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Rudolphspurling - Posted - 03/19/2019: 05:36:07
Hi there. I'm thinking of getting a decent quality wood-bodied roundneck resophonic guitar with a biscuit bridge. As I live in the UK, the opportunities are very limited for wandering into shops and trying out a range of options, so I was hoping from some advice from people with experience of playing these instruments. At the moment I'm dithering between going for a National (Estralita Deluxe or M-14T Thunderbox) or a Beard (RFB RN VB or Decophonic 47 RN), because I can get them from online shops for a reasonable price. The Nationals have the advantage of the neck meeting at the body at the 14th fret rather than the customary 12th. The Beard RFB comes with a pickup already fitted, I believe. I prefer the look of the Beard guitars, I think, but I really don't know how they compare for sound and playability. It's difficult telling from videos online because you can't tell how much the recording is affecting the sound you hear. Grateful for any advice!
wlgiii - Posted - 03/19/2019: 07:04:18
I'm not familiar with those guitars per se, but I really like how National's biscuit cones sound; I put one into a cheap import (Regal RC-1) and it improved it drastically. The cheap import also has a 14 fret neck; if you're used to a 12 fret neck it may confuse your muscle memory for a little while.
chrisakeley - Posted - 03/19/2019: 10:51:36
I think you'll find mostly square-neck, spider-bridge players around here. Many of us (including me) have nothing but great things to say about Paul Beard guitars. You probably can't go wrong between those two brands.
DobroTrondheim - Posted - 03/19/2019: 13:34:27
Sadly there are no Beard dealers in the UK anymore.
You do, however, live in London. I am fairly sure you will find some National Reso-phonic guitars in one of the Denmark Street stores if you go there. Perhaps not new ones, but it's worth having a look at what they have.
Also, consider to what extent you will actually use a pickup.
SamCy - Posted - 03/19/2019: 21:55:47
I haven't personally compared them, but I understand the Thunderbox is deeper (4 inches) than a typical biscuit bridge guitar, resulting in increased volume and bass.
elderly.com/acoustics/acoustic...inish.htm
ResoMule - Posted - 03/22/2019: 06:28:35
I am not a square neck player, I prefer the national.
Rudolphspurling - Posted - 03/22/2019: 09:03:03
I was wondering about that. Quite hard to figure out from the specs which one has the larger body overall, because the Beard is also quite deep, with a 3 5/8 inch body. They both claim to have the same scale (25 inches) length and number of frets overall (19). I'm assuming the fact that the body of the National joins the neck at the 14th fret rather than the 12th as on the Beard means the body is a bit shorter.
Originally posted by SamCy
I haven't personally compared them, but I understand the Thunderbox is deeper (4 inches) than a typical biscuit bridge guitar, resulting in increased volume and bass.
elderly.com/acoustics/acoustic...inish.htm
ResoMule - Posted - 03/26/2019: 15:15:27
quote:
Originally posted by Rudolphspurling
Any particular reason?
I like the sound and feel of the necks. It just speaks to me I suppose.
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