MrNatch - Posted - 08/06/2008:  21:27:40

My reso is a cheap Chinese-made starter instrument. I bought a round-neck because I already played some bottle-neck guitar, and I bought a nut extender to be able to learn some Dobro style.

It seems to me that typical Dobro tuning of GBDGBD would put quite a bit of tension on a round-neck with the nut extender in place. I've always taken a lot of tension off the strings before storing the guitar in the case when the extender is on. But then I have to tune it back next time. Is this really necessary?

harperk31794 - Posted - 08/06/2008:  22:20:28

Some say yes, some say no, you'll probably get both opinions. I don't think so, I've never heard of a neck warping from this. Pete Kirby (Brother Oswald) played a round neck with an extension for his whole career, I'm sure he played other guitars but that was his main axe. Take a look at any video of him you can find on You Tube and you'll see he's playing a round neck as a square neck. However I recommend that if you start getting into playing bluegrass style dobro that you get a square neck at some point.

Ken

IFKAD, So Easy a Caveman can do it.

Jimmie - Posted - 08/06/2008:  22:27:05

An alternative is to use low bass tuning, DBDGBD, which doesn't kick that thick sixth string up so far. Another is, of course, D tuning: DADF#AD.

dpete210 - Posted - 08/07/2008:  09:21:08

MrNatch, my first reso was a round neck...I played it in the normal G tuning with medium gauge reso strings, then someone told me that would eventually result in neck warp, so I put on light strings to lessen the tension on the neck. I tried the DBDGBD tuning but went back to the G tuning. Then used an open D tuning. Eventually I found out about the nut extender and bought one (they are about $5 for about 25 cents worth of metal, but work fine ;-) . This made it much easier to play without banging the fretboard or squashing the strings with the steel. I never noticed any neck warping from playing in G tuning, and the guys at the music store where I bought it (a Regal) never mentioned that becoming a problem. At any rate, just to be on the safe side, consider using light gauge strings if you are going to play a roundneck lap style. For certain, if I used mediums I'd slacken the strings to reduce neck pressure if the reso isn't going to be played regularly. I would not store it with the string tension at the G tuning.

Any day is a good day to play music, and today is a good day.

Brad Bechtel - Posted - 08/07/2008:  10:07:17

I have two resonator guitars with a round neck, and I use both with a nut extender. One is a Fullerton Winslow (biscuit cone, woodbody) that I bought for $99.00 on closeout from Music 123.com and the other is a 1993 Dobro® Hound Dog (spider cone, woodbody).

I've tuned them to open G tuning using a standard set of D'Addario EJ42s. They both work fine, although I have no idea if the necks are "warped" or not. I don't really play regular guitar, so this is the best option for me.

If you're really worried about warping the neck, detuning the guitar when it's stored is probably a good idea.

=================
Brad''s Page of Steel:
well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to electric and acoustic lap steel guitars

Edited by - Brad Bechtel on 08/07/2008 10:07:57

banjomon - Posted - 08/07/2008:  14:30:35

I used a nut extender on my old cheapy Martin made Sigma guitar before getting my current reso. For the month or so that I was playing it, I always left the tension on the (light) strings without ill effects on the neck. When I quit playing it (the Sigma), I did take the tension off of the strings so the guitar could be stored with the extender still in place......just as a precaution. I agree that for short term tension and with light strings you may be okay.......but for anything long term it may be a good idea to wind them strings down................

El Dobro - Posted - 08/07/2008:  15:08:37

I would imagine newer round neck resos have truss rods in the neck to reinforce them. The prewars didn't and they held up pretty good with the nut extensions.

Don
myspace.com/eldobro
myspace.com/pasttimesband
pasttimesbluegrassband.com
youtube.com/user/pasttimesbluegrass

chipmunk - Posted - 08/18/2008:  16:28:00

Like Banjomon, I have a Martin Sigma set up with a nut extender. When I first inherited the Sigma, it had a warped neck, warped upwards in the middle of the neck which is opposite to most warps on round necks, so it was not playable as a regular accoustic. I had an old quite high nut extender, so I installed a set of reso George L's and occassionally adjusted the truss rod to see if I could get the neck somewhat straightened out. After about 8 - 10 months, the neck had straightened out enough that I could again play it as an accoustic........rather enjoy it as a backup to the reso so installed a set of light accoustic strings with the nut extender and will probably leave it that way. There is nothing wrong with converting a round neck to lap style as long as you are concious of the fact that the neck can warp if you don't keep an eye on it. Have fun.