Resonator guitar cone swap

[@nrstate18]

Just picked up a Rogue trolian CT44 for cheap. My problem was completely different than yours. The action was way too high. After watching your video i took mine apart just like you did. The piece glued into the biscuit slot wasnt glued in. I remove it and sanded abot 1/16 inch off and it made a world of difference. Action is better but still high enough for slide and the intonation still a little sharp but 1000 percent better. Thanks for the video. I was intimidated to tear it apart until i watched this.

[@bfrank3468]

That is great! That is the best compliment I could get! Wasn't so bad was it. A few minor things to try for intonation. Sometimes the cone (with strings pretty loose) can be shifted just a little bit back and forth. Also you can twist it (the cone) changing the angle of the bridge slightly. I think National makes a compensated bridge, someone also mentioned an aftermarket bridge available I think… if you have the time and energy you can usually get it a little better, never perfect. Thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.

[@paulbee8131]

wow . quite the difference thanks for the demo

[@Archtops]

Sounds excellent! Liked and subbed.

[@jonathanhandsmusic]

Yes, the National cone is brighter sounding for sure. I'm gonna do the same cone swap on my Gretsch, which has a pretty crappy cone, but a brass body. I was a little reluctant to do the swap until I watched your video. Thanks for posting.

[@rommelrivera1186]

Holy crap! Night and day diff!! Awesome!

[@snerper]

Nice vid Mr B Frank, you're a natural player by the look of it, and I really enjoyed every minute, from start to finish, thank you!

[@smartmouth1577]

Good presentation and good video quality. Not to mention the review. Thanks.

[@FREEZER4000]

nicely done , that was kind of you to make mention of the tiny screw that falls through.

[@markgiles8527]

I saw a National Delphi in a shop yesterday. New for sale but I think it has been hanging around for a while. The clear coat on the neck, right next to the body, had lifted off. What is it a Two-Pack resin? There looked to be air bubbles under clear coat at the end of the guitar and, I can’t say for sure, but it looked almost like there was a crack in the wood up by the tuners. All this on a AUD$4395 Instrument. Shocked!

[@Toystorations]

"I just got myself a cup of coffee" those are screws, Frank. SCREWS.

[@bfrank3468]

Look in the background, there is an espresso cup with coffee, yes coffee, though a sip of screws was not completely impossible…

[@karrot101]

Good job it is a bit brighter so thanks

[@baggsblues2104]

A very helpful video. Thanks.

[@haptown]

Very helpful video. I’m just about to swap out a cone on a Gretsch Honey Dipper.

[@johnwashburn3793]

I am curio😂, do you still have the Republic resonator, and what do you think about them after a few years?

[@bfrank3468]

Hey John, thanks for checking out the video. No I do not have the guitar anymore. I bought the smaller size for travel and the travel ended. Also was not real impressed with the build quality, not enough to keep it. Not knocking Republic as it was an ok guitar if you can’t afford another superior brand. I am glad that there are less expensive guitar providers like Republic. However, if one can hold out for a National, it’s worth the wait…only a personal opinion.

[@IBIZABIKE]

Does the saddle come out and does it have to be wood, with all other adjustments my strings are too high ,on other guitars I would sand down the saddle but unsure on this

[@bfrank3468]

it does on the national biscuits. Not sure if it is glued on this one. I have always sanded them from the top anyway. National is making adjustable ones now (for intonation not height), expensive though. When I replace my biscuits, I typically order 2 and screw one up. They are not expensive...

[@cnoel190]

Which bisquit did you end up using? The National's bridge, I take it, would need to be trimmed?

[@bfrank3468]

I actually did not replace it. I was planning on going back at it to raise both the nut and bridge for slide (never got to it). I am guessing (pretty sure) that the National biscuit would fit. Even if it happens to be a tad larger, don't think it would matter much. Let me know if you find out differently. Pretty sure in one of the comments, someone changed it out... best of luck!! I just measured the National biscuit ±2- 3/8th inches

[@AC2N]

Thanks for sharing. Sorry for English Google. I put big strings on my gretsch, and the cone was a little slumped, all the strings buzz beyond the seventh fret. What do you advise me to go up the action. I see three options, changing the cookie for a wider one, or changing the piece of wood that fits in against a higher one, or finally and at the simplest, putting a layer of glue between the biscuit and the cone.

[@bfrank3468]

My suggestion if you are using for slide (quick fix) is a new biscuit that you can file down to acceptable height... however, sounds like possible neck adjustments may be necessary

[@AC2N]

thanks Frank for the quick answer. sorry for purely Google English. I did a temporary thing by adding a small block of wood at the bottom of the notch on the biscuit. It works well. But I will follow your advice and change biscuit, when I found the woods adequate. The neck setting is perfect. when buzzes comes beyond the seventh or ninth fret, the problem always comes from the action too low at the easel. (I'm afraid the translation of technical or craft words will be translated anyhow).

[@7xchad]

Have you ever tried a Beard cone? If so, what do you think of them?

[@bfrank3468]

I haven't but I have read positive things...

[@cnoel190]

Got pretty much the same reso . Doing pretty much the same. Think it be worth to also switch out the nut & saddle for bone?

[@bfrank3468]

some people say it makes a difference, though I am personally skeptical that it would be noticeable... Just my personal opinion. Unless you are going to be radically changing the set up.

[@INDYOSKARS]

VERY NICE BOTTLENECK GEETAR.

[@janszczerba334]

I'm fascinated by the hats US Americans wear in their videos. Can i ask you why you chose to wear that hat? Do you wear it when you go shopping? Do you wear it when you watch TV? Many thanks in advance for your reply. Regards, Jan

[@bfrank3468]

Funny question. I do wear my hat shopping and out in the world, but not to bed or watching TV, unless specifically requested by my wife. I am not a big national traveler, but know this is not specifically a US thing. Even probably more so in Australia and parts of Europe... Hope that helps

[@martinosorio7534]

B Frank 🎸Me Gustan Mucho Las Guitarras 🎸Tu Las Ases 🎸Quiero Una Guitarra Metálica Electric Acústica cuánto Cuesta 🎸Muchas Gracias 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@tommytramp]

HEY FRANK FIRST OFF I HOPE YOUR SAFE AND HEALTHY!!!!!2ndly im haveing a guitar crises ...you told me to get a couple biscuits and i did not ... so i broke a repupublic bisscuit trying to work on the action...im learning ...the hard way...any way do you know if the National biscuits from Elderly you got with your cone will fit in a REpblic ..I ask because , the saddle fans out a bit..on those... I would be very grate ful if you could help me on that... its 10 dollars cheaper then stewert macs ...THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!!

[@bfrank3468]

I am guessing the biscuits for sale probably includes a size. Measure yours. Would guess it would be the same or really close. Email them if you have to... That is EXACTLY why I always get a couple. I have screwed up a few myself... No big deal, just part of the learning process. My motto is (concerning everything). Totally screw it up beyond repair before taking it to anyone. I have been laughed at by many professionals. I seem to remember a very old Audi carburetor. The mechanic laughed so hard, he fixed it for free. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You will get it right eventually.

[@tommytramp]

THANK you for your quick response, I sent a message to republic and ask them to send me the diameter of there biscuts i glued it, and put it back in but its not right ..ill have to open it up again ... thanx man for your help!!! STAY SAFE!!!!

[@uptopmikep7065]

Oh and have you ever compared the difference between a well spun cone and hub cap a classic Cadillac. They get really well spun. Just teasing! Cheers

[@emmanuelalfredomendoza7365]

is ti possible to swap out a biscuit cone for a spider cone?

[@bfrank3468]

Interesting question. that I do not know - let me know what you find... Never had a spider setup

[@duderama6750]

I'd say no way. A biscuit cone is shaped like a mountain and must be mounted deep in the body. A spider is inverted like a speaker and mounts closer to the top. You could modify the mount by adding a ring if possible but I doubt it's worth the effort. I would suggest you watch some vids on converting a flat top to a spider cone instead.

[@tommytramp]

THANK you very much..I allso have a Republic resolian steel...could you make a demo on how to lower the action on the bridge? PLEASE!!! and does that wood bridge come off the biscut?THANK you so much for this vidio I call my REPUBLIC MY POOR BOY NATIONAL.. I wish i could afford a NATIONAL...THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH for this vidio

[@bfrank3468]

Hey Tommy - I am usually doing the opposite to raise the action for slide! I would suggest you buy a couple of new biscuits (pretty inexpensive) and sand them down a little bit at a time. Buy two so you can screw up one and still have a good one. The bridge part does come out of the new biscuits, however not sure on the Republic one. Personally, I usually worked from the top down so the bottom of the bridge stays flat on the biscuit base. However, if you can get the bridge off the biscuit base on your Republic and you are happy with the bridge string spacing and contour, you can try sanding from the bottom of the bridge, just go slow. I would also suggest to leave the cover plate off till you get it where you want it. Depending on the set up, you might have to work with the nut end as well. As with learning any type of repair, guitar and otherwise, be ready to screw up the first one as a sacrificial learning tool. Hope it works out well, let me know - thanks for checking out the video - BD Frank

[@tommytramp]

Wow thanx for getting back so fast .ARE you saying you sand from the slotted side (TOP) down? then what? you re slot ? (republic wood bridges are not made with any love, they send them out with chips and cuts(thats why there guitars are cheap in price)( China no dout)any way IVE all ready ordered a Stewart Mcdonald fret end file..got some sharp ends ..this is ok cos when im done..it will sound better play better and i will have more love for it .because of you im thinking of buying a national cone ...???have any suggestions ,on The best way to buy one, and oh yea! do you know how measure the cone with out opening it up???....and thank you for you time ...THANK YOU SO MUCH...

[@bfrank3468]

Gotten plenty of stuff from Stewert MD, there ok too... Yes I work them from the top down, as long as you don't loose your string spacing from the bevel. I will mark the string locations from the old one on the side of the new bridge to keep track...

[@tommytramp]

very smart and very cool thank youi only want to take it down a little bit...too make my bar chords a little bit easier..im thinking i want to do this it plays ok now but i want it to be the best for me i can get ...thank you so very much

[@SteveSchuffert]

Your truss rod may also need adjusted to bring the action down. Turning it to the right will straighten the neck thus lowering the action. Small slow adjustments are the key when doing this.

[@212sean]

Thank you for making this video, it seems to be the only real back to back comparison for a Hot Rod cone on KZbin. I just wanted to point out that in the first sound example with the original cone, the guitar is tuned to Ab, and then the guitar was tuned to A for the National cone. So that added some brightness and a different sound or depth. I checked it with a tuner just to be sure. The Hot Rod definitely is brighter but sounds thinner to me; maybe due to the tighter strings. I have one of the first National Resophonic Style O's built in 1995. Do you know what the difference is between that original cone and the newer Hot Rod in terms of sound and tone? All I know is the Hot Rod is thinner. Thanks.

[@bfrank3468]

Nice catch!!! You are correct!!!!. However, although not the exact same tuning in the video, I spent a fair amount of time playing the guit with both cones and did prefer the hot rod for my taste. Perhaps someone at National can clarify the differences you ask, as I am not an EXPERT. Email them. Thank you for watching. I did post due to lack of info available as I was curious. Though critiqued as if an controlled MIT experiment, this is nothing but one persons opinion... And I still stand behind my personal conclusions - thanks. I use D" Addario EJ19 strings, which I am sure also influences the outcome

[@10mey]

Sounds better with the hot rod cone into it, at least to my ears. A shoot out with the other single cones you would be nice too ;-) Thank you for doing this, that was informative.

[@bfrank3468]

matter of preference - there is no correct, just difference. I do like all resonators, cheap to expensive - all have personality... How you play the instrument, fingers, metal picks etc. all contribute.

[@bluesblabber]

Hello Frank, thank you very much for this video. I have a few question that I would like to ask, and hopefully you won't mind helping me out. So here's the case, I just bought a new Hot Rod Resonator cone to replace my collapsed Gretsch Ampli Sonic cone. The thing is, the cone got a quite huge dent somewhere along the way. I pushed it and it went straight back, but there are still small dents all over the cone. My question is, do you think that a dented cone is a broken cone? Will the dents make the cone prone to collapse? Will it affect the longevity of the cone? The huge dent is no more, it's quite even now, but I just worried that it might somehow affect the cone in any way. Once again thank you for this video, and thank you for your response.

[@bfrank3468]

I am really not a cone expert, but common sense would tend to lend the thought that this would affect how the cone vibrates, but to what extent? Try it, who knows, it might suck or sound great!!! I would try it just because I have it... Let me know the results - thanks

[@Stillgrizzling]

Hi there just watched the Vid really good, just a quick question how do you set up the intonation.

[@bfrank3468]

Really good question. You are pretty much at the mercy of the accuracy of the build. Usually you have some play in the cone as it does not sit in tight, so you can push the cone forward and back a little. Also you can slightly rotate the cone / biscuit. I have threatened to try to attach a tune o matic type bridge to the bottom of a biscuit, but haven't gotten around to it... Another thought was a wider upper piece of the bridge, then file like a banjo compensated bridge. I play 99% slide so not much of a problem, but still plagues me.

[@Stillgrizzling]

B Frank Hi again I am in the UK whilst trolling the inter web I came across a biscuit and saddle for a reso that was adjustable. Made in the Uk. But out of stock. Will try to find out more. Chris

[@Stillgrizzling]

@@bfrank3468 Hi this is the website www.acousticmasters.com/AcousticMasters_ResobridgeS.htm

[@bfrank3468]

@@Stillgrizzling cool

[@uptopmikep7065]

Hmmm, I’m surprised that a guitar from such a well regarded manufacturer had such poor QC. It seems that with a little care it can be made int a decent instrument (eg. New nut, new cone, perhaps a new bridge saddle and a good set up). Problem is they still aren’t cheap (sub $300). I expected more care from them. Thanks for a great video B.

[@theowhowe83]

I really like your video. I'm a new guitar player, and I currently play a Gretsch Alligator. Do you think the Highway 61 is a good step up from the Gretsch? $1000 is about all I can afford, so Nationals are out of my reach.

[@bfrank3468]

Thank you! I love all resonators!!! To me the difference in quality /price is more relative to the craftsmanship than the sounds, as they all have unique “voices”. Especially if you play slide and are not as concerned with low action. My best advice is to go play different resonators and if you can, even on a phone, record as the sound is always different out front. Which one inspires your playing is the right one. Experiment with many different tunings, also the same tuning up or down a half step or so. You might be surprised at the differences in tone by just tunings. Thanks for listening / watching and all the best!!! Www.bdfrank.com

[@markhennigar748]

No. Republic is rebranded made in China guitar. Just buy one directly. Not better than Gretsch. I own both.

[@desdearibasiempre2545]

waooo! what a big diferent. beter. the national.

[@eolden7749]

Sounds way hotter

[@wahivalleys3011]

Umm, I get the impression you really prefer Nationals. Wahi' Valleys

[@bfrank3468]

Yes, so far I do prefer Nationals, but do appreciate them all, and will play any reso I have the chance to...

[@myfriendpete]

Im sorry to say but these Republic guitars are NOT the best on the market

[@keithclark486]

Which one's are? The one you prefer?

[@joecontreras5068]

Made in china-

[@bfrank3468]

Amen, the corners cut couldn’t have saved that much money…