Hawaiian Radio Tone squareneck questions

[Paul Seager]

Although I am privileged to own a vintage Tricone, I'm considering buying an entry level "dobro", in the under 1k range. Reasons are varied, different tunings, risk of damage, etc..

On Ebay classifieds (Germany) I found this:
https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/ ... 63-74-9353?

Looks cute but I assume it's a biscuit design which, perhaps unfairly, I associate with a brash blues tone rather than bluegrass. So a couple of questions to the knowledgeable ...

• Know anything about these?
  Guess it was a student model, would it be loud?
  Is it a biscuit?
  Can one convert a biscuit to spider without major surgery?

Before Putin began wrecking the German economy, I would have bought this just out of curiosity but I'm now unemployed so cautious where I spend my gig money!

[Joe Burke]

Hi Paul,
I don't know about this guitar, but on the Steel podcast episode with Greg Leisz, he talks about recording Moana Chimes for Punch Drunk Love on an old dobro, because it was closest to the old Hawaiian sound that they were going for. I don't remember which model they used, but the one in your link I bet would come close.

https://www.fretboardjournal.com/podcas ... reg-leisz/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgbl-2z ... A8&index=6

[Howard Parker]

If your focus is bluegrass or similar then yes, a spider bridge resonator guitar is the norm and usually preferred.

This certainly looks like a biscuit bridge guitar and if so, no, there is no practical way to convert it to spider bridge.

h

[David Venzke]

This may be useful for you:

https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/2012/ ... e.html?m=1

[Terry VunCannon]

I think it is like mine. Good sound, but not to loud.

[Paul Seager]

Thanks to you all. Yes Terry, it's the same guitar and David, the Jake Wildwood page was very informative. I also found this mini clip on YT:

https://youtu.be/xlk31NHJcDY?si=hT26Q0pXapjjfeZT

Confirmed how it sounds - sweet but not what I'm looking for. I go to a monthly bluegrass meet in Munich which varies in size but is rarely less than a 20 head, raucous herd of fiddles, banjos, mandos and dreadnoughts! I need my terrible breaks to be audible! My National does that but I'm always terrified that it gets a dent or worse!

I'll take Howard's advice and go for a spider-bridge.