Advice please on this Gold Tone on ebay...

Chuck Snider · Post by **Chuck Snider** » 8 Jan 2009 6:31 pm

Any comments or advice regarding this Gold Tone Paul Beard "Signature"?? on ebay. How might it compare to a New Gold Tone PBS squareneck (set up by Beard).

What is a "Quarterman cone with Ebony topped spider bridge inserts" tell me???

What does an "R" Body square neck tell me?? I know what the square neck part is but not the "R" Body part.

Link to auction on eBay.

Thanks,

-Chuck

Mike Harris · Post by **Mike Harris** » 8 Jan 2009 7:18 pm

Chuck,

The Goldtone/Beard Roundneck models all begin with "PBR" and the Squarenecks with "PBS," so an "R" body squareneck doesn't make sense to me.

IF it is a squareneck, the main issue is whether it is the all laminate model (PBS) or the all solid wood (PBSM) which is more expensive. Judging by the inlays, it's definitely not the PBSD, which is laminated but with the ebony fingerboard of the higher model and the fancier inlays on the fingerboard--basically the PBS with cosmetic upgrades.

Now, the Quarterman cone may be a user upgrade from the Beard cone.

I think they all have the Paul Beard signature on the headstock with the words "signature series" under the signature.

PIcs and info here:

http://www.beardguitars.com/guitargoldtonepbsm.html

If it's the laminate model you can get that new for under 800 (with the standard Beard cone), shipped, so draw your own conclusions as to whether a dinged used one is worth 550 or not. Hopefully someone can weigh in as to the merits of the Quarterman cone.

I found a dinged PBSM for 400 plus shipping on ebay a couple of months back, but it could have been a fluke.

Good luck in your dobro search.

John Drury · Post by **John Drury** » 8 Jan 2009 8:03 pm

Chuck,

For another $19.25 you can get a brand new one from Musicians freind. They all come with the ebony capped maple saddles.

I would be real curious as to why he had to replace the cone.

Excellent guitars.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 8 Jan 2009 8:20 pm

R body refers to the body size, not as deep as a modern "large body" reso, and modeled after the Regal built Dobros of the 1930's.

A Quarterman cone was for a long time the state-of-the-art cone, manufactured here in California. The owner of the company had been a Dobro employee many years ago. and they are still state-of-the-art, if one can get them for a new guitar project.

Resonator guitar builders have had problems in recent years being able to get their orders filled because Quarterman had become inconsistent on delivering the goods.

Paul Beard at one point decided to set up the machinery to spin his own high quality cones and fairly recently Tim Scheerhorn has started spinning high quality cones as well.

There are a number of materials used to construct the bridge where the strings go across underneath the palm rest and sit in a slot in the center of the "spider", and ebony as a bridge has over the years been one of the more desirable materials, and it is typically ebony on top and maple underneath.

John Drury · Post by **John Drury** » 10 Jan 2009 10:17 am

Chuck,

The Gold Tone has a Beard cone installed and set up by beard at their factory.

I would pass on that one you are looking at and get a new one from Musicians Freind for just a few more bucks that hasn't been dorked with.

I set my Hound Dog up with a Beard cone and a one peice rock maple bridge with an ebony cap from Stew-Mac, it is the loudest Dobro I have ever heard and has sustain out the wazoo. The Beard cone is every bit as good if not better than a Quarterman.

Jude Reinhardt · Post by **Jude Reinhardt** » 11 Jan 2009 3:25 am

John said> The Gold Tone has a Beard cone installed and set up by beard at their factory.>

If it doesn't have the Beard label as seen when looking through the sound hole screen, it wasn't set up by Beard techs at the Beard shop. The ones coming directly from Gold Tone have the Beard cone and spider installed by Gold Tone's technicians at their factory in Florida. Resale value is a little higher if it's got the Beard label inside. The label can be viewed by shining a flashlight through the round screens.
The parts are identical but the Beard tech set-up is more consistent. Mine was set up at the Gold Tone factory in Florida and I had to have it tweaked by a local repairman.
Ebony capped bridge inserts are standard issue and I suspect the Beard cone was replaced in the ebay one because someone may have gotten heavy handed when trying to tweak the original Beard cone's adustment screw.

Jude

Jeff Hogsten · Post by **Jeff Hogsten** » 16 Jan 2009 7:33 am

Ive heard the new scherehorn cone is great to

Doug Freeman · Post by **Doug Freeman** » 16 Jan 2009 10:44 am

John Drury wrote:...it is the loudest Dobro I have ever heard and has sustain out the wazoo. The Beard cone is every bit as good if not better than a Quarterman.

Speaking of which, anyone have the experience of their dobro being loud enough to hurt their ears?!? I'm playing a Beard/Gold Tone squareneck that I swear burns out my right ear (and that's the GOOD one) if I play it loud for any length of time. Never thought I'd see that day from an acoustic guitar.

John Drury · Post by **John Drury** » 19 Jan 2009 7:15 pm

Doug Freeman wrote:
John Drury wrote:...it is the loudest Dobro I have ever heard and has sustain out the wazoo. The Beard cone is every bit as good if not better than a Quarterman.
Speaking of which, anyone have the experience of their dobro being loud enough to hurt their ears?!? I'm playing a Beard/Gold Tone squareneck that I swear burns out my right ear (and that's the GOOD one) if I play it loud for any length of time. Never thought I'd see that day from an acoustic guitar.

WHAT? LMAO!