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Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 17:31:44 -0800 (PST)

what do you mean that the tri cone sounds different? how so?

Glad to assist you further:

My take is that they have a more treble ring...due to the smaller circumferences of the cones...this gives them a more cut-through sound...on another note, in early National Dobro ad literature, they claim that the Tricone is the "ultimate in guitar construction...offering unparalleled advantages...in richness and beauty of tone...and in volume." It's known that the tricone has had more appeal to slide players who play open tunings because of the natural reverb sound that doesn't occur in a single cone system.

John Dopyera once said: "The tricone guitar flowed like a river." Interestingly, the tricone was John Dopyera's personal favorite. In Bob Brozman's book "National Resonator Instruments", there is a reference to the tricone as having a long sustain and a long, smooth decay. "Natural and artificial harmonics ring through with amazing volume and clarity of tone. The sustain of extremely high notes is vastly superior to any other acoustic instruments and is measurably better than the single cone models in this regard."

Hope this helps...Mickey

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