Mark, I have a steel Regal round neck duo-cone and a Gibson Houndog
Squareneck. I got a wonderful deal, recently, on an early model, used, Beard Shop
Goldtone for my son for Christmas.
The steel Regal Duolian is nice, but has maybe half the volume and way less
sustain than either of our squarenecks. I tried it, lap-style, with a nut-riser.
Compared to any good squareneck- it ain't hardly worth the time to retune. In no
way does it come close in punch or tone. It sounds like a deliberately muted
softly played standard reso. It is quieter than my Takamine acoustic guitar so it
is better to practice on late at night round this old house.
From my experience the Beard Goldtone (and you live close enough in NJ to go
over, visit in Md., and play and get one) is a fabulous buy for the money.
Compared to Johnsons and Regals and most Houndogs I have played around
with ---the Beard Goldtone is the pick of the litter (all three models). My son's
is the middle one- the maple laminate. It is a very special instrument (thanks
Al---"Slider"). Al went from this one to a Beard MA 6. Maybe I'll get lucky and
be able to make a jump to an instrument like that some day. I'd be lucky to have
kept the Beard my son got.
Many Blues greats played and some still play bottleneck slide on a traditional
steel stringed acoustic. A lot of the Piedmont Style Blues players like Blind Boy
Fuller and Floyd Council played slide Blues that way.
Gerry O'Breirne plays solo and also plays with Maura O'Connell. You could call
his style "Celtic Blues". He plays an unusual deep bodied acoustic (mostly).
Jerry Douglas used to back Maura (Pre-Alison). In the Transatlantic Sessions tv
series that runs on Ovation TV channel Jerrry D. played often with Maura. Gerry
plays that unusual, georgeous round-neck of his with a slide and when I close my
eyes. It sounds like it is Jerry playing. Gerry and his "bottleneck" acoustic are
that good- and it ain't a reso. Gerry's only cd is Half Moon Bay. http://www.chivalry.com/gerry/half_moon_bay.html.
It is wonderful but you really have to see him play (and if you get the
chance - see him with Maura). He might sound better on a really fine
reso-roundneck, but not by much.
Keb' Mo' and his main side man play "bottleneck" slide with acoustic and
reso-roundnecks- Houndogs often. When you're as good as they are- you only change
to go to a different tuning and a little different sound.
So, try out what you can. Buy the Beard, unless you stumble accross a great
sounding one like my Houndog by chance. Hearabouts John Currie plays loud
agressive Blues/Folk on a stage set up Regal squareneck in the Jon Shain Trio. He
knocks me out with it. But, it has a Quartermain Cone and was set up by Tut's son
at Crafter's Of Tennessee. They're playing in High Point, NC on Jan. 18th. I will
be there. And, for John's Regal, mostly.
"We are the music-makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams." Arthur
O'Shaugnessy
Rod
RE: [RESOGUIT-L] F
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