Resonator guitars are a unique instrument that requires more attention than other stringed instruments. Resophonic guitars can be tuned and maintained in a similar manner to acoustic guitars but with some added caution. The body of the resonator is made up of mostly brass and steel parts, so care must be taken not to scratch or dent these metals.
When tuning your guitar to pitch, avoid striking the strings directly against the frets. This can lead to unwanted scratches on the neck or frets themselves. If your guitar has snail-type tuners, make sure you tune down first, rather than up. This will prevent back-bending of the shafts which can lead to them snapping off during tuning. To tune up from a lower pitch, loosen the strings completely and then re-tune.
There are several types of resophonic strings available for your guitar. You can purchase phosphor bronze wound or stainless steel round wound strings. The traditional style, phosphor bronze wound strings will provide a warmer tone that sounds very much like an acoustic guitar with a heavy bass end response. The stainless steel round wound strings produce a brighter tone that’s more reminiscent of a banjo. These stainless steel strings have less volume and sustain but they are rust resistant, which is an
Resophonic guitars are a great instrument to play because they are beautiful to look at and have a sound unlike any other guitar. Yet, these instruments can be very temperamental and require a great deal of care and maintenance. Here is some information regarding the proper care of your resophonic guitar.
First, it is essential that you take steps to minimize the amount of moisture your guitar is exposed to. When playing outdoors, especially in damp climates, it is crucial that you protect your instrument from getting wet. Cover it with a blanket or towel if rain is predicted or in the event it starts raining while you are playing. Also, keep your guitar away from heat sources such as radiators and space heaters, as well as cold sources such as windows and air conditioners. Humidity should also be monitored. If you live in an area with high humidity levels, use a dehumidifier in the room where you store your guitar. If you live in a dry climate, keep a humidifier on hand so you can increase humidity levels when necessary.
In addition to protecting your guitar from environmental factors, there are also measures you can take to care for the metal parts of your instrument and improve its sound quality. The brass parts of your resonator can
Resonator guitars, also known as resophonic guitars, are metal bodied acoustic guitars. They emit an incredibly beautiful sound and have an interesting history. The resonator guitar was originally made to be louder than traditional acoustic guitars in order to compete with banjos and fiddles in early jazz and blues bands.
Resonator guitars have become increasingly popular over the years, but they can be a tricky instrument to care for properly.
The most important thing to understand when caring for a resonator guitar is that it is not a traditional wooden body acoustic guitar. These instruments are made of metal and require different upkeep than their wooden counterparts. The first thing you will need to do before playing your resonator guitar is tune it up. While this may seem obvious, tuning a resonator guitar is more complicated because of the cone inside of it that amplifies the sound of the strings. This cone needs to be positioned properly in order for the guitar to be tuned correctly. If you try to tune your resonator guitar without placing the cone properly, you will find that your instrument does not stay in tune well or sounds faint and tinny.
It is important to keep your guitar maintained and tuned. This blog gives you tips on how to do so.
Tuning:
1. Tune using a chromatic tuner which can be downloaded to your phone or obtained from any music store.
2. Place the tuner close to the sound hole to get the best reading. Tuning strings over the 12th fret will give you a distorted signal and make tuning more difficult.
3. Tune the C string then tune the G, D and A strings in that order (tuning lowest pitch string first).
4. Tune each string until it is in tune with itself. Make sure all pairs of strings are in tune before tuning other strings in the pair (C & G, D & A).
5. If you are using a digital tuner, it may not be able to register the low frequency of the C string so you may want to tune this string by ear or use an app such as insTuner Free – Chromatic Tuner which is meant for stringed instruments like guitars and has a wider range of frequencies it can detect.
Congratulations on your purchase of a resonator guitar. You may be wondering about the best way to care for your new instrument. After all, you’ve just spent a good amount of money on an investment that should bring you years of enjoyment and pride.
To properly care for your guitar, follow these recommendations:
1. Keep it in its case when not in use. Dust, sunlight, and temperature changes can wreak havoc on a guitar’s finish. A humidifier is also recommended.
2. Never clean the finish with any type of polish or furniture cleaner that contains silicone because they cause severe damage to the finish. In fact, avoid using any cleaners at all until you really need to use one.
3. Use only a clean lint-free cloth to wipe down the body of your guitar after playing it. This can be done daily without harming the finish or the sound quality of your instrument.
4. For routine maintenance, use only a soft cloth lightly moistened with water or denatured alcohol when necessary to remove fingerprints and other hand oils from the body and neck of the guitar.
5. Never use cleaning compounds (such as brass polish or metal cleaners) or commercial polishes on any part of your guitar that has a plated finish
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar that produces sound by carrying string vibration through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones, instead of to the sound board via a conventional soundwell and soundboard. Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than regular acoustic guitars, which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion instruments in dance orchestras. They became prized for their distinctive sound, however, and found life with several musical styles well after electric amplification solved the issue of inadequate guitar sound levels.
Resonator guitars are played in many bluegrass bands and in blues (particularly Hawaiian music and country blues). Several Hawaiian lap steel guitars were also made out of them.
The resonator guitar was invented in 1927 by John Dopyera, who had previously worked as a machinist for the National String Instrument Corporation (National). The following year, he formed the Dobro Manufacturing Company with his brothers Rudy and Ed, and Vic Smith. Production began in 1929 under the brand name “Dobro” (from DOpyera BROthers), which was licensed by Dopera’s company to other companies.[1]
Dobro is both a common brand name and the generic term for all resonator guitars. The word “Dobro”
The resonator guitar is a type of guitar that on the very basic level has a large, circular perforated cover plate (resonator) under the bridge. It has a resonator to increase the loudness of the sound produced by the instrument. Resonators may be made from metal or wood.
The resonator guitar was originally designed to be louder than regular acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion instruments in dance orchestras. This style of guitar is also associated with bluegrass music and country western.
The body of a resonator guitar may be made of wood, metal, or occasionally other materials. Typically there are two main sound holes, positioned on either side of the fingerboard extension. In the case of single-cone models, sound holes may be either circular or D-shaped, and both single- and twin-cone models typically have a second smaller sound hole in the back of the upper bout to accommodate a second resonator cone (or “biscuit”) and its bolts.
An important component in playability is whether or not the fingerboard extends over the rim (or “top”) of the body. If it does, it is known as an extended fingerboard, if not it is referred to as flush with the rim