Tricone fever...

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 3 Apr 2008 7:11 am

For my style of playing, I want a Donmo, Tri-cone, single cutaway, wood body guitar.

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 3 Apr 2008 9:05 am

John, there is a fellow on the forum making wood bodied tricones called Weissenators. I've not played one. But I've seen pictures. They're gorgeous. Maybe if you post a thread called, "Weissenator," you can get the guy's attention if you're interested. But it's not a cutaway.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 3 Apr 2008 9:20 am

Edward, thanks for the tip. I play pedal and lapsteel. But I play a lot of bottleneck too. Check out my other current threads. Trying to figure out Misty on bottleneck. I really need the cutaway. Donmo's guitars are well-received and respected, are are built on a pretty much custom basis. I can probably get a 7-string. And his prices are quite good.
Edited to add: Duh! Edward, just remembered you've been helpin' me on that other thread!

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 3 Apr 2008 9:57 am

There's also Amistar in the Czech Republic.....

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 3 Apr 2008 10:05 am

UPS just delivered my square neck, tri-cone Republic.

Very, very nice!!!

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 3 Apr 2008 1:59 pm

actually last i spoke with Don which granted was awhile back he could build you a german silver hollow neck 8 string tricone if you want to pay the big bucks to do it since it'd be a one off. he was veyr receptive to doing a hollow neck.

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 3 Apr 2008 11:33 pm

UPS just delivered my sqareneck, tricone Republic.

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 4 Apr 2008 4:52 am

Hey Erv -- glad yours arrived. Mine came about 7:30 last night.

The UPS guy pulled up around 4:30, parked in front of the house, and proceeded to dig in the back of his truck for about 10 minutes (all while the dog was going stark raving bat crazy barking at the evil UPS guy). He then gets back in the drivers seat, and drives away. Huh!!???

All's well that ends well, though, as he came back a few hours later with it. The website said on truck for delivery, but apparently, it was not actually on the truck!

I agree -- for the money, the quality of workmanship (such as it is on a cheap instrument), materials, playability and tone so far are beyond what I had expected. Certainly not a hand-crafted work of art like a NRP, but surely good enough for a tricone novice like me to get my feet wet, before committing a few large to a real one. The thing that most surprised me was how good and loud the tone is. And that's before I'm going to put on semi-flat dobro strings with a 16 on top, instead of the floppy 13 that's there now.

I do feel a tinge of guilt buying Chinese, to be totally honest, but it is at a price point that really makes it affordable to the people, so I guess in the truest sense, it really is an (ahem)... er... people's Republic.

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 4 Apr 2008 9:24 am

Mine just arrived at the San Pablo hub!!

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 4 Apr 2008 10:39 am

I happen to be an official endorser for Republic. I am quite pleased with Frank's product.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 4 Apr 2008 2:06 pm

I have a Highlander Magnophonic Tricone Picup coming from Elderly Instruments to mount in it.

I put one of these pickups in a Regal Tricone a few years ago and it worked out great.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 4 Apr 2008 2:34 pm

The more players with Tricones, the better!
They are fun to play. Don't be afraid to bang the hell out of them, especially at that price.

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 4 Apr 2008 3:12 pm

This thread is doing nothing but fanning the flames of the collective Tricone fever!

Mike - what Tricone did you get now? A Style 1 again? Hope to hear new Tricone recordings from you soon! Maybe you could shoot some videos at the workshop (which I would love to attend, were it not a million miles away from me

)?

Fred

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 4 Apr 2008 3:20 pm

I'm getting another Style 1, not sure of the year. I'm thinking it's a '29.

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 4 Apr 2008 5:34 pm

Mike Neer wrote:I'm getting another Style 1, not sure of the year. I'm thinking it's a '29.

Those won't even be built for another 21 years!

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 4 Apr 2008 10:57 pm

Mike, I remember when you decided to go electric. I went electric because I started out on a Weisse. I found that no matter where I went and what I did I had to amplify it. I couldn't afford a decent tricone and I hate the single cone resonators. But I've never really been completely happy or comfortable on an electric guitar. I'm very excited about,"Coming Home," as it were. So was your electric experience unsatisfying or are you inclined to go both ways?

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 5 Apr 2008 6:17 am

If you want to amplify a tri-cone, you need to try this setup:

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 5 Apr 2008 7:28 am

I found the company's website:

http://highlanderpickups.com/catalog/magno.htm

These puppies ain't cheap, but then as the saying goes...

I also understand that Bob Brozman is pretty demanding when it comes to tone, so if he likes it, I'm inclined to think it's got to be pretty good.

“The tricone resonator guitar, as pioneered by National, has one of the most richly complex sounds of any acoustic guitar, since several different elements contribute to that sound. As a player of National tricones for nearly 40 years, I can tell you that amplifying an instrument with such tonal complexity is a real challenge. It has been nearly impossible to capture the tricone’s unique sonic colors. There has never been a proper or even workable solution UNTIL NOW!

The Highlander Magnophonic pickup and its installation method have been carefully designed by Bob Wolstein of Highlander in tandem with Don Young and McGregor Gaines of National Reso-Phonic. The result of this thoughtful development is staggeringly accurate, highly musical and I feel confident using this system on any stage or studio in the world. Thank you Highlander for finding a solution! May the gratitude of tricone players everywhere resonate around the world.”

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 5 Apr 2008 7:32 am

But Bob himself when playing live uses a Neumann condenser (small diaphragm) mic to amplify his Tricones, not a pickup.

Fred

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 5 Apr 2008 9:54 am

I intend to use a Mic as well. What's good enough for Bob is good enough for me.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 5 Apr 2008 11:12 am

From what he says on his web site, Bob Brozman uses a combination of a Neumann K-150 microphone and Highlander pickup.

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 5 Apr 2008 11:20 am

The three times I have seen Bob Brozman in concert (2006-2007) he has used a microphone only (he even made a point of stating that he is "unplugged" in a literal sense).

I think resos (and maybe especially Tricones) are difficult to amplify - different "components" of the sound are really coming from different parts of the instrument (bass from the grilles/portholes/f-holes, and mids and treble from the cone(s)).

I think a mic & pickup combination seems to be the ideal option, but I guess there are as many opinions as players on what the "ideal" sound is.

Fred

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 7 Apr 2008 8:54 am

I wonder if anybody else runs around singing the old Meredith Wilson tune, "The Wells Fargo Wagon," on mornings when a package is due.

Bill Leach · Post by **Bill Leach** » 7 Apr 2008 9:58 am

I've sound engineered for Bob Brozman on a few occasions when he's played around here. He may have changed his set up in the last few years but on those occasions he was definitely using highlander pickups and mics. Most of the outfront sound, however, was from the mic. He used the pickup just to give a bit of edge to the sound and, if I remember correctly, in his monitors as the highlander is less prone to feedback than the condenser mic.
I usually just use a highlander on my tricone as I don't always know what PAs going to be there or if I'm going to get a sound check - it's easier to get a good sound than using a mic.

Fred Kinbom · Post by **Fred Kinbom** » 7 Apr 2008 11:45 am

This was posted by Bob Brozman today on the IGS forum:

I use one Neumann KM 150 mic, and NO pickups, that means 100% natural acoustic sound, and have played like this to as many as 100,000 people outdoors, with incredible huge volume and no feedback problems. Not just solo--I have also played many large festivals with Rene Lacaille which is 3 loud percussionists and a loud accordion, and still just used the mic for my guitars.

So these days, he is only using a mic.

Fred

The Steel Guitar Forum

Tricone fever...

Got mine yesterday, too...

But...

Magnophonic?

Oh, the Wells Fargo wagon is a comin' down the street......