra cash because they wanted the tone and the volume.
As do we.
That being said, there's some mighty tasty "not-quite-a-National" resos
coming out of Asia these days that do the job.
Uncle JimmyPie
AKA Jim Myers
Red Dog
instrument - I did change out the cone to get the required sustain... but I
think my total cost including the case and National $80 cone was under
$525...
rd
"Uncle Jimmypie" <jvme...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:LeGdnahcevOA5C7a...@comcast.com...
Benj
> > Remember, the kinds of music you make on
> > a reso were made by mostly poor people,
>
> A little over-romanticized, I think. The 20's and 30's resonators were by
> no means the cheapest available guitars at the time. As I understand it,
> one of the reasons that National developed single-cone models was that as
> the depression hit fewer people could afford the more-expensive-to-produce
> tricones. There were always cheaper options than resos. People shelled out
> extra cash because they wanted the tone and the volume.
>
> As do we.
I sort of agree, although there is the thing of playing an instrument
with "character". This would be an instrument that LOOKS like it has
been laying in the swamp for a couple of years, but PLAYS like you
spent thousands for it.
> That being said, there's some mighty tasty "not-quite-a-National" resos
> coming out of Asia these days that do the job.
I totally agree. My Asian Johnson tricone I recently bought has
amazing workmanship and tone. The cones are killer right from Asia.
This is quite different from by first resonator which is a Johnson
biscuit type. That one had an aluminum cone that was soft as hell and
sounded like ass. It had a huge buzz eventually traced to an unglued
"mushroom" and a number of other things that had to be tweeked until
the thing started to be a half-way decent instrument. I was really
impressed with the improvements coming out of Asia these days. The Tri-
cone was quite nice right of the box with no tweeks or setups! [Of
course eventually a few improvements are usually worth the effort. ]
bk
the sounds of a National vs a souped up asian. I don't have a Nat, so
the best I can do is play one at the store and then go home and play
mine. hard to compare that way. I understand that Johnson and
others are using Continental cones, which are pretty good. billy
Tony Done
I have, on a wood body. I spent a lot of time and effort upgrading an Epi
Biscuit - cones, soundposts, hardening the soundwell, general set up. It
sounded good enough that it sold very quickly, but it wasn't in quite the
same class as the Estralita.
I think that a metal body would upgrade closer to a National than a wood
body, but I've never tried it.
Tony D
Benj
> I have, on a wood body. I spent a lot of time and effort upgrading an Epi
> Biscuit - cones, soundposts, hardening the soundwell, general set up. It
> sounded good enough that it sold very quickly, but it wasn't in quite the
> same class as the Estralita.
>
> I think that a metal body would upgrade closer to a National than a wood
> body, but I've never tried it.
All that talk about your Estralite induced me to go look at the
National website again! WOW! It sure seems to have a lot more stuff
there than I remember! It's like a resonator candy store. I love the
recordings they have for each guitar! The Estralita sounded
magnificent. Of course then I searched around for the price! OUCH!
OUCH! OUCH! OK, so my Sam Ash Brownsville Spider doesn't measure up,
but I didn't have to put the house on the subprime market to get
it! :-) Anyway, my Brownsville had a more electric purpose so native
tone wasn't an issue.
But I do have to say in regard to wood body resonators, the high end
ones DO have the tone. I can tell that right from the recording of the
Estralita on the website and there is a wood Dobro roundneck over at
Sam Ash that also has tone to die for (if you've got the several grand
to take it home) Makes the medium grade Fender wood body sound almost
Asian! And we won't even compare to mine.
I'd sure love to be turned loose on the National Website with
unlimited money and an empty shopping cart!
Check out Tony's baby! :
http://www.nationalguitars.com/estralita.html
also see national price list at Elderly:
http://www.elderly.com/brands/national.html
Look at this:
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/NGEDLX2.htm
drool, drool, SO NICE!
Tony Done
Mine is the walnut version, not the fancy koa. I did tart it up a bit by
replacing the pearloid truss rod cover with a nice nickel plated one I made
myself. <g>Typical of the kind of daft thing I like doing.
Tony D