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Resonator Bass


Sawtooth
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[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1142887' date='Feb 26 2011, 11:18 PM']Very cool. I thought I was the only Basschatter with a Reso Bass[/quote]
Ooh that's nice! I've never seen another one either. Is that a true acoustic or electro?
Mine's acoustic, I just wanted something I could leave around the house and pick up and play simply, luckily the Wife thinks it looks cool so doesn't mind!
I find it surprising how much more I enjoy playing just picking it up and noodling when passing it, rather than having a strict practice time or area.
Plus you can't beat sitting in the garden on a summers day jamming some 12 bar! :)
If I may ask, what string type, gauge and brand do you use?


[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1142918' date='Feb 26 2011, 11:50 PM']Very nice. Must be a bit of a farce keeping it shiny though...[/quote]
Oh yeah! I gave up on the obsessive polishing a long time ago and only cleaned it this time because I spilt a sticky drink on it.
Luckily, I love the look of it when it dulls with smudges and dirt, it gives off a very rootsy blues vibe.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the nice replies. :)

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='1155784' date='Mar 9 2011, 08:09 PM']Yowza! Are they very expensive?[/quote]
Mine was around the £350 mark brand new in 2004, it was the only one I could find in the UK back then. I've just done a search and the Electo-Acoustic version is around £380 now.


[quote name='Blademan_98' post='1155788' date='Mar 9 2011, 08:15 PM']Oh my, GAS has just strck me...... again![/quote]
I can probably ease that gas like an alka seltzer ....

Cons:
-it's a bit of an ol' dog to play - he ain't called 'Basstardo' for nothing.
-I'm not saying the actions high, but you can smoke a cuban cigar between the strings and the body.
-being a nickel plated steel body, it's a 'touch' neck light.
-if you want to keep it shiney, don't ever touch it.
-everyone will assume it's a guitar and ask you to "play some slide mister"
-if you're outdoors in the sunshine, you may blind anyone within a 100 yards.





Pro's:
-it looks so cool! If Captain Jack Sparrow played bass ..... :)
-if you're outdoors, everyone will comment on it, from little kids to pretty girls to old ladies.
-it's a good weapon for keeping sticky fingered little kids at bay (and jealous boyfriends)
-if you can play this you can play most basses.

Volume wise it isn't much louder than any other acoustic played fingerstyle, great for personal practise but gets drowned out with 1 or 2 acoustic guitars.
Much louder played with a pick though if you really dig in.
Tonewise it's all on it's own. I spent quite a bit of time trying different strings to tame the harshness of the steel and make it a bit more bass like, but it lost all it's character.
Best to play to it's strengths, I've just thrown some bronze wires back on it and enjoy it's country blues style twang and breadth of tone. I love it. :lol:
It ain't for everyone, but it is for me.




Cheers,
Dave.

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[quote name='Jerry_B' post='1156057' date='Mar 9 2011, 11:19 PM']Is there a reason that the action is high on this type of bass (assuming you've maybe tried to tweak it so it's lower)? And how is it a bit of an ol' dog to play?[/quote]

Hi Jerry, thanks for your interest. The action on a resonator is setup during manufacture of the bass and it's only the trussrod that can be adjusted after.
The bridge on mine under the fixed cover is called a 'biscuit' bridge, which is a slotted, curved wooden block attached to a plastic biscuit which is attached to a 'floating' aluminium cone -
(looks a bit like an upside-down Hartke speaker cone).
When the string is plucked the vibrations are passed through the wooden bridge, picked up and amplified by the cone, resonating throughout the steel body.
The string ball ends are held in a fixed tailpiece and travel over the wooden bridge and up the fretboard.

Here's a couple of pics I've just taken ...






The only way to lower the action would be to deepen the slots in the wooden bridge. It's not a job I feel needs doing though as the bass is playable and I feel a higher action really makes
you dig in and get that cone working!

To call the bass an ol' dog was a bit harsh of me, it all depends what your used to playing.
If your normal bass is an ergonomically carved, lightweight curved beauty that hugs you like a well toned ballet dancer - you'd be in for a shock.
This bass feels more like holding a drunk Russian sailor in a headlock.

It's over 3" deep of steel without a forearm curve in sight, more a case of adjusting your technique to suit the instrument.
It balances surprisingly well on your lap though, but I've never tried it on a strap as there's only 1 button. I suppose you could tie it to the headstock if needed.
It is what it is - a mid priced resonator guitar with a bass neck glued onto it. I would not expect too much finesse at this end of the market anyway as a good quality reso guitar is at least £500 and up into the thousands.
Like I said, it's great fun for jammin' outdoors or just lying around the house as you don't have to worry about it getting knocked or falling to pieces.

Cheers,
Dave.

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Actually, it sounds like my kind of bass. Thanks for the info! I tend to like the ones you have to fight with a bit :) After having a quick looksee on-line it seems they still retail around the 370 quid mark, which surprises me as I thought they'd cost alot more. All in all, very nice!

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  • 1 year later...

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1342881342' post='1742334']
Nice resonator.

As I was in a 'reso' kinda mood, I thought I'd show you mine:

[attachment=113741:reso_3.jpg]
[/quote]

Is that a Dimarzio Model One pickup in there?

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Continuing the 'reso mood', herewith a few more shots:

[attachment=113806:reso_4.jpg] [attachment=113807:reso_5.jpg] [attachment=113808:reso_6.jpg]

[attachment=113809:reso_7.jpg] [attachment=113810:reso_8.jpg] [attachment=113811:reso_9.jpg]

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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1342960068' post='1743129']
Continuing the 'reso mood', herewith a few more shots:

[attachment=113806:reso_4.jpg] [attachment=113807:reso_5.jpg] [attachment=113808:reso_6.jpg]

[attachment=113809:reso_7.jpg] [attachment=113810:reso_8.jpg] [attachment=113811:reso_9.jpg]
[/quote]

Very, very nice!

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