| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| basilking |
Posted - 10/03/2011 : 4:50:58 PM
I've not seen nor played one but there's an opp'ty lurking. String-to-string spacing's a tad tighter than my Fender Deluxe 8 or Oahu Squareneck 6 but the idea of having a "tight-6th" 8-str tuning plus a coupla lower/bass strings in an acoustic steel is intriguing.
Anyone have thoughts/experience on this? It's a "quality"/American/semi-vtg resonator squareneck, apparently always from origin a 10-str device. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| slipry1 |
Posted - 02/20/2012 : 8:52:25 PM
More than the steel you use, it's the material the Rsonator guitar is made of. Dobros are all plywood, so their sound gets thinner as you go up the neck. My Krauss resonator guitars are solid koa with a Sitka spruce top and maple innards, so they sound rich and full all the way up the neck. I use a heavier John Perce 5/8" bullet bar because it rests well on the strings. That helps the sound, too. Slants are easier with a bullet bar, too. btw, Alan Akaka insists that the bar should NEVER be lifted off the strings unless you're doing single sting stuff. String blocking is done with the right hand,like pedal steeler do. Alan got this from Jerry Byrd. |
| basilking |
Posted - 02/12/2012 : 9:37:57 PM
Thx, Jack. Current "issue" is that a BIG/less-than-ideally-manipulatible Ernie Ball "bullet" steel [~11 oz] sounds "best" from this Dobro. Fat & sweet.
I've a 7.5 oz Robt Randolph tm steel for my Dlx 8 that's much more physically tractable; sadly its sound w/8-str Dobro seems clearly thinner/more strident to me & to my Hawai`ian wife [blind-tested w/her].
I've ground a rounded "toe" on the Robt R'dlph, it's pretty functional, physically. The harder-to-slant/etc "bullet" steel just sounds better on the now-8-str Dobro.
Any thoughts?
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| slipry1 |
Posted - 02/02/2012 : 08:25:21 AM
Good! I have 3 resonator guitars - my old 8 string Dobro from 1977, and a 6 and an 8 string koa/spruce top made by Dave Krause of Seattle in the last 2 years. Instead of screens, Dave carves out dolphins, which REALLY makes them look Hawaiian! I have the 8 stringers in C6/Bb with a G on top, and I keep the 6 string in B11. They're great for kanekapilas where there's no electricity. btw, since there is no plywood in the Krause guitars, they are as rich at the neck as they are open. The sound of my Dobro thins out as I go up the neck. I'll post some pics later. |
| basilking |
Posted - 02/01/2012 : 2:38:00 PM
[quote]Originally posted by basilking
Was outa town fr early Dec til last week, picked up converted-to-8-str OMI Dobro en rte home. It's a beast.
String-spacing's ok but complexity of overtones/"richness" of sound really stands out to me [& luthier too]. He replaced the maple saddle with brazilian rosewood. Don't know that's the key, could be voodoo, but goodness-sakes-alive it doesn't sound "dobro-whiney" at all. Very loud [if needed] but fat tone. Now have the acoustic version of my sgl Dlx Fender 8 that I'd fantasized. Gotta learn to play it better now...
Before [L] & after [R]:
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| basilking |
Posted - 02/01/2012 : 2:36:08 PM
Was outa town fr early Dec til last week, picked up converted-to-8-str OMI Dobro en rte home. It's a beast.
String-spacing's ok but complexity of overtones/"richness" of sound really stands out to me [& luthier too]. He replaced the maple saddle with brazilian rosewood. Don't know that's the key, could be voodoo, but goodness-sakes-alive it doesn't sound "dobro-whiney" at all. Very loud [if needed] but fat tone. Now have the acoustic version of my sgl Dlx Fender 8 that I'd fantasized. Gotta learn to play it better now...
Before:
After:
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| basilking |
Posted - 11/10/2011 : 3:01:46 PM
Dropped 10 str Dobro w/luthier today for conversion to 8 [or 9 if string-spacing allows]. This AM digging in '57 Fender Dlx 8 case for info on string guages I discovered bill of sale fr 10 years ago. Didn't realize at that time Brad Bechtel was a lap/reso luminary when I picked up the 8 @ his ofc So of Mkt in SF. Back to topic - will have "before & after" pix of conversion to share down the road. |
| basilking |
Posted - 10/23/2011 : 4:50:45 PM
Mahalo to all kind support/info. Am on the road in NM just now but upon rtrn to Lost Angeles have committed to acquire said 10-str after phone consultation w/luthier. Take a few wks to get it in hand, another for luthier's conversion [reversible] to 9-or-8-str depending on in-hand-evaluation. Will report. Thx again Keaka & all others! |
| slipry1 |
Posted - 10/22/2011 : 10:06:27 AM
Excuse the typos above. My dyslexia is raging this morning. For a very good review about lap steels, check out Brad's Page of Steel on the web. It's very educational and well produced. |
| slipry1 |
Posted - 10/22/2011 : 10:03:39 AM
I have a Rickenbacher B10 from the early 40's, so they were around then. Eddie Alkire developed the Alkire E-Harp, a 10 string lap steel, and put it on the marked in 1939. There must have been others. I keep min in a (proprietary 0 don't ask me)hybrid B11/C6 tuning, so I can play both without retuning. |
| slipry1 |
Posted - 10/22/2011 : 09:56:55 AM
quote:
Originally posted by basilking
I'm not a bluegrasser but there's a remarkably-accomplished dobro player named Jerry Douglas who plays 8-string Dobro. It's a signature model made by Beard [in USA, not the imported-parts/US-assembled Goldtone series]. Jerry's nicknamed "Flux" because of the fluidity and deftness of his playing in diverse ensembles including with Alison Krauss. Jerry appears on a track or 2 in Led's "Waltz of the Wind" record.
A US-Beard-made 8-str would be ~$4K as I understand it. The Chinese-parts ones're well under $1K. I'd be able to accomplish the same "investment" if I go for this 10-str & convert it.
Jerry's got a pickup installed in his. I might do that but my primary goal's to be able to do in a low-key/acoustic kanikapila some of what I can do on the Fender Dlx 8 [mid-'50s, like Gabby's; my playing's NOT anywhere near like Gabby's...]
I've played an 8 string Dobro since 1977. Got it from the Dopyera brothers (Jon & Rudy) at the factory. I was looking for a 7 string model, but the only one was the ShoBro from ShoBud (Shot Jackson). I had nothing on the bottom string and tuned it (from low to high) G B D D B D E. Then I met Don Helms at the 1978 NAMM show, and he showed me his E tuning. Because I was playing with folkies, I tuned mine to a D7 tuning - A D F# G A D F# A, until I started with Hawaiian steel. Since then it's been in C6/Bb tuning. Back in 78' I showed it to Mike Auldridge at McCabes, and the next time he came west, he had a Dobro 8, known as "the mighty 8". I also have a six string Krauss koa resonator guitar which I keep in B11 tuning. |
| Konabob |
Posted - 10/22/2011 : 06:29:32 AM
Sonny Lim asked me if I would build him an 8 string that has the tone and spacing of my 6 string. So I am looking for a twin bar humbucker that can handle the 77mm string spacing. My 6 string uses a Benedetto B7 pickup. Deep rich tone and ample room for wide string spacing. If any of you know of a pickup that would meet these requirements, let me know!
Aloha,
-Konabob
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| basilking |
Posted - 10/21/2011 : 5:50:57 PM
Mahalo, Chris! I'm travelling but my luthier's reported it's not ex$pen$ive or difficult to turn the 10-str Dobro into an 8 w/"better" string-spacing. @ road trip's end I'll probably move forward on this. Luthier would do ez-reversible mods; if it doesn't work out well I'll probably pass it along, look at the Goldtone 8. This particular Dobro 10 is from the very end of the John & Emil Dopyera era, hope it wouldn't be hard to find another home for if it doesn't "stick'. I don't think they did much of any hand-work on these last-gasp Dobros but they're still made "by" as in "under ownership/supervision of" the originators of reso-world.
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| seldomfed |
Posted - 10/12/2011 : 04:41:07 AM
RE: 10 string steels. Reece Anderson makes and sells his SuperSlide electric steels in any size you want up to 12 strings. I've seen him play is 12 string and he is amazing. The swing stuff he does is excellent. These are cool guitars!
http://www.msapedalsteels.com/html/homess.html |
| seldomfed |
Posted - 10/12/2011 : 04:35:40 AM
Aloha -
I have played both models of the Beard 8 strings. I played Mike Auldridge's (with him watching!) and I played the Beard/Goldtone 8 string at the Dallas Steel show. Both are nice.
Yes the Beard is almost $4k, The Goldtone Beard is about $900
The string spacing is a bit more narrow so you have to get used to it, but you can with a bit of practice. If you play pedal steel and dobro both you know this - you can adjust quickly.
I just got a new Beard/Goldtone Signature series 6 string this summer and I love it. It's not expensive and well made. The sound is very good and I wager in most situations you can't tell this one from the $4000 Beards etc. I had the new Aura Fishman pickup put in and use the Jerry Douglas Aura pedal with it- a recommended combination. It sounds fantastic plugged in with no feedback.
Be aware that if you intend to use a C6 tuning you must alter your string guages - you can't crank a dobro set of strings to C6 :)
chris |
| basilking |
Posted - 10/05/2011 : 10:57:44 AM
I'm not a bluegrasser but there's a remarkably-accomplished dobro player named Jerry Douglas who plays 8-string Dobro. It's a signature model made by Beard [in USA, not the imported-parts/US-assembled Goldtone series]. Jerry's nicknamed "Flux" because of the fluidity and deftness of his playing in diverse ensembles including with Alison Krauss. Jerry appears on a track or 2 in Led's "Waltz of the Wind" record.
A US-Beard-made 8-str would be ~$4K as I understand it. The Chinese-parts ones're well under $1K. I'd be able to accomplish the same "investment" if I go for this 10-str & convert it.
Jerry's got a pickup installed in his. I might do that but my primary goal's to be able to do in a low-key/acoustic kanikapila some of what I can do on the Fender Dlx 8 [mid-'50s, like Gabby's; my playing's NOT anywhere near like Gabby's...] |
