Just Finished my New Resonator Guitar (now with Demo)

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 7 Jul 2015 10:32 am

I've just finished my new resonator guitar with palm levers. For those of you interested in its construction, see my previous post...
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

Squared neck, roller nut; nut brown with gold sunburst; resonator cover, armrest and soundhole covers sprayed with rubberised black; side of neck has fret position markers inlaid; palm lever unit is a modified Duesenberg Multibender; currently tuned regular open G, but I'm thinking of changing the copedant to C6.

Music sample to follow when I've had time to play with it.

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 7 Jul 2015 10:53 am

That looks pretty cool, Alan ðŸ˜Š Are you able to show us what she sounds like?

David Knutson · Post by **David Knutson** » 7 Jul 2015 11:30 am

Love it Alan. Great Steampunk look. Your imagination keeps going and going . . .

Joe Elk · Post by **Joe Elk** » 7 Jul 2015 1:12 pm

Like WOW Alan!!
Joe Elk

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 7 Jul 2015 3:04 pm

Rick Barnhart wrote:That looks pretty cool, Alan ðŸ˜Š Are you able to show us what she sounds like?

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=
In the fullness of time, Rick.

As Hank said "...if the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise..."

Keith Glendinning · Post by **Keith Glendinning** » 8 Jul 2015 2:37 am

Looks great Alan. I really like the finish and it's a "one-off" for sure. Like the others, I'm looking forward to hearing it.
Keith.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 8 Jul 2015 3:27 pm

I've been getting used to it, and solving a few teething problems, which one can expect when one builds an instrument with novel features. The Multibender has two adjusting bolts per lever. The one adjusts how far down the lever goes when you depress it, and the other adjusts how far back the lever goes when you release it. The unit was originally designed for an electric guitar, to be played through an amplifier. What I noticed is that, when you depress a lever, there's a tapping sound as it comes up against the metal stop, and another tapping sound as it goes back to its resting position. That's unacceptable in an acoustic instrument. My fix will be to put a thin layer of felt between the lever and the stops, which should dampen that sound completely.

I built the guitar with a scale length of 28Â¼", because I wanted to get more bass into it. A regular Jumbo guitar has a scale length of 25", and that's the same as my Dobro. A regular set of guitar strings is designed to be tuned to EADGBE. Taking the first string, for example. 25" on my scale is about two-and-a-half semitones higher. Allowing three semitones, to avoid breakage, that means that the first string cannot be tuned higher than C#. But, if I tune it to C#, then as soon as I push the lever the string will immediately break, so C# is the highest it can be tuned with the lever pushed down, and that translates to B when open.

Now we come to the 5th and 6th strings, which, with regular Dobro tuning, are tuned 3 and 2 semitones higher than a regular guitar. 6th strings can usually take this much extra tension, as can 5th strings. There's no lever on the 6th string, but there is on the 5th string. The 5th string is made to be tuned to A, which, given my increased scale length, equates to F#. Again, since the lever on this string raises it by two semitones, one wouldn't expect to tune it higher than E. There's no lever on the 4th string, so this string is the ruling factor.

This brings the regular Dobro tuning of GBDGBD down to BEGBEG, an open B chord, which is what I shall probably use.

Any suggestions?

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 16 Jul 2015 1:38 pm

really cool, alan! i'd love to plink on it.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 16 Jul 2015 3:15 pm

Cool instrument Alan, and neat idea for a roller nut

My fix will be to put a thin layer of felt between the lever and the stops, which should dampen that sound completely.

Did yours not come with the felt strips already installed? All the ones I've bought had them front and back with a couple spares included in the bag with the supplied allen wrenches.

.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 17 Jul 2015 10:39 am

Yes, but they had worn away over the years. I replaced them with thicker stuff and the tapping went away.

People who have seen my instruments before may well ask why I built a six-string, having stated that I would never build a lap steel with fewer than eight strings ...and, indeed, my previous resonator guitar did have eight strings.

I thought about this. but the Duesenberg unit only comes in a 6-string format. If this were a lap steel I could have added an extra two strings, carried on a separate bridge, but the dimensions of the spider and the sides of the Multibender made this impossible, even if I added a tailpiece. $:\$

By the way, although it doesn't seem to be a problem when the unit is mounted on a solid instrument, I found that the mounting screws by the bridge were not enough to prevent the bottom of the unit rising when the strings are at full tension. It's a pity the unit was not built with additional mounting holes at its base. As it is, I found it impossible to drill additional holes through the stainless steel, and had to resort to a small bracket, screwed to the spider, holding the back down. You cannot see it in the photographs, as it's under the coverplate.

Tom, what tuning did you use, and what do you have your two levers set up to do?

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 18 Jul 2015 7:52 am

although it doesn't seem to be a problem when the unit is mounted on a solid instrument, I found that the mounting screws by the bridge were not enough to prevent the bottom of the unit rising when the strings are at full tension.

Yea, I can see where that might be an issue when using it on a reso. Although their version for reso's is not perfect, being part of the tailpiece has its advantages.

what tuning did you use, and what do you have your two levers set up to do?

That one was setup in a pretty interesting D7th
1-D
2-C
3-A - raise to B
4-F# - raise to G
5-D
6-A
7-F#
8-D

I recently finished up a fun 7 string with a bender in a typical reso G tuning with an added high G on top. The levers were setup to take the high D to E and B to C.

.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 18 Jul 2015 9:46 am

This is a quote from the following topic from a few years back:-

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... nder+rondo

Alan Brookes wrote:I put palm levers on my original SX. It gives it a lot more flexibility and I can play a lot of pedal steel licks.

I wish they would make an 8-string version.

This is where I got the Multibender unit. I had it on this guitar for several years, but I thought it would be of more use on an acoustic guitar. I thought of using a regular jumbo with a nut riser, but eventually decided to build it into a resonator guitar. My friend Basil Henriques reckoned that it wouldn't work because others who have tried it have encountered cabinet drop, which is why I made a lot of design changes compared to a regular resonator guitar.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 18 Jul 2015 9:52 am

I'm encountering a buzzing noise on one particular note, so I'm going to have to take the cover plate off and see what it is that's buzzing.

Other than that, the guitar plays well. I might put a microphone in the aluminium bowl under the cone.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 18 Jul 2015 12:40 pm

Very cool, Alan. I suggest inaugural song be by the Eagles.

Bishop Ronnie P Hall · Post by **Bishop Ronnie P Hall** » 20 Jul 2015 11:35 am

Alan!!!

You are indeed something else! An all around beast, when it comes to putting these instruments together! I hope to get to hear somebody play this masterpiece! It has got to sound, as good as it looks. Keep up the good work my friend.
Ron

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 20 Jul 2015 2:15 pm

Alan, how is the cabinet drop on that thing? That was the deal-breaker for Dave Borisoff when he tried putting pedals on a dobro back 30-some years ago.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 21 Jul 2015 11:03 am

Andy: Yes, that would be a good idea.

Ronnie: Thanks, Ron. Maybe I'll dedicate the first number I record on it to you. The Old Rugged Cross would sound good on it.

Earnest: There is no noticable cabinet drop. Read through the earlier part of the text and you'll see that I designed the instrument from the ground up with the main goal of defeating the dreaded cabinet drop gremlin.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 1 Oct 2017 10:49 am

Rick Barnhart wrote:That looks pretty cool, Alan ðŸ˜Š Are you able to show us what she sounds like?

Well it's taken me a long time to get round to it, but here goes. I must point out that this is not a performance, just a demonstration of what it sounds like. In making the video I've relied on the little microphone built into the digital camera, eight feet away. If I were making a recording of this, or playing in public, I would close-mike it.
https://youtu.be/1su3919Y1nE

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 3 Oct 2017 2:50 am

Very nice Alan. I especially like the arm rest, saves the finish in that area.