Newbie2000 - Posted - 11/27/2015:  07:24:47

I just picked up a real nice OAI Hound Dog off Craigslist. It is a roundneck and, of course,  I bought it on impulse...(something I do occasionally with fine acoustic instruments). I will primarily be playing this instrument bluegrass style...horizontal... so I made a new nut to raise the strings the recommended 3/8" off the fingerboard. I put a slight radius on the top of the nut to match what was on the old nut that I had replaced. I love the nice big warm sound of this instrument but I am having some problem with the bar hitting and missing adjacent strings and getting lots of buzz. This may be due to the fact that I have only been playing for 5 days. I did play banjo so my right hand with the picks is good.

So I have a few questions and your feedback will much appreciated. 

1) If I will only be playing bluegrass style in a horizontal position should I have purchased a squareneck?

2) Is there more spacing between the strings on a squareneck, In other words, is the fingerboard wider?

3) Should the top of the nut for my style of playing be flat? Remember,  I matched the radius from the nut I had replaced.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and looking forward to your advice. 

Dave in CT

DaveInAL - Posted - 11/27/2015:  07:59:25

Hi Dave and welcome.  Let me try to answer your questions based on my experience.

1.  If you want to play lap style, a squareneck is your best bet, however you can raise the nut and get by with some limitations.

2.  Yes.

3.  The top of the nut should be flat with all the strings in one plane.  The buzzing you experience is because of the rounded nut.

resotom - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:07:15

Welcome !!!  First...what type of bar (slide ) do you play with ? Second... did you notch the nut properly and space the strings properly ? Third...is the cone set in the soundwell properly ? You may need to take this reso in to a luthier and have his adjust the whole mechanism . The gauge of the strings is very important as well . 016-056 is the standard set ( DR lights, John Pearse, D'Addario EJ-42, ) are some of the best strings. Where is the buzzing coming from ? Can you isolate it ? A tip.. if it is coming from the tail piece, put a leather shim under the tail piece using a template to do this. Also, go to the upper right hand corner of your home page and locate thre "search" post and type in the subject you wish to explore. This is the "go to' site for anything pertaining to the resonator guitar !! Best of luck in your journey !!

resotom - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:11:05

Dave in Alabama nailed it !! He can be very helpeful in diagnosing your problem !!

resotom - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:15:10

You may also want to contact  Mark in Sonoma, Howard Parker, and other very knowledgable reso people on this site. to solve your problems...

resotom - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:17:37

A squareneck would have been the correct choice. Your roundneck should serve as a temporary start ..

resotom - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:20:01

Reso Outfitters had the proper nut to convert to the right spacing for the strings...

SamCy - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:20:12

The fretboard on a squareneck is typically wider than on a roundneck, around 2 inches. But you don't have to make the new nut the same width at the top and the bottom. You can make it trapezoid shaped, matching the neck at the bottom and wider at the top with wider string spacing. The bar must contact all of the strings evenly to avoid rattles. Make the nut flat, and take into account the depth of the string notches you cut, so that a straight edge laid across the top surface of the strings contacts them all the same.

Newbie2000 - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:43:32

Wow! What a great website. THANK SO MUCH to all of you for the super quick advice. I will make my nut flat and keep on the lookout for a squareneck dobro.
THANKS GUYS!

wlgiii - Posted - 11/27/2015:  08:48:09

A note on installing a trapezoidal nut- I picked up a project guitar online that started life as a 12 string but was converted to a lap style 8 string*. It has a trapezoidal nut, and so the strings don't quite visually align with the neck in the usual way. It's fine now, but took some getting used to initially. So...if you try that but have trouble looking at the strings, no worries; your eyes should adjust.

(*I may start a separate thread praising this 8 string frankensteel- it's been fun)

MC5C - Posted - 11/27/2015:  09:27:04

You probably should also change the bridge inserts. they could be a little higher to get a good break angle over the bridge, and should be flat on top in one plane, the round neck inserts will match the radius of the neck.

Brian

Dobro Fanatic - Posted - 11/27/2015:  13:12:33

Once you get all the proper hardware, this article on StewMac is really nice in explaining how to set the instrument up. stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Reso...etup.html

SamCy - Posted - 11/27/2015:  13:24:43

I agree with wigiii. Wider string spacing at the top together with the parallax of the 3/8 inch spacing off the fretboard can be a little confusing at first. But keep in mind that only the 1st and 6th strings will actually be hanging off the fretboard; the others are still well inside. Furthermore, your viewing angle is not directly perpendicular to the fretboard, but shifted to the bass side. So the 6th string may still appear over the frets, while the 1st string will definitely be shifted out. You could therefore, make the two angles on your trapezoid slightly different, putting more offset on the bass side and less on the treble, so that the 1st and 6th strings appear equally offset from your viewing angle.

arlington - Posted - 11/27/2015:  20:28:11

Call beard guitars, discuss your issues, have them set it up, there's likely more problems with the guitar than you know about.

Doctor Proctor - Posted - 11/28/2015:  04:05:37

Put a riser nut and  dobro strings on it is another option . 

For what it would probly cost to send it to BEARD  would go a long way towards a Squareneck

 DO IT YOURSELF / the Stewmac info is very good . ORDER  the stuff  from  Beard or Elderly Instruments  or Janet Davis

Learning to work on your own guitar will be beneficial / It ain't rocket science /

There are plenty of folks on this site that can help

Laying a roundneck down and raising the action will create it's own problems such as TWISTING the NECK out IT over time

There are threads on this site that address that very issue

arlington - Posted - 11/28/2015:  08:21:29

If you enjoy the challenge, problem solving, headaches of getting the right information/parts then by all means...when it gets to the point of this particular guitar (nothing wrong with them but it is getting old and has probably never had maintenance) ...I believe it'd be certainly more cost effective in the long run and you'd be better off leaving it to the pros to make it right. Or you could just sell it and get a squareneck...I'd highly recommend a gold tone Paul Beard.

tigchrome - Posted - 11/28/2015:  08:42:22

Some good advice, and a lot of things to consider from the previous posts. No right or wrong way in this situation ,IMO. But, with that said I have two fifty year plus acoustic guitars that I put a riser nut, and new saddle, so I could play them "flat style"  One of them pulled everything apart, the other is fine (so far)  The one that failed was two years before it gave way. This last one has been this way for five years now. Please keep in mind that these two guitars were only tuned to open D, NOT you normal bluegrass tuning of DBGDBG, which is much higher string tension than open D. just food for thought.