JC Dobro - Posted - 12/12/2023:  16:59:15

Not sure why I never pieced this together…



Many pro-level players are sporting mahogany resonators, specifically to optimize piezo pickup-amplified sound in large venues.



Andy Hall has used a Beard custom mahogany E.



Anders Beck’s signature Beard is mahogany.



Jerry’s Blackbeard, which I’ve seen him use at festivals, is mahogany.



Abbie Gardner uses a Beard custom E mahogany.



I’m sure there are others.



Paul Beard and Andy Hall have talked about the evenness and sweetness of mahogany as a tone wood, and its suitability for pickup amplified sound. (It doesn’t generate as many overtones to cloud up an amplified signal.)



youtu.be/1MIXnl83Pl8?si=VyOfFRqfrw-zY-FL

 

Is this common knowledge?  I'm not sure I've ever seen this explicitly discussed on this forum, as it relates to selecting resonator design and tone wood features for certain uses.

 

Thoughts?

Edited by - JC Dobro on 12/12/2023 17:42:41

gadobro - Posted - 12/13/2023:  05:10:36

I can't really contribute because I've never had a dobro with a pickup, but isn't the Anders Beck signature model Brazilian rosewood?

PancakeBillW - Posted - 12/13/2023:  06:23:44

My new to me GT PBS is mahogany. I guess I chose right, I do know it sounds great amped via Nashville and Aura.

JC Dobro - Posted - 12/13/2023:  06:48:17

quote:

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Originally posted by gadobro

I can't really contribute because I've never had a dobro with a pickup, but isn't the Anders Beck signature model Brazilian rosewood?

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Interesting,  I thought so, but if you click the Beard video in my original post...Paul, Andy, and Anders are demo'ing and discussing their mahogany resonators and the merits of the tone wood for pickup amplification.  Maybe this pre-dates the rosewood version?

Lounge Primate - Posted - 12/13/2023:  07:51:42

Re: nashville pick up and Fishman Jerry Douglas pedal and mahogany build---I’d have to hear an A/B of the same model of guitar with different woods to see if there is a difference that the nashville pickup actually broadcasts.



In electric guitars, it makes a difference for sure. And in fact the type of mahogany, and some say, the actual tree makes a difference, and really dense heavy mahoganies have less of a warmth effect.



Since the nashville pickup piezo strips are under the bridge inserts, and they are picking up string sounds through the aluminum spider, the vibrations driven through aluminum cone, does that mean that the “box” effects the alumimun cone vibrations?



I would think the bridge insert wood pieces would be more critical in the signal that goes to the Jerry Douglas pedal..??

Edited by - Lounge Primate on 12/13/2023 07:56:26

PancakeBillW - Posted - 12/13/2023:  10:16:36

Lounge. Too late for me to do an A/B, I can only say it sounds really godd through the setup I have now. When it arrived, I played a little but pretty much immediately installed the new cone, spider and Nashville. Also, the Aura gives you like 17 microphones to try, and to tell the truth, I have a hard time distinguishing, I mainly got the Aura to eliminate the piezo noise I was told about. It was originally installed in my F60 Dobro replacing the Fishman donut style pickup.

Lounge Primate - Posted - 12/13/2023:  10:35:26

Bill, I’ve got the nashville p/u and Fishman Jerry Douglas set up for a Phil Leadbetter Gibson-Dobro. Beard did the set up, with a new quarteman cone, and it sounds great electrified.



I have a Tim-built Scheerhorn with a Schertler piezo p/u in it, and the Dobro works way better in bar gig scenarios.

Of course, playing through a mic, the Scheehorn wins……..but for bar gigs, the dobro works better, and isn’t nearly as scary to have teetering on a guitar stand as inebriated dancers swirl by. And it's much easier to just plug in and not work at the mic skills.



Now my Dobro is maple, and bright. But i can EQ it to sound warmer. I guess my EQ pedal is my tonewood selector ;-)

Edited by - Lounge Primate on 12/13/2023 10:41:55

JC Dobro - Posted - 12/13/2023:  10:41:17

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lounge Primate

Re: nashville pick up and Fishman Jerry Douglas pedal and mahogany build---I’d have to hear an A/B of the same model of guitar with different woods to see if there is a difference that the nashville pickup actually broadcasts.



In electric guitars, it makes a difference for sure. And in fact the type of mahogany, and some say, the actual tree makes a difference, and really dense heavy mahoganies have less of a warmth effect.



Since the nashville pickup piezo strips are under the bridge inserts, and they are picking up string sounds through the aluminum spider, the vibrations driven through aluminum cone, does that mean that the “box” effects the alumimun cone vibrations?



I would think the bridge insert wood pieces would be more critical in the signal that goes to the Jerry Douglas pedal..??

---

Your logic makes sense.  Still, Paul was pretty honed in on the merits of mahogany "plugged in" in that video clip.  It's a conversation I'd like to have next time I'm in the market.  (I don't want to bug him with a hypothetical...I'm sure he's busy).

gadobro - Posted - 12/14/2023:  07:31:15

It's kind of interesting that Anders went in the opposite direction with his signature model. BRW has loads of overtones, right?

Also interesting to me that someone would put what some would consider to me the ultimate $$$ tonewood on a dobro, given the old "speaker box" view. And on a guitar that relies heavily on an electromagnetic pickup for amplification. I wonder what an AB signature would cost?

Lounge Primate - Posted - 12/14/2023:  07:44:11

quote:

---

Originally posted by gadobro

It's kind of interesting that Anders went in the opposite direction with his signature model. BRW has loads of overtones, right?



Also interesting to me that someone would put what some would consider to me the ultimate $$$ tonewood on a dobro, given the old "speaker box" view. And on a guitar that relies heavily on an electromagnetic pickup for amplification. I wonder what an AB signature would cost?

---

And it's also interesting that Rob Ickes, who was always a proponent of Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, on his Scheerhorns, back when he played to microphones---now plays a Byrl Guitar that is maple, and he plays almost always electrified with Fishman/Nashville system. 

JC Dobro - Posted - 12/14/2023:  09:05:04

Yes, all good points.

I will say, the best piezo amplified tone I've heard in person, have been Jerry's mahogany BlackBeard and Andy Hall's mahogany E. Certainly the fact that these guys are phenomenal players doesn't hurt, and I know they have dialed in rigs and engineers.

Anders typically has had too many pedal effects for me to judge the purity of the tone.

Rob was mic'd every time I saw him, so can't say.

I have seen and talked to other touring professionals who use R body instruments for the focused tone of the smaller body to send a clean signal.

So it seems to be all over the map.