8 string vs 7 string Resophonic Guitars

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 6 Jan 2011 6:52 pm

I have been playing Dobro in a new band lately that is totally acoustic. We mic everything. We have been playing a lot of country swing tunes lately and I have been thinking about buying one of the new Beard/Goldtone 8 string Resophonics. I have an old Regal that I have been tuning to G6 and I want to upgrade. I have been listening to the Gary Morse cd Resophonic Rodeo a lot lately and he mentions in the liner notes that he preferred a 7 string reso because he felt that 8 strings loaded down the cone too much. I was wondering if anybody on the Forum has had any experience with the new Beard/Goldtone 8 stringer? Also, I would like any input on 8 string vs 7 string resophonics. I was thinking that if I didn't like the sound with 8 strings I could get it set up with 7 strings. I know a guy who I would trust to do a good job modifying it if I wanted to go that route. I have a Beard/Goldtone Solid Mahogany model that I really like a lot so I know the quality will be good. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 6 Jan 2011 7:46 pm

The Goldtone/Beard 8 string is a really good instrument. To my ears it sounds very, very close to the Goldtone/Beard 6 strings, which are maybe 90% as good as my Beard MA6. This will probably sound better than your Regal.

Here are a few recordings from a live gig I did (a soundtrack to a 20s silent movie). Not the best fidelity, but you can get a flavor of the sound. It really projects!

Harvest Moon
Lazy River

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 6 Jan 2011 11:44 pm

90% as good? I think you're being awfully generous, Dan. The Goldtone/Beards ("Beard/Goldtone" strikes me along the lines of using the term Les Paul Gibson instead of Gibson Les Paul) are great values though, for sure.

Bob, you might want to call Paul Beard and get his take on the 7 vs. 8 string. I've read those comments from Gary Morse as well. When I was in Nashville two months ago for Resosummit IV, I took a swing class from Mike Auldridge and Cindy Cashdollar. Mike was playing his namesake model 8 string, and Cindy was playing her six string MAS.

We all know that Mike has for lack of a better term, "mellower" tone than a lot of other dobroists. Cindy gets a little more trebly or brighter sound. But I was wondering if this was due more to technique difference between those two pickers, or the fact that Mike was playing an eight string.

One thing was pretty obvious by the end of the class. Even though Cindy tuned her guitar to the 6 string version of G6th where she cranks up the 4th string from D to E, she had to do an awful lot of jumping around the neck with her bar to get some of the same stuff Mike was getting in one and two fret positions. I don't know right off how much you lose by going from 8 to 7 strings, and of course the great Mike Auldridge makes it look easy - but for playing that type of thing on a regular basis I know I would prefer to have the 8 string.

Robert Murphy · Post by **Robert Murphy** » 7 Jan 2011 4:43 am

I have played 6, 7,& 8 string acoustic guitars and resophonics. I have taken a lesson from Mike A. and I visit the Beard shop often since I an close by. My nickles worth, 7 strings will do anything you want with the exception of the lowest note which is not often used. But 8 string guitars are more accessable and GT is the best bang for the buck. Guitar technology has advanced to the point where the cone loading is not an issue, ask Paul B. I purchased a Flinthill reso from them that had been converted to 7 strings and it sounded as good as a Flinthill can sound ie. it didn;t loose anything.

Gary Mortensen · Post by **Gary Mortensen** » 7 Jan 2011 5:24 am

In my experience, there's no problem with the eight string configuration on a reso.

I have a Melobro which began life as a seven string. A few years ago, I had a luthier set it up as an eight string, and I've noticed no difference in sound.

The only problem I've had is remembering that the eighth string is there!

Gary

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 7 Jan 2011 5:57 am

I personally would really miss the 8th string, but then I'm more of a steel player than a dobroist. I tune the dobro like the top 8 strings of my steel C6th tuning (except in G). From bottom to top:

EGBDEGBA (9th on top)

According to Howard at Beard, Mike Auldridge also uses this tuning at least some of the time.

Gary told me the same thing about the 7 string dobro, so I'm sure thare's truth in it. You could always leave a string off the guitar if you noticed a difference, but I bet the difference wouldn't be enough to make a difference. My MA6 definitely is brighter with more projection and 'resonance', but a slightly mellower tone works great with how I use the 8 string.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 7 Jan 2011 9:07 am

Although I don't own one (yet), I've played the eight string Gold Tone Beard guitars and would have no hesitation recommending one.

L. Bogue Sandberg · Post by **L. Bogue Sandberg** » 7 Jan 2011 9:51 am

I'm new to the forum but have been banging away on resophonics for 35 years. I've had a 7 str. for five years and an 8 str for two years, both McKenna birch guitars with Beard cones. The 8 is tuned G13 (lo->hi FGDBEGBD) and the 7 is usually G6, without the F. Their personalities are somewhat different, the 7 being more mellow than the 8. That may be due to a maple bridge insert vs. ebony-on-maple, and/or cone variation. The 8 is definitely a bit louder, too.

My 8 string is the guitar that goes out the door to gigs and jams. The band I play with is acoustic and nominally bluegrass but does a lot of other stuff. I miss that fat dominant seventh when playing the 7 string. So I'd recommend the 8 string.

L. Bogue Sandberg

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 7 Jan 2011 10:57 am

No one has mentioned this, but, isn't one of the big advantages of a 7 string over the 8 string is wider string spacing? That would be a plus for me, and I could live without the bottom (non-tonic) note. But I wonder about the middle string. How do you do that with the two-piece bridge inserts without it getting non-symmetrical? (i.e. 3 on one, 4 on the other). Can you still reach the cone adjustment screw?

John Groover McDuffie · Post by **John Groover McDuffie** » 7 Jan 2011 11:47 am

It is my understanding that 7-string resos use an offset spider, positioning the soundwell slightly forward or back, so that the bridge saddle is not directly over the adjustment screw.

Thus it would probably be difficult to convert an 8-string to a (symmetrically spaced) 7-string, but of course going from 7 to 8 would be pretty straightforward.

L. Bogue Sandberg · Post by **L. Bogue Sandberg** » 7 Jan 2011 11:58 am

Tom,

Gregg McKenna builds his 7 strings with an offset spider, adjusting the scale and cover accordingly. So the bridge is symmetric, the insert is one piece like a National tricone, and the tension screw is directly under the cover plate hole. The fourth string passes over the screw, however. I've never had to mess with the screw on mine, but if you did you'd have to loosen the string to pull it out of the groove or make an offset screw driver.

Gregg's string spacings on both the 7's and 8's are close enough to those on my '70's OMI and 30's fiddle edge metal body that I don't notice it going from one guitar to another. Also, his blog says an even wider spacing is an option. (mckennaguitars.blogspot.com)

Either way, the ability of the 7 or 8 string to digest chords is awesome. Be warned though, you may find yourself buying Hawaiian shirts and bullet bars. It happened to me.

Bogue

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 7 Jan 2011 1:09 pm

I have a Beard MA 8-string and a Beard 6-string mahogany, along with a 10-string Dobro, which is not a great sounding guitar. Each time you add a string, it puts more tension on the mechanism and there is a difference between the 6 and the 8, although, it's pretty minimal. These are lovely sounding instruments.
I have the 8 tuned, D A D E F# A D F#.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 7 Jan 2011 10:48 pm

I like that tuning, Chas.

I tune my MA6 either DADF#AD or DADGAD.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 8 Jan 2011 8:39 am

I have an 8 string Beard/Goldtone and think it's great.
Years ago I bought an 8 string Dobro so this is my 2nd 8 string resonator.
I have a Fishman doughnut pickup on the Dobro and plan to do the same with the B/G.

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 11 Jan 2011 9:23 pm

Thanks a lot for all of the input you guys have given me. I intend to buy the Goldtone 8 string Dobro as soon as I can round up the money. This is one of the reasons I love this forum. Thanks again fellas, I'll let you know how it works out for me when I get one.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 11 Jan 2011 9:55 pm

Erv Niehaus wrote:I have an 8 string Beard/Goldtone and think it's great.
Years ago I bought an 8 string Dobro so this is my 2nd 8 string resonator.
I have a Fishman doughnut pickup on the Dobro and plan to do the same with the B/G.

Erv, don't put a Fishman donut into the Goldtone/Beard, that thing is horrible - there are better choices available, like the Schertler Basik:

http://www.schertler.com/homepage_scher ... so-en.html

The Fishman Nashville under-the-saddle pickup in conjunction with the Fishman Jerry Douglas stomp box with 16 microphone images is the hot ticket, but it isn't available for any resos with a string count higher than six.

I remember when Brad Harper, owner of the Reso-Nation Forum, luthier, and sometime pro player first put a Schertler several years ago in one of his guitars he said the the Schertler makes the Fishman donut pickup sound like an AM radio.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 11 Jan 2011 10:10 pm

Listen to Mark!

I just bought a Schertler Basik for my 8 string.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 12 Jan 2011 7:58 am

Thanks guys,
I'll have to check that out.

Where is the best place to pick one of these up?

Jeff Repp · Post by **Jeff Repp** » 12 Jan 2011 9:41 am

I also have a McKenna birch 8-string that I'm very pleased with (great value too). It does need a pickup though for playing with a band. Does anybody have experience with the K&K resonator pickup (to be used with a SansAmp para acoustic DI)?

http://www.kksound.com/pureresonatorsb.html

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 14 Jan 2011 5:19 am

I have a Guernsey 8 that barks up and down the fretboard. G13 = FGBDEGBD. Great for jazz. Has an McIntyre pickup which doesn't sound great to my ear. Probably just a poor match for the guitar. My 6 is a Beard/Goldtone Maple Deluxe which sounds and records very sweet, I have a Conetone pickup in it designed by Steve Olson @ Elderly.

Mike Harris · Post by **Mike Harris** » 14 Jan 2011 7:24 am

Jeff,

I have a K&K on my Goldtone PBSM (six string). I find it prone to feedback, unlike the K&K pickups on my mandolin and my dobro. I followed the installation instructions carefully, but perhaps it's the nature of resonators and pickups in general.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 14 Jan 2011 8:12 am

I did a search on the K & K pickup and it didn't receive very positive feedback.

I took the above advise and purchased a Schertler Basik reso pickup from the Music Motel.
There aren't too many Schertler dealers who stock this particular model and it happened to be on sale.

I'm anxious to hear how it sounds.

Jeff Repp · Post by **Jeff Repp** » 14 Jan 2011 11:20 am

Thanks Mike & Erv, I'll check out the Schertler Basik instead.

Henry Nield · Post by **Henry Nield** » 14 Jan 2011 4:45 pm

Coming to this a bit late,but just to add my experience FWIW: I converted my 6 string reso to 7 strings, sacrificing the 3/8 spacing to achieve this. The narrow spacing didn't suit me in the end, and I switched back to 6 strings on the reso. I play 8 string Fender psg and an 8 string lap steel, both with identical wide string spacing, so I guess for me it comes down to the spacing rather than the number of strings (and not tapering too much towards the nut either). Thanks to SGF for making all the info and experience available. H

Eugene Cole · Post by **Eugene Cole** » 14 Jan 2011 5:06 pm

I notice essentially no difference in tone between 7-string and 8-sting resophonics.

John Groover McDuffie wrote:It is my understanding that 7-string resos use an offset spider, positioning the soundwell slightly forward or back, so that the bridge saddle is not directly over the adjustment screw.

Thus it would probably be difficult to convert an 8-string to a (symmetrically spaced) 7-string, but of course going from 7 to 8 would be pretty straightforward.

My OMI 10 string has the offset location for the saddle. When I got it the previous owner had set it up as a 7 string with wide spacing. If you swap on a 10-string style cover plate you can pretty much put whatever spacing you want on.