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Before you read this, I feel morally obliged to offer some advice: If you're thinking of buying your first Resonator guitar - Don't do it to yourself!!!
These instruments are more addictive than Crack Cocaine!
About 6 months ago a good friend of mine bought his first Resonator and within two weeks his wife told him to either sell it or the marriage was over. It was a real shame. They'd had 15 good years together and their kids were heartbroken when he moved out.
So there, you've been warned!
Anyhow...
For acoustic slide playing, the instrument of choice is the resonator (also known as a "Reso-phonic") guitar. These instruments, commonly known by the trade name of Dobro (First patented by R. Dopyera in 1929), where originally manufactured during the 1920's by two companies, Dobro and National guitars. For more on the history of these instruments I'd recommend Wikipedia's entry on Resonator guitars.
They are distinctive for their metallic, haunting, tone. This unique sound is the result of having a metal cone (sometimes more than one) inside the body of the guitar which was originally designed to increase the volume of the guitar. This is usually concealed by a round metallic plate on the front of the guitar. Dobro and National guitars are produced both with timber and metal bodies. The wooden-bodied models generally have a warmer tone. These guitars, both vintage and new models, are expensive to buy. However a number of companies in Asia have been producing affordable copies for a number of years, of varying quality. Some of these companies include: Regal (originally produced in Chicago but now manufactured in Korea), Epiphone, Samick, Sakura and several other brands. These Asian copies are sometimes very hard to fault, although many suffer from having poor tonal characteristics due to their use of unseasoned timbers. Many of these guitars will improve tonally with age though.
These can be divided into two different types: Single-Cone and Tri-Cone
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Single Cone Resonators:
These are made with either wooden or metal bodies and either a "Spider" or "Biscuit" style cone. If you look at the above picture of these two types, you will notice that the Spider style uses a concave (pointing inward) cone, while the Biscuit cone is convex (pointing outward). These variations in design give a very different tone to the instruments.
The Spider style was patented by Dobro guitars in 1929, whereas the Biscuit style was developed by National Guitars.
Generally speaking, metal-bodied types, particularly with a "Biscuit" cone have a more Bluesy tone, while for Bluegrass and Country music the wooden-bodied, Spider-cone style is preferred.
Metal-bodied resonators are usually constructed of either Bell-brass or steel, each metal having different tonal characteristics. For more information on the differences between the two I recommend Bob Brozman's excellent site
Many metal-bodied resonators are often intricately engraved or sand-blasted such as these pictured below:
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Resonator guitars can have either a traditional round neck, or a square neck cross-section. The square-necked guitars are designed for playing while the instrument is laid out flat on the players lap. They usually have a much higher action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard). This style of playing (and instruments designed for this style of playing) is often referred to as "Lap-steel". Square-necked models also usually have the tuners on the headstock inverted for easier access.
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 Legendary country Slide player Jerry Douglas |
I usually think of these as coming in two different types. The first type is an acoustic resonator that has had a pickup fitted into it. The second type is an electric guitar that has had a resonator fitted into it. Either of these modifications may be the way the instrument was produced in the factory or an after-market modification.
The guitar pictured on the left below is a Dobro manufactured by Moserite in the 1960's, known as a "Californian", fitted with single-coil pickups.
The guitar on the right is a Jay Turser, fitted with a mini-humbucker and a Piezo pickup under the bridge.
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Pictured below is a Fender resonator fitted with a "Lipstick" style single-coil pickup. This is an example of a factory-made acoustic resonator with pickup. Various pickups can be fitted to acoustic resonator guitars. Single coils seem to be more popular, due to the fact that thyey have a tone closer to an acoustic guitar. Gibson's P-90 single-coil pickups are a popular choice as an after-market modification. For an amplified resonator guitar sound that is true to the original tone of the instrument, specialised pickups are preferred and there are several manufacturers who produce pickups specifically made for the various types of resonator. |
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Not just guitars have had resonators added to them! Banjos, Mandolins, Ukeleles, Bass guitars, Violins, Double Basses and even Balalaikas have been given the resonator treatment, here's a few examples...
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This site highly recommends... |
1930's Resonator advert
Dopyera Brothers 1929 resonator guitar patent:
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