The jook's guide to the reso

As a child, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandparents' house, and I would often sit with my Aunt while she played her big old LP records. She was very much a part of the 60s blues boom (she sang in a band that included Zoot Money and Andy Summers, later of Police fame) , and, as she had a day job in a record store, she was able to get rare US imports. She would play Sonnie and Brownie, Leadbelly, Lightnin', Ray Charles and Muddy, but the records I liked best, the wildest, the rawest, the most real of all of them were by two guys, Son House and Bukka White, who both had these weird metal bodied guitars with big hubcap things on the front where the soundhole should have been. The sound they made was a lot different to my Aunt's Spanish nylon-strung acoustic, which I attributed to the fact that they were made of metal - but as we shall see, that is only part of the story.




I became fascinated by these archaic instruments from a different era, and really coveted one. In fact, it was not until ten years later when I was 17 that I even actually saw one in the flesh and held it in my hands (and, even then, that was in New York, not in England) and many years later until I actually owned a metal-bodied resonator guitar. I had to be content with a Japanese copy of a Dobro, which was the nearest thing I could possibly get hold of - it sure didn't sound like Son House, but it did have the hubcap thing on the front.


I know a lot of people are curious about resonator guitars, and I often get asked about them at gigs and so on. Usually the main place people relate them to is the Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms cover. I know this iritates some resonator players, but at least it gives people an idea of what a resonator looks like. (What iritates me is people saying, "Oh, so it's like a banjo, then, is it?")
The following is a brief introduction to the resonator guitar, which I hope will explain some of the most-often asked questions.

This is a (fairly) modern copy of an early wooden National, made by the Regal company.


Resonator guitars differ from conventional acoustic guitars by having an internal mechanical amplification system, and it is this which gives them their distinctive tone, and to an extent, appearance. Resonators are all built to the system of one or other of the major, original manufacturers, National or Dobro, although cosmetic, external design may vary. The internal amplification system was developed in the late 1920s to enable guitarists to achieve greater volume in the days before electric guitars had been invented. In 1927, John Dopyera, a Slovak who emigrated to America, invented the tricone system of mechanically amplifying a stringed instrument with internal resonator cones. The amplification was achieved by suspending a resonator cone, or cones, inside the body of the guitar - the cone is connected to the bridge of the guitar, so that the vibration of the strings is transmitted to the cone which acts in the same way as a loudspeaker cone and amplifies the sound. The body of the guitar acts as the loudspeaker box, which is why metal bodied resonators sound brighter and louder - the metal body is more reflective than wood.

The essential difference between National guitars and Dobros is not that Nationals are metal bodied whilst Dobros are wooden, as many people think (there are wooden Nationals, and metal Dobros), but in the different designs of the resonator systems employed. National uses two systems - the tricone which uses three 6 inch resonators set in a triangle, and the single cone, which uses a 9 1/2 inch cone. With the tricone design, the bridge is shaped like a T with the cones suspended from the three ends of the bridge. This system provides impressive volume and sustain. With the single cone system, the cone is suspended from the biscuit (a block of wood about the shape and size of an ice hockey puck) in which the bridge is set. In both National designs, the sound is transmitted to the centre of the cone or cones.

The tricone design was John Dopyera's original design - the single cone was introduced a little later on grounds of economy - but both systems have their own qualities, distinctive sounds, and adherents.

Dobros always contain a single cone which is fitted upside down, and suspended from the "spider" - a metal bridge assembly, which resembles a cobweb. The sound is transmitted to the edges of the cone, not the centre. In all three systems the cones are spun from light aluminium, but the three designs produce very different sound qualities.

This is a Duolian-style guitar.


Partly because of these different sound qualities, Nationals and Dobros have tended to be adopted by different schools of players. Many of the early blues players adopted Nationals, partly because of the volume they produce but also because of their ringing, strident tones. Nationals sound good played with a bottleneck, like Bukka White, or in regular fretted style, like Blind Boy Fuller. Most blues and rock players tend to favour Nationals.

Dobros have probably a more mellow tone than most Nationals, but partly because they are usually wooden bodied and partly because of the spider design, they tend not to be as loud. The attack and sustain are different too. Dobros tend to sound best played with a bottleneck, or laid in the player's lap, and played with a metal bar, like a pedal steel. Most country, bluegrass and folk players favour Dobros.

In terms of overall design, the main types of National are the Tricone, using the three cone "T" bridge system and the single cone. Tricones are instantly recognisable by the "T" shaped bridge cover, which acts as a palm rest, and the unique asymmetrical Art Deco design, with the distinctive "bout grates" up in the shoulders of the guitar. Many people would consider a fine old Tricone as the pinnacle of the resonator maker's art.

This is a modern Tricone, but the design has not altered in eighty years - a perfect union of the engineer's need for function and the designer's wish for attractive asthetics.


Single cone Nationals break down into three main designs - the Type O, the Triolian and the Duolian. The Type O is probably the classic iconic National design - the top of the range single cone, nickel-plated on bell brass. The instrument on the front cover of Dire Straits' "Brothers In Arms"album is a Type O. Triolians and Duolians are visually similar, but the Triolian is rather higher spec. Not that that stopped Mississippi bluesmen like Son House or Bukka White from getting powerful sounds from the Duolian. Triolians and Duolians tend to have different finishes, such as powder coating, applied onto steel, rather than the chrome or nickel coating that gives Tricones and Type Os their shining finish.

This a Type O style guitar


Resonator guitars have probably never been more popular than they are now, partly due to the fact that they are now available at all different price levels. With imported guitars now coming from the Far East (notably China), nearly everybody can afford what was unattainable to me as a teenager. It pays to be choosy with the budget end models - the engineering can be a bit hit and miss - but be picky and you could get a very nice playable metal-bodied resonator for about £400.
Examples of things to watch out for would be as follows - first, I have noticed that some basically sound guitars from the Far East have necks that are not set at the correct angle to the body, and so do not put enough pressure on the biscuit, which causes the resonator cone to produce a distorted, buzzy sound rather than ringing truly. Another common thing is for the manufacturer to cut corners on bought-in bits of hardware such as machine heads, so that a basically good guitar will need to have these parts replaced. Also, sometimes the frets fitted are not of particulary good quality and have not been set-up and aligned properly, producing fret buzz. All of these problems can be cured, but having the neck re-set, for example is a costly repair. Replacing machine heads and/or frets less so. Be choosy - a high proportion of these lower priced far eastern guitars are fine straight out of the box.
If you live in the London area and need specialist resonator repair work, I recommend Luthiers Corner, 2nd floor, 21 Denmark St, London WC2H 8NA. Telephone 0207 8360 816. E-mail repairs@luthierscorner.co.uk This is a genuine recommendation - they have done good work for me, and they have not paid for this mention.

In the mid-range pricewise, two good names are Amistar and Ozark, and Regal produce some good guitars, too - mine (pictured) is a lovely instrument - but, again, be choosy. The great original brands, National and Dobro, are still at the top of the tree, but now you're talking serious money. Above even this exalted level, there are many craftsman luthiers all over the world building superbly crafted instruments, one at a time, by hand.

To hear examples of superb resonator playing, take the link through to www.myspace.com/thedeptfordsaints - there are many very good resonator players amongst the Deptford Saints' MySpace friends. Bullfrog Brown, Coyote Slim, Zac and his Unhappy Guitar and Alaska Kalanen are just a few to start with.