Resonator question

[J-200 Koa]

I stumbled on to a Dobro, bought it, and realized I know

nothing about resonator guitars. Immediately upon receiving it,

I tuned it to standard and within 2 minutes.....the high E

string broke. I knew the strings were old so I re-strung with a set of

Martin lights. They were the same gauge that came on the

guitar but the tension on the smaller strings is really high.

I then researched resonator strings and most have a 16

high E string. Are normal guage guitar strings too weak for a resonator

and should I go with the thicker "resonator specials"? My fingers

are going to be really sore with 16s.

[jt]

It's got those heavy strings becasue it was tuned down to open G (DGDGBD) or open D (DADF#AD). If you're going to play in standard tuning, do your fingers and the guitar a favor and use light (12s) gauge strings.

 

When I gig, I play about a third of my set on my 1932 National tricone. I like open D, but most dobro players like open G (or a variant of it).

[J-200 Koa]

Thanks John!

[TWilson]

I have D'Addario EJ-17's on mine (13's) and play it like a guitar.

[Rambler]

It depends (standard answer, what?) on tunings being sued and so forth. A dobro dedicated to open tunings and hawaiian play would be different from one you want to play in standard a fret some (for ex Paul Rishell told me he uses lights on his Tricone).

 

Here's what the folks at National Resophonic have to say about it:

http://www.nationalguitars.com/admin/faq.html

[Hoyt]

From my limited experience, the heavier strings -- like 16s -- are typically used by lap style players using a slide/bar. You can use a round neck for lap style, but most of the experts use square (flat) neck resonators and heavier strings since they aren't fretting notes with their fingers.

 

I have another makers' round neck resonator that I play like a regular guitar, and have usually used 13s. Although a week or so ago, I strung it with 11s and it is very nice sounding for recording. Although, I'd go back to 13s if playing in a group.

[Todd Wilson]

I've had a resonator for 4 and a half years now (first guitar I bought), and I only recently put the heavier Reso strings on it. I've routinely used regular Martin Medium strings tuned to standard, down a half step, open G, open D, and DADGAD, with no problems, and I play ridiculously hard.

 

 

I've always liked the way a reso sounds in standard tuned down a half step, but it's obviously great for open tuning and slide which I prefer.

 

 

The key to improving on the reso, is listening to stuff played on reso's.

[QuestionMark]

Its quite common for square neck resonator players to use a second string in place of the first string. A regular first string doesn't supply the same support with the slide bar pressing on it as a heavier second string does. I also seldom change the strings on my square neck resonators as the stiffness of older strings work better with the slide aspect of the instrument. Keep in mind, on a square neck the strings are way high off the neck and the slide serves as fretting...the frets on the neck are there only for markers, the strings should never touch them, otherwise the sustain of the slide is ruined and there's buzzing. So using a heavier first string (a second string in its place) helps keep the first string from bending and being pressed against the fretboard. Some round neck slide players use the the same technique. Hope this helps.

 

QM