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Message 8011
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| Subject: | Re: [RESOGUIT-L] Beard | | Date: | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 22:17:43 (-0500) | | From: | David Benjamin <davidlevitsky @.....com>
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Geez, took a bio break and 18 replies (surely a sign Festivus is
approaching).
Bob, is that the curly maple Terris? Not many out there but if it is good
chance I owned it B4, and I recall it to be an Excellent Guitar.
I think actually it's healthy and tremendous fun to tell other folks what
guits you like, and what opinions folks have. As my partner in "trying
(buying) one of every dobro" Mr. Baber pointed out, he and I share a certain
buy-bug (not Merca but more certainly more expensive). Of course, my
comments were pure opinion, as a matter of fact I am still hunting down the
one I regret selling the most, the second dobro I owned, a Beard mahogany R,
which sounded sweet as sweet can sound. And my first reso was actually a koa
Deneve, converted from an 8-string, which made it perfect for me to learn on
and sounded great (matter of fact I bought two more, miss em both. :-( )
To paraprase a certain cheesy song from a singer who generally avoids "la
fromage"
" To all the guitars I've loved before
That traveled in and out my door
I'm glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the resos I've loved before
*
* To all the squarenecks I once caressed
And may I say I've held the best
For helping me to grow
Even though i play Iike *&$% ya know
To al the D****s I've loved before"
*(Note: Copyright (c) 2007 Gibson Musical Instruments; "A Gibson is Good
Enough" - Guys d**o not sing this line ** )
*
PS - in my earlier email I neglected Bobby Wolfe, Dick D., Tooter, Mark
Taylor, Michael Dunn, Mssrs. Schoonover and Harlow, Harry James, Ralph
Luttrell, Rance @ Lazy River, and George at Berkley Music Exchange in
addition to the aforementioned makers - I never played one that was not a
masterpiece to me.
Although fortunately, unlike women (unless you live in Utah) you get to keep
more than one reso at a time, for me, the sad truth was that though I would
of liked to keep em all (all there were ALOT, Cal you nailed it), I had to
pick two to keep. Okay, three. Well four if you count pre-wars. Umm, do
Weissenborns count?
If anyone has Mahogany Beard R serial 750 I believe I'll take her back for
what you paid. And Howard, how about a reissue of the R body, with the Shiny
Black Automotive Finish? I've been looking for one for five years..
Happy Holidays and don't forget Festivus comes early this year - support
your favorite reso makers!
DL
On Nov 20, 2007 5:01 PM, <bobmcevoy@comcast.net> wrote:
> I'm leaving room for Bob McEvoy to chime in :-) about his E.
>
> This is a discussion I was going to stay out of. I dislike ratings and
> comparisons of instruments as much as I dislike musical competitions. But
> when someone disparages a whole line of instruments and causes another to
> question a decision to purchase, then I will take the bait.
>
> My opinion is totally subservient to the likes of Mike Auldridge, Jerry
> Douglas, Tim Graves Jim Heffernan etc. These people all play Beard guitars
> and I am proud to be in their company only to say I play a Beard also. They
> all play these instruments differently. Loud when they want to, soft when
> they want to. Mike chooses to play his MA 6 or 8 softly. I have heard both
> Tim Graves on an E and Jim Heffernan on a MA 6 make their instruments speak
> out. I heard Pete Smith play an R body which I thought was an E. Howard
> reminded me that it was an R and it was totally dependent on the player.
>
> When I bought my Beard E, I was not in the market for an instrument. I
> owned a Michael Terris and was on order for a Sheerhorn, sometime in the
> future. But I had an opportunity to play a number of Beard E's and R's and
> MA 6 at the Beard shop. This was a rare opportunity since he doesn't
> normally have instruments in stock at least to this extent. With the wood
> differences, they were all different. I was looking for certain
> characteristics that I found in this instrument, but they were all
> outstanding instruments.
> I think the MA 6 is more aggressive than my E model but Mike looks for
> sweat and plays it that way.
> I now have a Maple Sheerhorn, and a maple Gold Tone. They are all great
> sounding instruments but all of them different. As Howard reminded me,
> "It's ok to love more than one" (instruments that is).
> The Gold Tone is well balanced sounds like a Dobro but is a little lighter
> in volume. Of course, it has a partial sound well. I heard Johnny Bellar
> do everything you would want to hear on a Wechter Sheerhorn.
> The Sheerhorn is heavy bass and carries this through all strings. It does
> play well in the high register. It is built this way. Baffles, open
> construction, no screens. It is only two weeks old so it may change, we
> will see. It does speak out. Took it to a jam this last Sunday with 3
> banjo's fiddle guitars etc. No one said that it was too quiet and I tend to
> be a quiet player.
> The Beard E is brighter, less bassy evenly balance across the strings.
> carries very well on the sixth string between the 10th and 12th frets. The
> dead spot for all Resophonics. The Sheerhorn carries through there also but
> not with the brightness of E model. The Gold Tone looses some in that area.
> I am unable to compare the MA 6 at this time since I don't have one but I
> would bet that it carries in that range.
>
> The answer they are all different, I would think that the MA 6 models are
> the most similar since the basic model does not have the wood variation like
> a Beard E or Sheerhorn made with different woods and Mike plays everyone.
> If they satisfy Mike A then that's the only guarantee that I need.
>
> Finally one of my favorite players is Junior Barber and he makes a DeNeve
> sing so there are other great instruments out there and I don't want to
> slight them, only that this discussion is limited to Beard and Sheerhorn
> instruments.
> In the end it's personal taste so that is why I think comparisons are
> bogus. Buy one or the other enjoy it and don't worry about comparing it or
> what others might think. If you like it and the way it sounds that's all
> that matters. Let me emphasize, it's not the instrument as much as the
> player.
> Back to practicing, hmm which instrument will I practice with this time?
> Oh, I guess the closest one.
>
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