Hollow neck spider resonator???

[Brian Evans]

I am getting stuff together to build a lap style resonator, and my over-active imagination asks "why not a hollow neck, like a Weissenborn, with a normal spider cone Reso?" Maybe lighter (or not), more volume in the body might give enhanced bass response, interesting to make... Has anyone made one or tried one?

[Jerry Overstreet]

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... ght=tutbro

Like this? Interesting instrument. Search Tutbro on youtube for some nice sounds. Norman Blake et al. have some there.

One particular video by Curtis Burch I think, has a great tone. https://youtu.be/bY39L1fJ2dg

I probably would have bought one of these if I knew they existed at the time.

Too Bad. Tut's gone and they're not built anymore.
Maybe you can get them going again?

[Steve Lipsey]

Mine is a wood clone of a National Style 3...with a hollow neck, just like the brass ones have. Made from myrtle and rosewood by Ben Bonham, and yes, it has a nice airy Weissenborn-like thing happening...

(https://www.instagram.com/bonhamdesign , bensound@gorge.net).

[Mark Evans]

Mine is a wood clone of a National Style 3...with a hollow neck, just like the brass ones have. Made from myrtle and rosewood by Ben Bonham, and yes, it has a nice airy Weissenborn-like thing happening...

(https://www.instagram.com/bonhamdesign , bensound@gorge.net).

Ooooh... there’s that Ben Bonham work again... damn... do I need another Weiss?

[Mark Eaton]

Is Marv Flueger (Cat Can w/Duane Marrs) still around? He used to make hollow neck spider bridge guitars. Members here own or owned them. If memory serves, Paul Franklin has or had one.

When they were in production, I don't think they really caught on with that many players.

A thread from 2012:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=1990151

[K Maul]

Marv isn’t building guitars too much at this time but you can always ask! He is a super guy and makes great instruments. I have a hollow neck 8 string dobro, a semi-hollow Weissenborn style and a compact doubleneck console steel all made by Marv. He had a website but looks like it is down.

[Jerry Overstreet]

There's a really ornate Tutbro on the bay down under for about $2500 USD. I think Tut Taylor's son David was building these for a while.

[Neil Russell]

Here are a couple of hollow neck resonators.

[Mark Evans]

Here are a couple of hollow neck resonators.

So cool. Tear drop weiss resonator. Those guys look like they just stepped off the mothership

[Neil Russell]

There is a video on youtube of Chris Herbst playing Ashokan farewell on the standard hollow neck reso.

[Jim Sliff]

I've played a bunch, and IMO they seem to get the worst from the Dobro and hollow neck worlds - a weirdly nasal, metallic sound with a deep, ringing sound like pounding on a 55-gallon metal drum.

I own a real Weissenborn Style 2 and severaal resonators, my favorites a 2017 solid maple Appalachian with no soundwell and tuned rim supportsports to the :screenless) holes qand a '36 Dobro Model 37.

If you want a bigger air chamber and a spider bridge I'd have Tom Warner build you an ultra-deep Appy squareneck with no well, tuned supports and posts. I think the extra-deep body construction without a wooden soundwell - if done correctly, and Tom REALLY knows how to get the sound out of them - is an overall better tonal platform than a hollow-neck/spider combo.

[Neil Russell]

These two don't have spiders, they have national cones with a biscuit bridge. I think there is a major tone difference. But each to his own, the players I made these for love them.

[Jeffrey Wewers]

Did you build yours? I built a couple this year.

[Xavier Baron]

Here is my tricone weiss :
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... e&start=50

And I did the same with a spider:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... ight=dobro

Really happy with both.

[Jeff Highland]

Hey Xavier, I just built a tricone Weiss which I am very happy with.
How would you describe the sound differences with the spider cone?

[Xavier Baron]

Jeff,

Hard to say the part of the hollow neck in the sound difference... as all my 3 spider resos sound different, but have different cones too, and surely different setups. (a F60 dobro from 2010, and 2 homemade ones, one hollow neck and one round neck, plus the hollow neck tricone)

If you biuld one, be sure to brace with spruce (5 mm thick) the whole height of the neck sides. Really hard to have a perfecly straight neck sides if you don't.Spruce is light and stiff enough.

I didn't as you can see, and it was a pain.


The hollow neck is stiffer for me, and really much lighter... more comfortable.
The minus is about finding a case where it fits... I had to order a custom Hoffee case for mine.

here's the round neck:

[Jeff Highland]

Hi Xavier, thanks for the reply
I was asking about the differences in sound between hollow neck tricone and hollow neck Spider
Yes I used spruce doublers in the neck.

[Xavier Baron]

Hard to describe a sound.

Both have their own character.

Even with the import cones I used in the tricone, it is louder than the spider.

And the tricone in tuned in C6... I need another one for G/D tuning

[Jeff Highland]

Always need one more.....
I replaced the cones in my tricone with NRP hotrod cones, could not percieve any real difference over the original kit cones.

[Xavier Baron]

Thanks for the info Jeff