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Topic: Acoustic/ electric Dobro/ Resonator |
Charles Dilworth
From:
California, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2021 4:20 pm |
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| Im thinking of buying an acoustic/ electric square neck dobro. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 10 Jan 2021 5:10 pm
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Copper Mountain, by Beard Guitars . A VERY configurable guitar!
hp
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
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Charles Dilworth
From:
California, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2021 8:41 pm Acoustic/ electric Dobro/ Resonator
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| Beautiful instruments, but I was thinking Id shoot for something at a lower price point.... |
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Michael Stephens
From:
South Hadley, MA
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Posted 11 Jan 2021 2:52 am
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| If your primary plan is plugging in, the Gretsch Bobtail squarenecks sound pretty darned good when amplified, given how inexpensive they are. Not that great unplugged, however.... |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 11 Jan 2021 4:39 am
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| What is your price point? Without knowing that it's hard to make meaningful suggestions. |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 11 Jan 2021 5:15 am
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The Bobtail is unquestionably the best plug-in sound for the money, but you really should get a Fishman Aura to go with it. The Aura Spectrum is a good deal for a budget. It has dobro, guitar, fiddle and mandolin images plus tuner, EQ and pre-amp with XLR out.
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KEVIN MAUL: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Danelectro, Evans, Fender, GFI, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Charles Dilworth
From:
California, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2021 11:55 am
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| Thanks everyone. I like the price point of the Bobtail, so I would say thats my limit. One comment stated it didnt sound great as a pure acoustic - any further thoughts? |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 12 Jan 2021 12:49 pm
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I have the Bobtail parked where I go to jam infrequently, and it gets played primarily acoustically. It sounds like a cheap, shitty Chinese guitar, which is plenty adequate in that application. It doesn’t sound like my Clinesmith. Nor would I expect it to.
You often get what you pay for. The Bobtail is a pretty good deal, on balance. |
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John Mulligan
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 12 Jan 2021 3:31 pm
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The field of squareneck resonator guitars seems to be a place where quality is price dependent. If you want the best, get what Jerry Douglas plays. That's not reasonable for most. You should be able to do better than the Gretsch Bobtail, though.
Beard guitars offers a range of instruments at a range of price points. I'd say it would be worth your while to not only visit the Beard Guitar website and familiarize yourself with their catalog, but initiate contact with them and arrange to have a conversation, if possible, about your needs and wants. They're great people and easy to work with. If you don't wind up getting any of their products you will have learned a lot. Doing research often turns out to be better than just getting he cheapest thing possible.
Also, don't neglect the used instrument listings here and elsewhere. Many people buy an instrument and then never learn to play it. Of course, they have to accept that the instrument has depreciated some. |
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Joe Elk
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2021 3:51 pm
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Buy what you can afford!!! Then Play Play Play
Then think about a new guitar.
Joe Elk Central Ohio |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2021 8:07 am
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Gold Tone is good bang for the buck and some of them are set up by Beard. 
Erv |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2021 10:22 am
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Astonishing how good it sounds recorded acoustically in the hands of Mike Witcher. I'd love to hear the pickup through an over-driven tube amp. It just might be the Swiss Army Knife dobro!
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 13 Jan 2021 10:40 am
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| Brooks Montgomery wrote: |
| It just might be the Swiss Army Knife dobro! |
Apt description. Beard treats the the Copper Mt. as a "platform" for customization. It won't appeal to everyone. It DOES sound remarkable as an acoustic resonator (imho) but the real beauty is what Paul can add to the platform to meet a player's requirements. I've seen some really tricked out examples with dual pickups (Fishman/Lollar), internal electronics and mixing (Fishman/Beard).
It's available in squareneck & round neck configurations. Available as a pure acoustic guitar or tricked out as desired.
Not for the traditional player perhaps but the guitar has a lot of fans.
Full disclosure..I retired from Beard Guitars and am a fanboy!
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2021 2:15 pm
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Fishman/Lollar is the hot ticket! At least, Jerry Douglas and Anders Beck (Greensky Bluegrass) think so....
Here's mine....
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 13 Jan 2021 2:24 pm
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Nice rig, Steve! Sadly, it seems to fall out of the prescribed $399 price bracket.
For what it's worth, the Bobtail doesn't sound any worse than the other cheap Chinese resonator guitars I've played acoustically, and it sounds pretty darned good plugged into an acoustic amp with the JD Aura box.
I think it all depends on realistic expectations.
Last edited by Ken Pippus on 13 Jan 2021 2:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2021 2:31 pm
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So does a Copper Mountain .....but maybe a stimulus payment will make it possible!
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Charles Dilworth
From:
California, USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2021 9:32 am
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Ive been in touch with Beard now and seriously thinking of having Denny build me a Copper Mountain (which is being discontinued, apparently)
In the meantime, cool local shop Amazing Grace Music has an excellent used Regal RD-40. I played it and enjoyed it (I can probably have it for $500 with a hard case). Thoughts on this instrument? (I may give up on the electric idea and just mic the instrument...) |
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Bob Blair
From:
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 15 Jan 2021 11:33 am
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| My Copper Mountain is a great road instrument and with both pickups it can do a wide range of things. Easy to carry on a plane. I am really happy I bought it. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 19 Jan 2021 12:19 pm
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| Charles Dilworth wrote: |
Ive been in touch with Beard now and seriously thinking of having Denny build me a Copper Mountain (which is being discontinued, apparently)
In the meantime, cool local shop Amazing Grace Music has an excellent used Regal RD-40. I played it and enjoyed it (I can probably have it for $500 with a hard case). Thoughts on this instrument? (I may give up on the electric idea and just mic the instrument...) |
Amazing Grace Music - you must be a Marinite. It's several years since I visited that shop. Regals get the job done, but when I have played new ones off the peg I haven't liked any of them. If this is a used guitar with upgraded components and a proper setup maybe it's a good value.
But if they are willing to build you a Copper Mountain at Beard and you've talked yourself into paying that price then you should go for it before you change your mind. Without seeing or hearing the Regal in question I'm fairly sure it would be a night and day difference. First I've heard that they are going to discontinue the Copper Mountain. I felt from the beginning that the cutaway body for the squareneck version was going to be a tough sell to certain people. But I can also imagine the costs involved to have those Ovation-like "bowls" in two different styles would have been a very expensive venture for a small company like Beard.
But to backtrack, you're saying you might go for the Regal and just mic it. So why were you thinking acoustic/electric in the first place?
A real advantage of the Fishman Nashville pickup is being able to play in a scenario that is mixed acoustic/electric and can get loud. Trying to use a mic with a dobro where there are electric guitars, drums, etc. is often a losing battle. I have years of experience doing just that - and I lost.
One of the reasons Jerry Douglas got behind the modern Fishman pickup is so that he could move around on stage and not be invisibly "tethered" to a microphone stand. It's one of my favorite aspects of having the pickup in my Clinesmith.
I'm with some of the others here re the Gretsch Bobtail. Doesn't do much for me acoustically. IMO it plays "soft." In other words when I have tried this model I felt I had to pick harder than usual to get good tone. But it's a great value if used for primarily plugged in use.
The Bobtail with pickup sells new for $599. The acoustic only Boxcar goes for $429. You're paying $170 for the pickup. The pickup alone as an aftermarket item goes for $210. And you still have to solder and mount it, which can be complicated. And best installed in either a Beard adjustable or Schoonover modular spider. Now you're out even more money.
Apparently due to the purchasing power of Fender/Gretsch, they can buy these pickups in large quantities in order to be able to install them relatively inexpensively in the Bobtail.
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Mark |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 19 Jan 2021 12:27 pm
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...as far as opinions on the Copper Mountain - Bob comments that it's a great road instrument. Don't own one myself but I have played a few in the past at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, both squareneck and roundneck. I liked both styles, and I think it's a good "anytime" instrument.
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Mark |
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Charles Dilworth
From:
California, USA
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Posted 19 Feb 2021 9:45 am Acoustic/ electric Dobro/ Resonator
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So, with everyone's advice, I found a new Beard Copper Mountain on sale and bought it. Yipee - so glad I did!
One thing - it came with strings sized to play open E (and tuned to it, roughly). Any reason for that you think? I pretty much live in open G world... Thanks in advance. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 19 Feb 2021 10:36 am
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Wherever you bought the Copper Mountain, someone must have restrung the guitar - I can’t imagine Beard sending it out with E tuning strings, unless it was a special request.
Or perhaps where you bought the guitar it had been sold to someone for a short time but it was returned - like a week - and they put those strings on.
We are talking about a squareneck, not the roundneck version, correct?
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Mark |
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