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This haunting thing called a RESONATOR.

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  • Rated: 3 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 12:40 a.m. mauser:

  Hi all,

  Picked up this Johnson resonator about two weeks before the Gretsch Round-up in TN. This thing is beyond me in sound and playing. really, I love the sound, but the way to really play it is causing a little grief. The sound, even for this low-line resonator, is still great, and like the title of the topic says; HAUNTING. I have the open D tuning down, but I was wondering if anyone has one of these gems from the Delta, or if anyone knows of a very helpful website (that doesn't catter to dobro players all the time) to kinda guide me through this thing: I.E. scales, tuning, and how to keep the neck from breaking. She is all aluminum, exsept the neck, and has less than desirable tuners.

  But what a sound!
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  • Rated: 7 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 9:36 a.m. partsman:

  You do realize that dobies are to be played horizonally useing either a glass or metal slide, Like a steel guitar. thats why the strings are set so high. I bought one for my grandson, after a few weeks I realized that he would never get it.
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  • Rated: 3 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 9:59 a.m. mauser:

  Oh, yes...I know, I'm in Bluegrass country after all. Thing is...this isn't a Dobro. Call it a "low-rider" that's possessed.
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  • Rated: 7 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 10:06 a.m. partsman:

  Got it, Sorry for the errent leap.
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  • Rated: 20 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 10:26 a.m. TAG4:

  Which style do you play? The All-Time "Father of Delta Bles" Charlie Patton, played a slide guitar on his lap "Hawaiian" style like the bluegrass Dobro players, but most blues "slide" players play fretted guitars with a high action with their slide (or "bottleneck") on the little finger of the left hand and hold the instrument "Spanish" style so they can also play fretted notes. You have to choose which style you're going to play and go from there. Sounds like you also ought to have a "luthier" have a look at the neck and tuners and probably the string gauge to be sure it can be safely tuned to standard pitch.

  TAG4
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  • Rated: 20 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 12:57 p.m. TwangOmatic:

  i got a johnson resonator for $100 its not aluminum but damn it sounds good for such a cheap guitar. Unfortunately i can't tell you much about playing it since its a whole new thing to me too.
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  • Rated: 83 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 1:17 p.m. Deed Eddy:

  
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  • Rated: 51 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 1:49 p.m. The Norm:

  Taj Mahal plays a National resophonic spanish style. Rather well, I might add. I generally don't like the sound of Nationals but I like his.

  Take care to not make these things any more than what they are.
  They are guitars, first and foremost. There is nothing special about the way they are played that is any different than any other guitar. They just sound special because of the metal cone.

  It's like there are people Very Impressed with 12 string players because "they're playing twice as many strings" when you know it ain't All That. It's Still played like a six.

  ...but I digress... Round necks have more flexiblilty of choice for style applications whereas square necks are designed to be played with a steel.

  Stefan Grossman's website has many teaching videos of players using non-standard tunings with and without slides that you could choose from. Do your homework, steal what licks you can and apply with vigor...
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  • Rated: 3 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 2:20 p.m. mauser:

  Thanks Norm. My true guitar learning experience was done a 12 string and I totally agree with you, aside it's twice as many strings to tune!

  I took my resonator to my local Bluegrass jam last Saturday (and Local I mean I walk across the field and I'm there). Told my mom if I'm not back in ten minutes, it means they like me and I'm not branded a heretic. Brought it out, got to playing it in the open D position, and all they wanted to hear was some Blues. They loved it! For me, it was a whole new thing to learn and tryout with all the different styles: country, Bluegrass, and Gospel. Worked out rather well, even when they didn't play in D.

  Thus far the two styles I've been feverishly looking into is, of course, Delta Blues, and something very strange thanks to a soundtrack...Middle Eastern/Africa/Arab styles. It has the tone to it and when I do (forgive me my lack of knowledge on the proper term) A "spanish" flamigo Chord progression I.E. D-Eb-F, it comes out pretty good. The SOundtrack I heard and have been going back to was from the film "Blackhawk Down" with the song "Mogidushu Blues"...I think. (Pirated song from my now retired swashbuckling days of ripping music...funny, it's when I started playing music when I did retire!)

  Thanks again yall!

  Deed; not to sound stupid, but who's in the picture?...You?
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  • Rated: 13 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 3:00 p.m. seppi65:

  I just picked up a used Regal R3D (wood body, round neck, biscuit cone resonator) on the Bay earlier this week for only two bills. Should get here Friday.

  For the past year I've been doing some fingerpicking Piedmont and Delta kinda blues and would like to learn some slide. I figure I'll start out with a low-end model and see how I like it, before making a big investment that a National would be..
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  • Rated: 56 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 3:18 p.m. otterbean:

  I've been playing a lot of slide guitar lately. I'll start searching the web to see what I can find as far as alternate tunings are concerned. Open E, G, A, and D seem very popular. There is a lot more out there though. I hear that Stew Mac sells a little nut extendeder for about 4 bucks that works really well for turning your standard acoustic into more of a slide style guitar.

  I shimmed the bridge on one of my acoustics to raise the strings enough for me to fret notes and play with the slide too. Wasn't hard to do at all. Of course, the higher I go on the neck, the harder it is to fret notes. I fret most up toward the headstock anyway. I hit the high notes with the slide. Its working for me so far.

  I want one of the Gretsch Historic Series resonators from a few years back. I'll get one eventually.
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  • Rated: 2 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 3:37 p.m. MrCrump:

  Mauser, I learned most of the delta-style blues I know some 40-odd years ago by listening hard to Son House, Willie Brown, Mississippi Fred McDowell, & lesserly Robert Johnson & pre-electric (L of C recordings) Muddy Waters: did most stuff in open G (GDGDBD) rather than D, since most of those guys did...Willie Brown's 'Future Blues' is a good place to start, with that great descending bass-riff down the 2 D-strings, also Mississippi Fred's 'Write Me A Few Short Lines' with a nimble riff using the high D-string; with all this stuff, it's at least 50% rhythm, once you get that thumb good & propulsive, & can syncopate fingers against it, you're well on the way..hope this helps,

  best,

  Crump
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  • Rated: 3 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 6:44 p.m. mauser:

  Thank you Mr. Crump. I will be writing out those guys and looking them up. Only good Delta Blues tracks I have is from the soundtrack to "Black Snake Moan."

  (Samule L. Jackson needs to stick to acting and not singing. Guitar an't bad though)
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  • Rated: 41 ↑

  Aug 13, 2008 7:39 p.m. bwallace1:

  and now here's a wrinkle for you. Skip James, from the same era as those already mentioned, played in open D minor. I forget the exact tuning right now, but I came across it on youtube. just look up Skip James on youtube. a friend of his showed the tuning of the strings.

  when Eric Clapton recorded that tribute album to Robert Johnson, he used alot of open G tuning. Robert Johnson used open E and open G tuning.brent
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  • Rated: 2 ↑

  Aug 14, 2008 3:33 a.m. MrCrump:

  Ah yes, I was forgetting Youtube - footage of both Son House & Fred McDowell on there..
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  • Rated: 13 ↑

  Aug 14, 2008 9:33 a.m. seppi65:

  bwallace1 said: Skip James, from the same era as those already mentioned, played in open D minor

  Found this interesting tidbit while looking for some tab for "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" :

  "Skip's D-minor style was a style peculiar to the Bentonia County, Mississippi area in the '20s and '30s. Others from the same area used the same tuning for many blues tunes, the only other recorded one being Jack Owens."

  Open D-Minor, as I think Skip played it, is DADFAD
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  • Rated: 13 ↑

  Aug 14, 2008 9:44 a.m. seppi65:

  This post has been deleted
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  • Rated: 13 ↑

  Aug 14, 2008 11:00 a.m. seppi65:

  This post has been deleted
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  • Rated: 13 ↑

  Aug 14, 2008 11:14 a.m. seppi65:

  Dang proxy errors!
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  • Rated: 41 ↑

  Aug 14, 2008 5:21 p.m. bwallace1:

  Skip James is the original writter of the song "I'm So Glad". Cream with Eric Clapton later did a version of the song on their first album "Fresh Cream".

  thanks seppi65. my grandfather was from Lincoln County, Mississippi. he tuned to an open E chord. as a kid, I wish I would have paid attention to him more.brent
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  • Rated: 3 ↑

  Aug 19, 2008 7:22 p.m. mauser:

  I have my cheap Gibson Les Paul tuned to open Dm! (Made by baldwin but under license for Gibson). Freak factor went through the roof. Friend of mine was over and got to hear it...damn near knocked him dead.

  And speaking of same friend. Got him totally enthralled with open D tuning blues. So much we went a different friends house and HE HAD TO SHOW THEM HIS NEW PURPOSE FOR PLAYING. Gave him a slide, told him he could keep, "but let me know if a man named 'Ol Scratch comes to your door." The funny thing is, he's a metal/alt. rocker and I got him hooked into delta blues with my resonator.
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  • Rated: 8 ↑

  Aug 26, 2008 10:36 a.m. tidalwave_sideburns:

  Ozark makes really cool resonators:

  http://www.ozark-acoustic.com/guitars/resonators.html

  I have been heavily gassing on one of those 3515BTE models. Fairly cheap too, plus lipstick pickup, low action, are said to be great.

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