Cheap dobro owners-rate your axe!

[surfcat]

Especially if you have one of the following that I'm considering:

Regal Rc-2 Duolian (nickel steel)

Regal Rc-1 Duolian (gray painted steel)

Rogue Triolian Biscuit

Rogue Spider Bridge

Rogue Classic Brass body reso

Fender Fr 48 nickel steel

Fender Fr 50 ce w/pickups

Dean Chrome 6 reso w/pickups

Hohner Hr 200 wood body w/pickup

These are all under $600-I'd love one with pickups but choices are limited-metal bodies are cool sounding, but I like wood bodies too, so I'm not ruling out anything-I'd like a 14 fret though-which all these do except the Rogue biscuit, but $179, nice price.

[Danocoustic]

I've got a Regal RC2 that I bought sight-unseen from MF. It's really not bad. Put a Quarterman cone and better bridge in it, did a serious set-up; that helped a lot.

 

Cheap resos are fun

[daklander]

It's not on your list but the Epiphone Biscuit is a decent reso for the money. Plays a bit tough if you play it strictly as a guitar but has a great low-tech, raspy tone with a slide, particularly a brass slide though glass isn't bad.

[WashburnGuy]

Rogue Triolian here from MF. Got mine for $129 when they were first introduced.......can't be beat for that money!!!!!!!

[surfcat]

Nice-I'm not sure if they still make the Epiphone-hard to find anymore. I wish I could play them all side by side-that's the problem-not enough experience with them and having to choose by mail order. I would like to try the Rogue Triolian next to the spider bridge one-really not sure which I would like more-I want it for blues so conventional wisdom says triolian, but it supposedly has less sustain but more punch, and I like sustain for slide.

The Rc-1 may get a look over the Rc-2 just because I don't want to have to get the wax and buffer out everytime I play it-the Rc-1 is painted instead of chromed-but there's a used Fender chrome fr48 locally that I don't have time in the next week to go see-don't know which is better. Maybe I'll just get a pedalboard instead.

[Buttcrust]

Had a Regal RC-2, went "bad" fast. By "bad" I mean the sound of it deteriorated into a muted, banjo-like tone. I guess if you like muted banjo tones it was ok. I see most persons change the cone and the bridge, which I did not do. I purchaced a Agile, nickle plated bell brass with "stamped" (not engraved) flowers. This guitar has a better bridge and sounds so much nicer than the Regal. I don't see this guitar on Rondo's web site any more (discontinued ? )

 

Also got the $149 Rogue (black) from MF .

I like this instrument alot. Had to dis-assemble, re-adjust bridge spacing (has two ebony "half saddle/bridges") and re-seat the cone. Definately has that raw blues tone in various open tunings. Easy-to-play neck with nice "snowflake" inlays.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Until recently, I had the wood-bodied cutaway Dean w/ the lipstick P/U (forget the model #)...an amazingly good reso-guitar, both acoustically and "plugged in"...much better sounding than I thought it'd be!

 

Definitely check one out before you decide!

[tehuti]

Originally posted by Terry Allan Hall Until recently, I had the wood-bodied cutaway Dean w/ the lipstick P/U (forget the model #)...an amazingly good reso-guitar, both acoustically and "plugged in"...much better sounding than I thought it'd be! Definitely check one out before you decide!

 

I have a Dean also, the GCE with a humbucker (The one with the lipstick pickup is the CE I believe.) Although I don't play it that much I love that guitar. I can't imagine there are many better ones in that price range. However, I have seen a Johnson that looks exactly like my Dean. Bit I've never played it so I can't say which is better.

[Freeman Keller]

I recently had the opportunity to play six different resonators on the same day. I had wanted to tune them all the same and really A/B/C them but for several reasons that didn't work out. I played all fingerstyle fretted and slide - and have e-mailed Surfcat the comparsion. Here is a very brief summary. My "sustain test" is a slide harmonic - how long does it ring and how many quarter notes can I slide to. None were plugged in.

 

Dean Chrome G - engraved steel body, lipstick, garish finish (MOP, gold tuners - YMMV). MSLP $950. Medium sustain, needed fingerpicks to get the first string to ring - my notes say "had a hard time getting much out of it in open G w/ slide")

 

Dean spider bridge wood body - no electronics - "sweet" sound, well balanced, ringing harmonics, long sustain, no rattles. Fit and finish OK, but not impressive (redish 'burst). I liked this one.

 

Dean cutaway w/ electronics - shallow body, biscuit, lipstick, strung with lights. Very low action, easy to bend. Fretted out badly w/ the slide. Short sustain. My notes say "pretty underwelming sound unplugged". MSLP $650. Probably should belong to a Strat player

 

Fender, model unknown. Chrome steel body, no engraving, biscuit, minor rattle (tailpiece?), sounded OK but really didn't impress me.

 

Dobro type 33 (1980's) - Brass body, biscuit, engraved, Quarterman, 14 fret. Medium sustain, pretty nasty sounding - particularly with finger picks. A good compromise for fretted and slide. List price is over $2K now, I paid $1K ten years ago.

 

Dobro type 27 (1932) - Spider, quarterman, 12 fret, funky old guitar with a history and an attitude. 5/32 action and mediums make it slide only. Sweet, long sustain, really cries. New this baby was $27, I paid $200 and wouldn't take $2K.

[surfcat]

I'd like to try the Dean spider bridge-I wonder how much better than the Rogue it is. I'd also like to try the other Deans with pickups. I have tried the Fender nickel plated one that FK tried-I liked it but don't have that much experience with actual Nationals to compare to-sounded pretty good to me. I've been using my Baby Talor tuned to G for a dobro substitute-not much volume but it actually sounds pretty good-the small sound gives it some nasally midrange. Keep the suggestions coming-I can't seem to find a store locally that has more than one or two in stock if any.