Resonator guitars are a type of guitar that uses a metal resonator cone to produce sound. They first appeared in the 1920s and became a popular choice for blues musicians in the 1930s. Resonator guitars have often been associated with Hawaiian music and the delta blues styles because of their unique tone.
The main difference between a resonator and other electric guitars is that it has a metal cone instead of a wooden body. This design allows for amplification of sound without the need for electric pickups or external speakers. These features make it an attractive option for those who want to play in smaller spaces like apartments or dorm rooms without disturbing neighbors. Although there are many different types of resonators out there, here’s what you should know about them before buying one for yourself!
A Brief History Lesson: The Dobro was developed by John Dopyera in 1928 as an improvement on existing resonator models such as the National Steel Guitar Company’s Tricone model. The Dobro had three cones instead of one, which allowed it to produce louder sounds without distortion at lower frequencies than other resonator instruments like banjos could achieve using just two cones. The name “Dobro” comes from Dopyera Brothers Manufacturing Company Ltd., where John Dopyera worked until 1932
Resonator guitars, also known as Dobros, are a unique style of guitar that produce sound by way of a metal resonator found in the guitar body. The idea was originally conceived by John Dopyera, who left his home country of Slovakia and immigrated to the United States. Together with two of his brothers, he operated the National String Instrument Corporation which manufactured resonator guitars. The company was later renamed to Valco.
The type of resonator most commonly found on resonator guitars is called a tricones. This sort of resonator is composed of three cone-shaped metal plates, two small ones and one large one that is in the middle. These metal plates vibrate when strummed or plucked and this vibration is amplified by the metal plate which forms the body of the guitar. The sound emitted from a resonator guitar has a bell-like quality and it catches your attention due to its uniqueness when compared to other types of stringed instruments.
Resonators are usually made up of an aluminum body with a spun steel cone, spider bridge, and T-shaped cover plate. The cover plate can be made from any number of materials such as wood or nickel silver. Four strings are common on these types of instruments but six strings
Resonator guitars are capable of rich, reverberant tones and they have a very unique sound. They were originally designed to compete with the loud acoustic instruments of their time, such as banjos and mandolins. The first resonator guitars were created around 1926 by John Dopyera and George Beauchamp, who were working for the National String Instrument Corporation (NSI).
Resonators use an innovative sound enhancing technology that has been adapted many times since its invention. Today there are several different types of resonator guitars. The three main types are the dobro, tri-cone, and single-cone resonators. These three types can be found in a variety of different styles.
Dobro is a trademarked name for a style of resonator guitar that was developed by Dopyera in 1927. The dobro resonator guitar uses a single cone and is often played with a slide (called ‘Hawaiian style’ playing). The dobro was originally made from wood but today many are made from metal. The National String Instrument Corporation eventually merged with Dobro to form the National-Dobro Corporation.
Resonator guitars were first developed in the early 1920s to be able to be heard over the loud horns of the big band era. The first models were made of metal, but this proved to be impractical, so wood was substituted for its acoustic properties. The resonator guitar is played like any other guitar, but it sounds completely different due to the addition of a resonator cone.
There are several different types of resonators. All have a round sound hole, like an acoustic guitar. There are three basic types of resonators: round neck (Dobro), square neck (Hawaiian), and tri-cone (National).
The round neck resonator is set up like a normal steel stringed acoustic guitar and can be played in standard tuning by strumming or finger picking like any other acoustic. It has a single resonator cone inside that gives it its distinctive sound.
The square neck is played while sitting down with a slide or bar (metal or glass tube) placed across the strings on one fret and pushed up and down the neck to change notes. This gives it a distinctive “twangy” sound that is used in Hawaiian music or blues.
The National Tri-Cone has three cones inside instead of one and has a
Resonator guitars create sound using a metal cone instead of a traditional wooden sound box. They are loud and bright, and have a distinctive bell-like tone.
Resonator guitars were created in the 1920’s as a louder alternative to traditional acoustic guitars. The resonator guitar was popular with blues musicians, who used it to be heard over the horns and drums of their bands.
The resonator guitar has been used by many musical styles since its invention. Other musical styles that use this type of guitar include country, bluegrass, folk and slide guitar. Resonators are also widely used for Hawaiian music.
There are three main types of resonator guitars: squareneck, roundneck, and tricone.
Squarenecks are played with a steel bar held horizontally across the strings, parallel to the floor. They are generally played on your lap or against your leg (like a dobro). They have a mellower tone than roundnecks or tricones, and are used mostly for country or Hawaiian music. Some modern players use them for blues as well.
Resonator guitars were built to amplify the sound of the guitar in a time before electric pickups were perfected and added to guitar designs. They were used primarily for blues and country music, though they’ve crossed over into other styles as well and are still used in all those genres today.
The resonator was designed to amplify the sound of the guitar by using a metal cone instead of a wooden sound board. The body is hollow and the bridge that holds the strings sits on top of the cone, causing it to vibrate with each note played. This produces a louder sound than other acoustic guitars.
There are three basic types of resonator guitars:
Single Cone
This was the first design, created by John Dopyera in 1927 when he got tired of hearing complaints from musicians that they needed louder instruments (the electric pickup wasn’t invented yet). The single cone resonator has a large cone made out of spun aluminum sitting in the middle of the guitar’s body. It transfers energy from the strings through bridge to the cone, which amplifies it and sends it out through the sound hole, which is f-shaped on resonator guitars…
Resonator guitars are guitars which produce sound by carrying string vibration through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones, instead of to the sound board (the top of an acoustic guitar). Resonators 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 distinct from electric guitars, which rely on electronic amplification to make their sound loud enough.