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Topic: String gauges for resonator guitar? |
Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 1 Oct 2007 2:10 pm |
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This question has probably been beat to death, but I can't find anything on it.
The wife bought me a Regal D-45 reso a couple of years ago and I just now started fooling around with it.
My question is, what gauge strings do I need to put on this guitar? I know this is mostly a matter of opinion, but any input and opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Jude Reinhardt
From:
Weaverville, NC
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Posted 1 Oct 2007 2:16 pm
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This is what b0b sells here on the forum-
Gary Morse - Artist Series
Resophonic Guitar
Gary Morse designed and endorses this set of nickel wound resonator strings from Jagwire. You can hear Gary, who plays with Dwight Yokam, ripping it up with these strings on his "Resophonic Rodeo" CD.
G Major
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D .018
B .020
G .028w
D .036
B .046
G .056
Click on the STRINGS link at the top of the page.
Jude
_________________
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".
"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear |
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Gary Lynch
From:
Creston, California, USA
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 1 Oct 2007 2:59 pm
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Thanks guys, 
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Gary Lynch
From:
Creston, California, USA
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 1 Oct 2007 4:37 pm
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| Quote: |
| Gary, who plays with Dwight Yokam |
Not since Dwight's "Tomorrows Sounds Today" album around the turn of the century.
After that Gary worked for Dierks Bently, and now Brooks and Dunn.
Sorry for the topic drift, we'll now return to the normally scheduled topic...
My favorite Reso strings are the D'Addario EJ42 set.
Bronze 16 thru 56. |
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Eric Ebner
From:
Texas Republic
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John McGlothlin
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Posted 1 Oct 2007 5:17 pm
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| I have tried the strings that were made by the Original Musical Instrument Company who manufactured the original dobro guitars but didn't like them so I went to using the C.F. Martin medium gauge bluegrass strings and they were perfect...of course its a matter of opinion. |
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Oct 2007 6:24 am
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Been checking out everything ya'll have posted, now I'm getting somewhere.
Thanks
Larry
Larry R. East, I'm workin on it! [dobro pickin that is] 
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Jude Reinhardt
From:
Weaverville, NC
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Posted 2 Oct 2007 6:53 am Oswald's A-tuning
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You might want to try Brother Oswald's A tuning, A C# E A C# E low to high. He used these string gauges-
.018
.018
.022
.032
.042
.042
It's my understanding that this is the old Hawaiian way of stringing, high tension on the treble strings, and low tension on the bass strings. When I tried this set-up on my Gold Tone PBS I thought it had better tone when tuned to G major, GBDGBD low to high.
Jude
_________________
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".
"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Oct 2007 8:44 am
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Jude,
E-mail coming your way.
Larry |
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Greg Booth
From:
Anchorage, AK, USA
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Oct 2007 10:53 am
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Thanks every one for all the replys and the help.
Jude got me lined out in terms even a dummy like me can understand!
thanks again everyone.
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 2 Oct 2007 5:07 pm
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I prefer .016 or .017 for the first string. I think the tone starts dying a tad if you go fatter, but then Uncle Josh liked the .018, and I wasn't aware until now that Oswald liked .018.
Jerry Douglas thinks anything larger than a .016 sounds kind of "thuddy" - and I guess he knows a thing or two. 
A tuning? Jude, don't confuse the man with Brother Oswald's preferred tuning!
Start with G and maybe D, and if you find enough hours in the day, Larry, with all your other musical endeavors, then move onto something else to try.
About 92% of the instructional material and tab for dobro is in G, about 7% is in D, and the last 1% includes all the rest of the tunings combined, or at least that's how seems to me.
_________________
Mark |
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Jude Reinhardt
From:
Weaverville, NC
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 3:08 am
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<quote> A tuning? Jude, don't confuse the man with Brother Oswald's preferred tuning!
A tuning is the same as G tuning capoed at the second fret. You can still use G tuning tab, everything will be one full tone higher in pitch. Betcha didn't know I'd rather listen to Oswald than all the bluegrasser dobroists combined. 
Jude
_________________
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".
"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 6:58 am
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Jude, I love the playing of Brother Oswald myself. When I first took up the dobro in the mid-1970's, on my 1930 Dobro-which I still have, I purchased his first solo album, which was released in 1972 - was just listening to it the other day (I still have a good turntable). The first song I ever learned on the dobro was Wabash Cannonball.
As a lap steel student in the 60's, I started out on "A" tuning.
So I can recall thinking when I got that dobro in my early twenties, "I'll tune it to A."
I took about seven or eight lessons to get me started, from one of the only guys who taught the thing at the time in the Bay Area. He had me switch over to G - sort of like, "when in Rome - do as the Romans do."
There was very little little learning material for the instrument back then, now there is quite a bit available, and as I posted earlier, the vast majority of it involves "G" tuning.
That being the case, I wouldn't advise someone to tune their guitar to a certain tuning when they are learning the instrument from tab and videos, and have to capo at two 90% of the time (though they will learn eventually that if they had a guitar tuned to open "A," it would be be convenient for playing "fiddle tunes" without a capo). Sure, you can still use the tab, play it open and have everything one tone higher - but what's the point?
That wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for a student of the instrument, that is - the tuning to "A" and capoing part - at least to me, anyway.
_________________
Mark
Last edited by Mark Eaton on 3 Oct 2007 7:23 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Carroll Hale
From:
EastTexas, USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 6:59 am
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[quote="Jude Reinhardt"]This is what b0b sells here on the forum-
Gary Morse - Artist Series
Resophonic Guitar
Gary Morse designed and endorses this set of nickel wound resonator strings from Jagwire. You can hear Gary, who plays with Dwight Yokam, ripping it up with these strings on his "Resophonic Rodeo" CD.
G Major
-------
D .018
B .020
G .028w
D .036
B .046
G .056
Click on the STRINGS link at the top of the page.
Jude[/quote]......I bought this same set and put them on my Regal..same model...LOVE them....bud |
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 9:37 am Two More Points
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1. I would be concerned about using the Open A Tuning on a round neck guitar. Square neck, no problem.
2. There's a big difference in sound between nickel and bronze strings. There's no "best", only personal preference. Try a set of each to find what's right for you. |
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Gary C. Dygert
From:
Frankfort, NY, USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 11:11 am
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| Speaking of tunings, I still like my E6, (high to low) E B G# E C# B. When I play bluegrass G, I'm always looking for a high string that's not there. But that's just me. |
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Jude Reinhardt
From:
Weaverville, NC
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 2:48 pm Re: Two More Points
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| Joey Ace wrote: |
1. I would be concerned about using the Open A Tuning on a round neck guitar. Square neck, no problem.
2. There's a big difference in sound between nickel and bronze strings. There's no "best", only personal preference. Try a set of each to find what's right for you. |
Didn't Oswald use a round neck Dobro with a nut raiser tuned to A with the string gauges I mentioned?
I think so. Yep, I agree about the bronze and nickel strings. I like nickel because I think the tone is more consistent over the life of the string. New bronze sounds a lot different than old bronze to my ears. I don't change strings frequently.
Jude
_________________
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".
"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear |
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Gregg McKenna
From:
South Windsor, Connecticut, USA
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Posted 3 Oct 2007 7:18 pm
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| Jude Reinhardt wrote: |
Betcha didn't know I'd rather listen to Oswald than all the bluegrasser dobroists combined.
Jude |
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Gregg McKenna
From:
South Windsor, Connecticut, USA
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Jude Reinhardt
From:
Weaverville, NC
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Posted 4 Oct 2007 1:37 am Oswald's Dobro
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And it's joined to the body at the twelth fret, whereas most of the round neckers today are joined at the fourteenth. Of course with the proper strings, gauged for the tuning, you can tune anyway you want to.
Jude
_________________
"If we live in fear of banjos, then the banjos have won".
"Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have Peanut Butter". - Kruger Bear |
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