Hi AGP#, nice to hear from you again and thanks for your kind comments.....really appreciate what you said.
Likewise Dave......I should have mentioned the paint brand too. I used Plastikote acrylic gloss aluminium silver over their acrylic grey primer. It's best to stick to 'same brand' materials to eliminate any potential compatibility reactions. Also used their acrylic satin lacquer, but ONLY on the neck......NO lacquer on the metallic silver......it will ruin the effect and kills the 'sparkle'. It's very durable anyway.....just get a decent layer built up and give it a few days to fully cure....it doesn't need a clear coat on top.
Here's a link to the paint, if anyone wants to try some out......great product, highly recommended!
Many thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it. If it has encouraged you to have a go yourself then even better! It's never going to sound like a 1930's National, but it does sound good, especially 'amped up......and the main thing is it's a massive improvement on what it sounded like before. That and the fact it is a true original 'one-off' and makes me smile every time I look at it, even more so when I play it is all the reason in the world for having done it. It was so much fun building it, and now I have the fun of playing it......a feeling we all know very well in these parts!
A couple of additional points worth mentioning......
I added some additional bracing to the top, in the form of some strips of mahogany strip wood (6mm x 9mm cut to length as required), introduced via the hole I'd made for the dog bowl. The top was flexing a little because of the size of the hole so I thought it prudent. According to stuff I've read about the old Dobros the sound comes more from the resonator anyway, and a few strips arranged in a slightly 'veed' shape either side of the main hole, from the bottom end to the tail block and one to 're-connect' the cross brace between it and the sound hole did the trick. I just aimed for a bit of additional structural rigidity really.
Finally, one thing I may do now I've lived with it for a while is make a new tail piece. The one currently fitted, nice though it is, only gives a small amount of break angle across the saddle. This combined with the short scale length means the strings ended up just a tiny bit 'loose' and I'd like to increase the tension very slightly. I used D'Addario EJ11's Bronze, light gauge, .042w/.032w/.024w tuned to GDG, and it's sooo close. I needed to be mindful of the neck, not knowing if it had any reinforcement (doubtful) as well as getting enough tension for good tone and volume. It's a balancing act! What I have in mind is something that looks very similar, made from some 1.5 or 2mm sheet aluminium, but with an additional bent area at the front dropping down into the dog bowl. This would have the three slotted string mounting holes and site them lower to give the additional break angle over the bridge. It also gives me an opportunity to do something decorative on the tail piece too, with maybe a bit of engraving, or perhaps an ebony overlay with some kind of pearl inlay. Anyway...it'll do for now!
Don, please don't hesitate to drop me a message if you have any further questions or if you feel I may be able to offer any additional advice.....it'd be a pleasure to help if I can.
Kind regards, and thanks again for your encouraging words.
......which shows 'after' the build was completed.
Hope everyone enjoys seeing the pics, and there's a few more of the finished guitar on my photos page if anyone's interested in seeing them.
If you've never done a conversion before, give it a try! It's cheap to do and it's a good way to give a new lease of life and/or improve an old clunker, and if it goes wrong it's not the end of the world. It's a great way to learn and apply new skills and try out ideas too.
Comments
Hi AGP#, nice to hear from you again and thanks for your kind comments.....really appreciate what you said.
Likewise Dave......I should have mentioned the paint brand too. I used Plastikote acrylic gloss aluminium silver over their acrylic grey primer. It's best to stick to 'same brand' materials to eliminate any potential compatibility reactions. Also used their acrylic satin lacquer, but ONLY on the neck......NO lacquer on the metallic silver......it will ruin the effect and kills the 'sparkle'. It's very durable anyway.....just get a decent layer built up and give it a few days to fully cure....it doesn't need a clear coat on top.
Here's a link to the paint, if anyone wants to try some out......great product, highly recommended!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plasti-kote-21119-400ml-Premium-Spray/dp/B...
Brian.
Fabulous. Thanks for the spray can tips.
A nice well thought out build, a lot to like about this one!, love the sink strainer in the sound hole
:-)
Hi Don,
Many thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it. If it has encouraged you to have a go yourself then even better! It's never going to sound like a 1930's National, but it does sound good, especially 'amped up......and the main thing is it's a massive improvement on what it sounded like before. That and the fact it is a true original 'one-off' and makes me smile every time I look at it, even more so when I play it is all the reason in the world for having done it. It was so much fun building it, and now I have the fun of playing it......a feeling we all know very well in these parts!
A couple of additional points worth mentioning......
I added some additional bracing to the top, in the form of some strips of mahogany strip wood (6mm x 9mm cut to length as required), introduced via the hole I'd made for the dog bowl. The top was flexing a little because of the size of the hole so I thought it prudent. According to stuff I've read about the old Dobros the sound comes more from the resonator anyway, and a few strips arranged in a slightly 'veed' shape either side of the main hole, from the bottom end to the tail block and one to 're-connect' the cross brace between it and the sound hole did the trick. I just aimed for a bit of additional structural rigidity really.
Finally, one thing I may do now I've lived with it for a while is make a new tail piece. The one currently fitted, nice though it is, only gives a small amount of break angle across the saddle. This combined with the short scale length means the strings ended up just a tiny bit 'loose' and I'd like to increase the tension very slightly. I used D'Addario EJ11's Bronze, light gauge, .042w/.032w/.024w tuned to GDG, and it's sooo close. I needed to be mindful of the neck, not knowing if it had any reinforcement (doubtful) as well as getting enough tension for good tone and volume. It's a balancing act! What I have in mind is something that looks very similar, made from some 1.5 or 2mm sheet aluminium, but with an additional bent area at the front dropping down into the dog bowl. This would have the three slotted string mounting holes and site them lower to give the additional break angle over the bridge. It also gives me an opportunity to do something decorative on the tail piece too, with maybe a bit of engraving, or perhaps an ebony overlay with some kind of pearl inlay. Anyway...it'll do for now!
Don, please don't hesitate to drop me a message if you have any further questions or if you feel I may be able to offer any additional advice.....it'd be a pleasure to help if I can.
Kind regards, and thanks again for your encouraging words.
Brian Thompson.
Wow, what a great tutorial Brian, and pictures, thanks for sharing! How does that dog bowl sound?
I've got an old student guitar I've wanted to do something with, a 3-string resonator sounds like a plan.
......which shows 'after' the build was completed.
Hope everyone enjoys seeing the pics, and there's a few more of the finished guitar on my photos page if anyone's interested in seeing them.
If you've never done a conversion before, give it a try! It's cheap to do and it's a good way to give a new lease of life and/or improve an old clunker, and if it goes wrong it's not the end of the world. It's a great way to learn and apply new skills and try out ideas too.
Have fun with it!