My new 7 string Tricone

Harry Sheppard · From: Kalispell, MT USA

I thought I would share this for those who like to tinker. This is a Johnson Style 4 Tricone I purchased a while back and turned into a 7 string tuned to A6 (E C# A F# E C# A - high to low). I purchased the guitar on ebay and when it arrived, the coverplate had been pushed into the T-bridge and completely crushed the cones. It was shipped and insured by the US Post Office so I took it down to file a claim. To my surprise they did not even want to look at the guitar, box or anything. He just said get an estimate for the repairs. Since you cannot buy just the Johnson cones and bridge alone, I called Beard Guitars and purchased a National T-Bridge and set of National cones as well as an ebony/maple tricone saddle. Turned this into the Post Office and received a check 3 weeks later for the full amount plus the original shipping charge. How cool is that.

The previous owner had already replaced the cheap original tuners with a set of very nice vintage style Grover Sta-tites so I just had to purchase one extra set for the 7th tuner.

I made a template for the tuners out of plexiglass and located the 2 outside tuners and equally spaced the 2 middle tuners between them. The pointed ends of the plates had to be filed off so each key fits tightly to the next and one screw holds both tuners. 7 string Ricenbacher frypans have the same 4 on a side arrangement and spacing. There is plenty of room to turn the tuners and they work really well. Absolutely no tuning problems.

I built a new bone nut keeping the original string spacing. The 2 outside strings are right to the edge of the fretboard and the nut sticks out about 1/8" on each side but it is not at all uncomfortable or hard to play.

I added a few Style 4 pearl inlays to the fretboard which I think really make a difference how it looks.

The new National T-Bridge and cones fit right in the Johnson with no modifications at all. The saddle is ebony capped maple and is only about 1/8" above the bridge to give a nice 3/8" string height all the way down the fretboard to the nut. I had to sand the saddle blank quite a bit to get it to fit in the slot and left it just oversized enough to press in with a vice. It will never come out again in one piece...

I used the original tailpiece and just drilled a hole between the 3rd and 4th hole and filed a slot to match the others.

When I first strung it up, the tone was very loud but quite plunky. I should say that I had used the maple saddle that came with the National T-Bridge at first before switching to the ebony capped saddle. I was not happy with the sound at all so I took it all apart again and removed the middle sound post (mushroom) which sets between the the neck stick and back. The Johnsons have 3 and I have read many posts about removing the middle one to change the tone. I had to recut the front post as it was cut at an angle and was not very fit tight. I cut a new post out of maple and pushed it up toward the neck/body joint. The rear post was fine. I also replaced the saddle again and put it all back together.

Well, after getting it all strung up, I will say that this guitar will have no problem being heard in any acoustic setting. It is nearly as loud as my Goltone Beard but with the tricone sound and sustain. Does it sound like a National Tricone? I don't know, to my knowledge National has never made a 7 string tricone. I don't know if having the 7th string would load the cones as it does on a spider bridge guitar but it is plenty loud and cuts through anything. It has as much sustain as any reso guitar I have ever heard, tricone or otherwise. I think it would be great to compare it to an actual National tricone but it has the sound and looks to get the job done.

Edited by Brad Bechtel to shrink the pictures.

[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 08 December 2005 at 09:13 PM.]

[This message was edited by b0b on 10 December 2005 at 08:42 PM.]

[This message was edited by Harry Sheppard on 23 April 2006 at 04:00 PM.]

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Way cool. My hat's off to ya'!

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

Great job Harry, I'll bet it sounds great!
Those new Grover tuners are really nice aren't they?

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Half-assed bottleneck and lap slide player. Full-assed Builder of resonator instruments.

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Cool!
Life size guitar pictures!!!
I've been waiting 20 minutes for them to download, and I'm still waiting....
No broadband in the sticks....

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I've tried to resize the images so they fit on a standard 1024x768 screen. If you want to see the images in their original size (999x1333), right click on the image and select Open in New Window or Open in New Tab.

Nice job, by the way!

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Harry Sheppard · From: Kalispell, MT USA

Thanks for the great comments.

Yes, the guitar sounds very good and does exactly what I want it to do for not much money (although it did take a few weeks and a lot of work to complete).

Mike, the new Grover tuners are excellent for only $36.00. Very smooth and solid feeling. I really wanted to use Waverlys with the white, oval buttons to keep the correct style but I think I like these better and I really couldn't justify spending more on the tuners than the guitar and then taking a file to them.

Sorry the pictures are so big. This was my first time posting with them. Next time I will size them a little smaller. Is there a way to unsquish them?

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I unsquished them.

Tommy White · From: Nashville

Harry,
What a beautiful horn. I'm getting back to playing more acoustic music recently and I am enjoying this section of the forum very much.

Colin Brooks · Posted 11 Dec 2005 2:51 am

Nice job Harry. I have a Vintage brand tricone that I don't use much. I wonder???

There is a 7 string National tricone Hawaiian which was made for Al Dodge of the 'Cheap Suit Serenaders' and 'Dodge's Sundodgers'. You can see it in a small picture on the latter's site. Looks like they put the 4 tuners on the bass side. I like your way better.

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