-
This is in all probability a (4-string) RESONATOR Tenor-guitar - National sold quite a lot of these and some Plectrum models also.
-
02-09-2022 04:20 PM
-
Yes, it is almost certainly a tenor guitar. Not only is it more logical (banjo to tenor guitar as an evolutionary step), but in a quick search, I can't find anything online to indicate that bass reso guitars existed before the 1990s or so. I thought I was being observant.
-
Originally Posted by gitman
-
Originally Posted by citizenk74
-
Originally Posted by gitman
-
Originally Posted by cam4
-
Garoto, one of Brazil’s great guitarists (though on tenor) played a 1930s National Triolian tenor until switching to the Del Vechio resontor in the 40s. Del Vechios were made famous by Chet Atkins and Nato Lima of Los Indios Tabajares. Check out some of the Carmen Miranda recordings with Garoto from the ‘30s on, they are pretty incredible.
And this guy…..
-
Originally Posted by Neer
-
For several years I've been using a National M-1 (wood-body tricone) like the one Bruce Forman plays in the video (though mine's a non-cutaway) for a lot of my playing-out. While it's by far the loudest guitar own, that's not why I got it. It's a surprisingly versatile instrument, and much sweeter than what I would have expected, negotiating fingerpicking to swing rhythm. Its cousin model, the single-cone El Trovador, was resurrected thanks to the efforts of Mike Dowling, who has recorded quite a bit on his.
It doesn't have the growly thunk I look for in an archtop, and the spider over the bridge prevents right-hand damping, but otherwise it works for a lot of the music I make. (Still not deacquisitioning my Eastman 805, though.)
-
Our own Campus5 is wasn't actually around in the 20s/30s yet but it's easy to forget that, and he often plays a tricone
Originally Posted by RLetson
My own resonator is in a completely different class of course but it's still very versatile with the classical strings I put on. According to whom you ask it can evoke theorbo sounds (not as low of course) or early 19th century romantic guitars.
-
The M-1's cover plate is a single unit with the T-shaped saddle cover* welded to the cover plate, which in turn is secured by lots of screws (16, I think). Whatever it's called, it makes some kinds of maintenance--say, reparing the saddle--a pain, since you have to remove the whole assembly to get at anything. And I do miss being able to damp strings with the heel of my right hand, which is an important part of fingerpicking if not jazz or swing playing. Nevertheless, the M-1 remains one of my favorite guitars.
* You're right--the bridge itself is called a T-bridge. I was thinking of that T-shaped portion of the cover plate assembly.
-
Originally Posted by RLetson
I don't know how much the "horizontal" part of the T gets in the way, but palm muting isn't impossible in front of instead of on top of the saddle, of course...
-
I used to have National single cone reso, and I used it a lot for acoustic trad and Gypsy jazz gigs and jams. My experience is... the guitar's loud no doubt... by itself. But it seriously lost in the mix when playing with horns or other guitars, it just don't have mids to cut through, too much bass! Maybe them not all the same, but I suspect that's generally the case with single cons. Tri con prolly much better in that regard, but I have no experience with it. Basically, even a cheap Gypsy jazz guitar would be better that a Reso for all things acoustic jazz with a band.
-
Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive
-
Sebastian Muller in Berlin is playing some of the best traditional lap-style tricone in the world right now.
-
A lap-steel squareneck tricone is a bit of a different beast from a roundneck, even before one takes into account the musical-stylistic-textural differences on display in Muller's playing (which especially in the "Lady Be Good" video is very pre-war Hawaiian). I wonder whether his tricone has a hollow neck--another sound-governing feature in acoustic-steel instruments (as in Weissenborn-inspired designs).
As for cutting power--I haven't had to compete with horns and a drumkit, but my M-1 tricone can make itself heard over a crowd of guitars and an electric bass in a jam circle held in a crappy sonic space where any of my next-loudest instruments (archtops or Selmer-styles) can't manage.
-
If you like lap steels, check out Mike Ne’er also. He has his own sound.
KA PAF info please
Today, 11:52 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos