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Topic: Hipshot Trilogy for Dobro |
Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2007 10:26 am |
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I've had one of those for a couple of years. They're OK for changing one or two strings like G to G6 or G to Gmin but to do a major tuning change -say from Dobro G to open E or DADGAD,the neck tension changes so much that there are major problems.
When Dave first showed me the unit at his NAMM Show booth a couple years ago he had it on a Dobro with a reenforced neck similar to the tension rod in a banjo and it worked pretty well but still not perfect. Still I bought one anyway and it's extremely well designed and built. I've known Dave for 30 years and generally love his inventions and this one is no exception. But in this case - and it's no fault of the machine itself - it works perfectly,but I have yet to see an instrument including a lap steel which I also tried it on - stable enough to take the tension differential it creates without causing what you call on pedal steel "cabinet drop". Maybe on a carbon fiber lap steel it would work real well. But like I said if all you want to do is move one or two strings around it works great. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 4 Feb 2007 12:38 pm
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| Quote: |
I doubt we'll ever find a device that instantaneously retunes a resonator guitar.
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Soon........ |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 4 Feb 2007 2:36 pm
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| I don't see the problem so much as cone flex as is theorized in the previous thread but as body/neck flex . Because after all the bridge is sitting on the spider not the cone. True the cone is coupled to the spider by an adjustable screw but it's not bearing much pressure -just enough to resonate optimally. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 4 Feb 2007 2:59 pm
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Yes, I remember the thread and I just reread it. The reason I brought this up again was that originally there was no Trilogy made specifically for the Dobro, and I was under the impression that you were using a modified regular Trilogy. When I saw the advert it struck me that they had just introduced a version made specifically for the Dobro. As you mentioned in the other thread, changing the tension of the strings depresses the cone, changing the tuning of the other strings. I have the same problem tuning a banjo. As you change the tension of one string the bridge sinks into the vellum and changes the tension of all the other strings. I don't know how the Earl Scruggs detuner combats this. I've seen Earl retune in the middle of a number and not noticed any change in tuning. I imagine you could put a Trilogy on a Weissenborn, but it would mean fitting a tailpiece, which Weissenborns don't usually have.
I'm thinking of buying an 8-string Trilogy for the next lap steel I build. (Why do I keep building them ? It's just a passtime, I guess !) |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 4 Feb 2007 3:08 pm
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| Alan, the one I had WAS the one that's made for reso guitar. But I also think that the point raised by Michael Johnstone is valid. Of course the spider is sitting on the rim of the cone on the edge of the soundwell, So the flexing SHOULD be minimal. IN THEORY, in practise I found it detuned all over the [place and was only just acceptable using small changes on one or MAX two strings. |
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Rick Schmidt
From:
Prescott AZ, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2007 11:58 am
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I just think of my Trilogy bridge as a way to get to different tunings quite a bit more quickly than the old way of detuning the keys. I still have to fine tune after I make a change, but it's still way faster in the long run. In the studio it's totally usable to audition tuning ideas without wasting too much time. True you really can't change in the middle of a song, but I'm still happy with this cool gizmo. It's funny, but I think the Trilogy actually helped me make the transition from my pedal steel tunings to learning basic G tuning without too much insecurity.
I really would like to get a custon lap steel with a Trilogy and a really beefy truss rod someday.
Here's my set up that's on the Hipshot website:
http://www.hipshotproducts.com/faq_pdfs/faq4450f0adc7d7d.pdf |
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Billy Gilbert
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 5 Feb 2007 2:15 pm
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Another weak spot in the reso guitar is the body its-self. When you add tension to the strings, the tailpiece wants to move toward the headstock and there isn't much other than the little screws in the coverplate to keep the endblock from moving slightly. I cut two pieces of broom handle, drilled into the end of them with a 3/8" drill bit and put in a piece of 5/16" althread rod with 2 washers and 4 nuts and epoxied it between the headblock and tailblock just low enough to clear the cone. The double nuts on each side make it possible to get the tension you want and lock it in place. With an 8 string neck this guitar stays in tune (G6) and has great sustain.  Billy |
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Billy Gilbert
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2007 4:52 pm
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| Another option is to get a DeNeve reso. They come with a built in brace. Billy |
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