The Steel Guitar Forum

Years ago I took up lap steel for awhile.Left it to go to other musical interests--now wanting to play
acoustic Hawaiian style.My questions are what is best type of guitar to buy for hawaiian style

a) Wood body or metal body square neck guitar?
b) Scale length?
c) Does the guitar need wide string spacing for slanted bar?
d) Do you get more sustain with a solid square neck?
e) What sort of price range would I be looking at for a decent quality instrument?
f) Are metal bodied guitars as good today as say the pre war National Tricones?
g) Are far eastern makes good quality? If buying Names to look for?
h) Would a Dobro suit?
Many thanks. Look forward to your knowledge.

a) Wood body or metal body square neck guitar?
-Can be either, lots of examples of both. If really wanting to duplicate, say, Sol Hoopii sound and look, maybe metal body tricone...
b) Scale length?
-Most seem to be full/long scale.
c) Does the guitar need wide string spacing for slanted bar?
-I'm used to the closer spacing of 8 strings so my acoustic resos feel kind of luxurious there for slants.
d) Do you get more sustain with a solid square neck?
(not sure)
e) What sort of price range would I be looking at for a decent quality instrument?
-I paid a couple hundred USD for a used dobro, and around 700 for a new Republic tricone. Both very serviceable instruments.
f) Are metal bodied guitars as good today as say the pre war National Tricones?
(can't speak on that with authority unless somebody wants to lend me theirs )
g) Are far eastern makes good quality? If buying Names to look for?
-Mine are both Chinese made I believe, and are of solid build quality and tone. I particularly like the Republic tricone...much cheaper than a new or old National.
h) Would a Dobro suit?
-Yes, depending what goal you are after...do you want to duplicate the look/sound of 1930s players like Sol H and others...then maybe a tricone would be better. But there are loads of examples of people using dobro type single cone instruments, such as Jerry Byrd. Barney Isaacs has a lovely album of him playing on a dobro in C6 tuning with a slack key guitarist...its a strange mashup of style (he still plays Waikiki / club style, all those jazz chords) but it works for me!

For my taste, acoustic Hawaiian style = a Weissenborn-style guitar. There are many options at multiple price points from Asian-made factory guitars to the finest boutique luthier guitars.

"Acoustic Hawaiian"is rather broad. Recordings before about 1927 are not only on wooden instruments, the music is less sophisticated. After the mid 1920s the music is increasingly influenced by ragtime and jazz, which suits resonator guitars quite well, especially when trying to project the sound in a large space. I found they overpowered my space playing at home, and . . . well, they sound is kind of tinny to me.

Because this is from a "Topic" youtube channel, it may not be viewable in other countries, but here is an example of that Barney Isaacs record. It's definitely fusion, the old reso guitar style from the 20s and 30s (although single cone), with a player who was the living embodiment of the 50s and 60s Waikiki style, backed by a slack key player of the post-Hawaiian Renaissance era, so its quite a mashup but I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MdfHzD ... _s&index=5

My favorite acoustic Hawaiian player right now has got to be Sebastian Mueller!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq8vGJ ... KNYyp3Wssw

How he gets that old National to sound so warm, black magic I suppose, but wow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzi8COiWVBA

You can have custom made acoustic Hawaiian guitar, made by Jim Adams, who will build to your specs. Square neck, scale length, custom woods at a good price. He lives in Spring TX.

Very nice, honest and builds great guitars.
Jim Adams (281-350-4160) or adamsresonator.com

I own three of his guitars.

Thanx,
JIm

Thanks, Nic. I have been trying to get my hands on some Isaacs for quite while. This is superb! Remarkably, this album is also on Spotify.

Nic Neufeld wrote:Because this is from a "Topic" youtube channel, it may not be viewable in other countries, but here is an example of that Barney Isaacs record. It's definitely fusion, the old reso guitar style from the 20s and 30s (although single cone), with a player who was the living embodiment of the 50s and 60s Waikiki style, backed by a slack key player of the post-Hawaiian Renaissance era, so its quite a mashup but I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MdfHzD ... _s&index=5

That's beautiful! Any idea what tuning he uses?

Jim Fogarty wrote:

Nic Neufeld wrote:Because this is from a "Topic" youtube channel, it may not be viewable in other countries, but here is an example of that Barney Isaacs record. It's definitely fusion, the old reso guitar style from the 20s and 30s (although single cone), with a player who was the living embodiment of the 50s and 60s Waikiki style, backed by a slack key player of the post-Hawaiian Renaissance era, so its quite a mashup but I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MdfHzD ... _s&index=5

That's beautiful! Any idea what tuning he uses?

Just did some research,and someone in an earlier thread says it's C6.

Picosong no longer exists so no audio but here is an earlier thread on this album ....

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... ney+isaacs

I'm kinda partial to my old Oahu's, they're fragile old things but they really deliver the sound.

Sebastian Müller wrote:Regarding the difference between a old original and a chines replika: The originals even with new cones sound sweeter, but I started out with a Republic,still use it as my travel Tricone (with national cones).

I agree, i have and love a new Republic but it is missing something compared to the old hollow neck Tri's.

Something a bit different, my 1965 Hofner Acoustic with the Nut lifted. Visible in the Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcVEH_fo6ko

James Kerr

Really great tone on that one,James! Love the song as well.

Thank you Joe for coming to listen and taking time to comment.

James.