Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 16:30:42 -0000
Subject: FAQ? I have another...

Dear Folk of the Wood,

Greetings Thomas,

I am a electric blues guitar player, but recently I have found myself listening to a lot of Delta Blues slide style guitar, I love Son House. It got me to wanting to learn the resonator guitar. I want to get a serious bluesly tone, that is strong and crisp, the more overtones the better.

I have been reading your website over and over, I love the videos.

My question is?

How much different is the tone on a Tri-cone then a metal bodied dobro, or a triolian?

The Triolian has the nasal uni-speaker sound most look for if they want to sound like they come out of the Mississippi Delta...it even sounds like an old 78 record. They do not have a big sound, nor do they have the metallic sound of a metal body...the Triolian is one dobro that truly stands on its own in tonal range due to the smaller body and the biscuit cone system.

The Tri-Cone seems to be well-balanced...and does offer the metallic tone of a metal body...there's not as much difference in tone from a Tri-Cone to the single cone as there is from the Triolian to both the Tri-Cone or the single cone...the single cone, metal body body, seems to have the largest tone...fatter in sound altogether...


The models I am interested in are the Regal RC-51 Resonator Dobro and how it compares with the Johnson JM-991, and how either of these would compare to the sound and quality of a Gibson DM-33...

The quality of the Gibson DM-33 will exceed most any import I've seen to date...I really do like the overall resonance it seems to offer...however, it is somewhat expensive...for value, you cannot beat either the Johnson or the Regal...both offer similar qualities...the Tri-Cone again seems to have a cut-through tone with good balance...The RC-51 is made in the Czech Republic and the Johnson is made in China...