bluebird - Posted - 08/12/2020:  04:25:13

anything on imperial guitars tricone

Brad Bechtel - Posted - 08/12/2020:  06:07:39

imperialguitars.com/product/ro...onator-4/

They have other models as well, both wood body and metal body. These appear to be Asian imports with an unknown amount of setup, customization, etc.

Good prices for what you’re getting.

2BUCKS - Posted - 08/12/2020:  09:50:21

I just bought one of their Triconestiens. Good customer service, and pretty fast shipping especially considering the times we're living in. Haven't taken the coverplate off to look inside yet but the guitar feels and looks solidly built. It did have some minor cosmetic issues around the binding in the waist area but they gave me a $79.00 B-stock discount  without any dispute, so they do have some degree of integrity.  I don't know what to compare the tone of this instrument to because it is a hybrid Maple body Brass top guitar with a Maple neck. The demo video on their site is OK but from the players side of the instrument I think it sounds a little more woody. They have a bunch of Tricones on their site so I'm not sure what you're looking for. My guitar is a round neck and the set up so far seems pretty good out of the box but I may raise the action a little for bottleneck playing. Hardware looks nice and the Waverly "style" tuners work smoothly. OH! They also included a strap that you might want to take outside before it stinks up the house! I don't know what kind of adhesive or dye the manufacturer used on it but IT STINKS!  All things considered, I think I got a real nice guitar at a great price. I'd shop there again. Some of their biscuit cone guitars look like great deals too. Here's the one I bought. One more thing. The string spacing from 1 to 6 at the bridge is only about 2 inches. A bit close together but tolerable for now. I'll probably tweak the action and spacing after I've played it for a while.

imperialguitars.com/product/ro...485ae434a

Edited by - 2BUCKS on 08/12/2020 10:02:38

2BUCKS - Posted - 08/12/2020:  13:38:21

Another thing I forgot to mention is that the bridge is painted black and the maple saddle looks to be about 3/32" thick. I don't know what difference that makes, but there is at least one other forum out there where people painstakingly remove the paint to improve the tone of these imported guitars. Can't say myself wether that is true or not. As far as the saddle goes, it just doesn't appear to be as thick as typical spider bridge saddles. I don't know if that is standard tricone saddle thickness or not, maybe there are other tricone players or builders that can give there opinion. From me it's just an observation.

Edited by - 2BUCKS on 08/12/2020 13:43:31

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 08/12/2020:  14:00:44

A National tricone saddle insert is about 3/32". I got a National T-Bridge to use in my Republic. BTW, the Imperial is probably made by Aiersi.

2BUCKS - Posted - 08/12/2020:  18:01:52

quote:

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Originally posted by Three_Eyed_Willy

A National tricone saddle insert is about 3/32". I got a National T-Bridge to use in my Republic. BTW, the Imperial is probably made by Aiersi.

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What is your opinion of the National bridge? Was it a big improvement? 

SamCy - Posted - 08/12/2020:  19:38:18

National began "scalloping" their T-Bridges from the top side some years back. See the difference between the National and a typical import.

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 08/12/2020:  21:47:28

quote:

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Originally posted by 2BUCKS

quote:

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Originally posted by Three_Eyed_Willy

A National tricone saddle insert is about 3/32". I got a National T-Bridge to use in my Republic. BTW, the Imperial is probably made by Aiersi.

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What is your opinion of the National bridge? Was it a big improvement? 

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I'm in the middle of a couple of other projects right now, so I haven't gotten around to it. I'll post all about it when it happens.

headrc - Posted - 11/20/2021:  21:00:41

I found this thread because that Royall Trifonium Hybrid is an interesting idea. What is your opinion of it after now having played it for a while? Have you compared it to regular metal Tricones?

bluebird - Posted - 11/21/2021:  03:15:46

I like it. I mainly play in open g ( not reso g ). I have not played any other reso's but listening to recordings it sounds about right. I have other guitars, gibsons, epiphone so i can relate to quality of build. It's put together right & finish is first rate. If you can't afford a National 1 then this guitar will do. Having said that it's not a National1. Play on.

Linkous - Posted - 11/23/2021:  02:31:33

quote:

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Originally posted by SamCy

National began "scalloping" their T-Bridges from the top side some years back. See the difference between the National and a typical import.

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Can someone give me the (difference in) weight of both bridges? Thank you!

SamCy - Posted - 11/23/2021:  09:45:21

Three Eyed Willy did a T-Bridge and cone swap on his Republic Tricone some time back and did meticulous measurements of cones and T-bridges. I have also learned that the import T-bridges are likely zinc castings while the original National is aluminum.

resohangout.com/topic/54331

SamCy - Posted - 11/23/2021:  11:10:28

See the link. The description of the import T-bridge offered by Tyler Mountain clearly says "sandcast pot metal".

amazon.com/Tyler-Mountain-Tri-...0093UPDYG

Edited by - SamCy on 11/23/2021 11:11:56