Tricone VS Dobro

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 4 Jun 2012 3:49 pm

Hi, Its summer time and I like to play outside, I would like to play some Hawaiian music and swing. I'm not really into bluegrass but I bought a Gold Tone 8 strings resonator, great guitar, I like the G6 tuning but sometime its not loud enough, I think I have a to light touch on dobro from being more a steel player.

Anyway, Its seems like most swing player like Paolo Conti and Hawaiian player play Tricone guitars.

I wounder what is the advantage of tricone? Any good 8 strings tricone maker?

Former Member · Post by **Former Member** » 4 Jun 2012 5:53 pm

Some thoughts..
I recently got one of the new design brass hollow-neck tricones from National resophonic. And I have the only steel body model D. (spider-cone).
I tuned the model D in A6th, and it sounds sort of Hawaiian with bluegrassy tones.
The tricone has no twang-tone. It rings out the notes very clear and musical. BRASS!--I started out playing in open G, but changed to C6th and am going to stick with that for awhile. 6 strings is plenty for me right now! I think the size of the cones is everything to the tone. The bigger single-cones seem to add metal clang into the mix.
NRP or Fine resophonics might make you an 8 string tricone, but it won't come cheap.
I was always a bit too hard strumming and picking on my electric guitars, so the tricone is just right for me.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 4 Jun 2012 6:49 pm

Ha ok, so maybe a 6 strings is better, with a C6 you can do almost anything...

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 4 Jun 2012 7:02 pm

The Tricone has a more open, less nasal sound than a dobro. I played old National tricones for years and always enjoyed the tone I got from them for playing hawaiian and swing stuff. You can hear some examples here--you'll see it is very un-dobro-like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqVYozVviuo

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 4 Jun 2012 7:23 pm

Hey Mike:

Great tone and technique. Very impressive...

Lenny

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 5 Jun 2012 8:25 am

Mike Neer wrote:The Tricone has a more open, less nasal sound than a dobro. I played old National tricones for years and always enjoyed the tone I got from them for playing hawaiian and swing stuff. You can hear some examples here--you'll see it is very un-dobro-like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqVYozVviuo

Alright, I need a tricone now!!

What about the Republic? there price is good.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 5 Jun 2012 8:28 am

Anybody compare the Hot Rod Steel to the Republic?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 5 Jun 2012 8:50 am

You can hear Jeremy Wakefield playing a Republic here just before 3:00. The tone is a little more narrowly focused to my ears than a National.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI6UeNyEQQM

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 5 Jun 2012 8:50 am

Mike Neer wrote:The Tricone has a more open, less nasal sound than a dobro. I played old National tricones for years and always enjoyed the tone I got from them for playing hawaiian and swing stuff. You can hear some examples here--you'll see it is very un-dobro-like:

This where I invoke the now classic "writing about music is like dancing about architecture." I'm trying to figure out what "nasal" means here. I think in the proper hands a wood bodied spider bridge dobro has a fat rich sound. I also think the more strings you put on any resonator guitar it can somewhat "thin out" the sound (another phrase that might be like dancing about architecture).

For comparison out Rob Ickes on his rosewood/spruce Scheerhorn playing the jazz standard "Song for My Father" accompanied by Michael Alvey in keyboard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odWHkgIco2k

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 5 Jun 2012 8:52 am

Mark, I didn't mean that as an insult to the Dobro sound, but I think a Tricone sounds more throaty as opposed to the Dobro, which generally has a stronger upper midrange (hence nasal) focus.

A good Dobro also has more bass response than a Tricone. If I were to describe the Dobro sound visually using the shape of a graphic EQ, it would look like a sine wave, with high points in the bass and in the upper mids.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 5 Jun 2012 9:05 am

I didn't think you were being insulting, I know you were looking for a descriptor - and I like the sine wave analogy.

But "nasally" from a human standpoint has a negative connotation: "I was hanging out with some friends and joining us was this woman who had a nasallyvoice - it was driving me nuts after awhile!"

And back to Jean-Sebastien's original point - I think one of the difficulties in being more of a steel player and then switching over to the reso whether it's a single cone or tri-cone is that you just have to concentrate on picking harder to "load" the cone(s) and achieve the most satisfactory tone.

It's one of the big reasons Jerry Douglas gave up pedal steel years ago and sold his Sho-Bud to Bruce Bouton. He felt that during the learning process it was sending his dobro playing backwards because the "touch" is so different, and in his case he couldn't afford to let that happen since the dobro paid for the roof over his head and the feeding of his family.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 5 Jun 2012 11:47 am

I love the Beltona fiberglass Tricone......it's kinda like a metal Tricone with a bit of a Style O sound......

National made this Style 3.5 - 8 string Tricone for me.......prior to confirming my order with National, I had contacted Amistar in the Czech Republic and they were also very accommadating in agreeing to made an 8 string......I decided on National as you see......

John Mulligan · Post by **John Mulligan** » 5 Jun 2012 1:34 pm

I have heard the tricone sound referred to as "honk," as in , "this National Tricone has more honk than a dobro."

Nice playing, Mike. I was looking at tricone metal bodies the other day and realized I would have to spend $2000 or more to get a good one. I don't have that kind of guitar budget, unfortunately.I tried the National hollow neck that was selling for $4000 and it had a dead note on the bass string at the 12th fret!

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 5 Jun 2012 3:30 pm

Thanks for all these interesting post. Finally I just bought a Republic Tricone Squarneck. If its good enough for Wakefield its way more than enough to me!

Now I will have to tuned it! hoho, tuning again..

Since I already have have a G6 dobro I think about tuning the tricone in C6/A7 with a high E. Thats way I will be able to play anything I play on my stringaster.

Any reason I should not tuned it in C6?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 5 Jun 2012 3:48 pm

Some may disagree, but in my opinion C#mi7 is THE tuning to use on Tricone. After that, high bass A is also nice (what Wakefield uses).

C#7
E
C#
G#
E
B
E

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 5 Jun 2012 5:00 pm

What it the advantage of less notes? More big bass string?

I can see what you can do with the top strings but why 2 E on the bass?

What is the high bass A?

Thanks you Mike!

Brian Hunter · Post by **Brian Hunter** » 5 Jun 2012 6:31 pm

So...next question would be what's a decent budget model tricone to start monkeying with before investing any hefty coin?

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 5 Jun 2012 6:36 pm

Reading the original post, I agree that an 8 string is not as loud as a 6.
I believe there are some physical limits at work here. I have played 10 string resophonic guitars that are not as loud my 8 string. MY conclusion is that more strings on a resophonic guitar will result in lower overall volume.

I like the Tricone sound for what it is.

I also like the Dobro sound for what it is.

I have one of each from Dopyera Brothers.

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 5 Jun 2012 11:36 pm

Aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!! No! Don't post this kind of stuff. I can barely restrain myself from buying another tricone as it is! But C6 worked great for me on my last tricone. But I would suggest using the heavy string gauges that Mike Auldridge recommends for his C6 on Dobro. But just use the middle six of his eight string tuning.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 6 Jun 2012 8:52 am

Hey Edward, yes its hard! I'm happy I have find a relatively cheap Tricone, the Republic cost around 700$. I can't watch Howard's 8 strings National Tricone to long because I run crazy, its a good thing you can't buy them directly by internet because I would poorer of 4000$.

Thanks for the suggestion of Mike Auldridge gauge, do you know if I can find these stings? or I have to buy them separately. Beard Make G6 set but never see C6

For now I will definitely tuned it in C6, I don't want to learn a tuning, I want to play! I will see later if I like it or not.

Former Member · Post by **Former Member** » 6 Jun 2012 10:17 am

poorer 4K$ ???
try twice that!!

These are the guages I'm using on my Nat in C6th.
1. .014 -E
2. .017 -C
3. .021 -A
4. .026 -G
5. .030 -E
6. .036 -C
A work in progress, I'll keep moving up until breaking point, or tuner strip.
I really enjoy playing the simpler versions of the 2nd wave of Hawaiian hits.. Sand, haole hula, etc..
The Roy Thompson Bakersfield-Reeves style is going to sound great on a tri!

JS, do you know this Guy??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAa_AjAUbUw
He's a great tricone player (round neck), very cool French style....AND lives in your neck of the woods!

Brian Hunter · Post by **Brian Hunter** » 6 Jun 2012 10:45 am

And another question, do these sound good with flatwounds?

Former Member · Post by **Former Member** » 6 Jun 2012 11:10 am

Brian,
Lots of players get the republic squareneck..Some put NRP cones in. --I'd save up for a vintage National..
About the flats.. I've never tried them on my squareneck, but you can kill most of the slide noises with technique and the fact that the tricone does not sustain like an electric, and you might put more force in acoustic playing, so it takes on a little different style, sort of. just what I'm finding..So all the squeaks and hisses don't jump out at you as much, and it feels like you can really put some emotion into it

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 6 Jun 2012 11:22 am

I don't personally like the sound of flat wound strings, but your mileage may vary. I'm working out a bit more with the C#m tuning that Mike Neer recommends, but for now my "go to" tuning is still open G on my tricone.

Robert Salomone · Post by **Robert Salomone** » 7 Jun 2012 3:58 pm

HowardR wrote:I love the Beltona fiberglass Tricone......it's kinda like a metal Tricone with a bit of a Style O sound......

National made this Style 3.5 - 8 string Tricone for me.......prior to confirming my order with National, I had contacted Amistar in the Czech Republic and they were also very accommadating in agreeing to made an 8 string......I decided on National as you see......

Howard.... I noticed that your National Tricone doesn't have the truss rod cover on the headstock. Is this a custom feature you asked for when you ordered it from National Resophonic. How do you adjust the truss rod if it needs adjustment? Reason I ask is that I never cared for their design, and most of the originals I've owned never required any straightening because of the thick necks.