I am new to resonators but have been playing steel string acoustic and electric for sixty + years. I don't see why the action on a round neck resonator needs to be any higher than that on a steel string acoustic. It seems to me so far that a very light right hand produces the best results. Any thoughts on this?
Two immediate thoughts come to mind; increased action would put more pressure on the cone, thereby increasing the volume and projection, and a higher action would allow for using a slide. Even a light touch on a finger worn slide would still rattle on the frets with "standard" low action.
Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd would use a feather quill on the fret board to raise the action up enough on his Les Paul for slide.
Yes to those thoughts and one more- I have a couple of import round necks and their construction is such that low action resulted in no break angle, and the strings slid off the saddle. A buddy's National biscuit reso has low action and a good break angle.
I don't see any reason, either. High action defeats good intonation and is more work for your left fingers.
Some folks raise the action because when they press the slide onto the frets it sort of defeats the slide effect. The solution, of course, is to not press down with the slide. But some folks can't manage that.
So I'm with you. Save the high action for the squarenecks!
Edited by - Charlie Bernstein on 07/21/2023 04:53:32
On a round neck, the angle of the neck to the body makes a big difference. You need the saddle to be tall enough to provide a good break angle to the tailpiece. But you want the action on the neck to be reasonably low. So, the neck must be tilted back to accomplish that. It's likely the National biscuit reso was set up that way.
Resonator guitars have a metal cone inside them that amplifies the sound. This design requires a slightly higher string action to prevent buzzing against the metal cone. Higher action helps achieve better volume and projection, which is useful in genres like blues and bluegrass. A light touch when playing the guitar can produce cleaner tones. It's essential to find the right balance that works best for you and your style of music.
Update:
Just got my roundneck back from the shop. It had started buzzing. One of the problems: the action was too high. The luthier lowered the nut a little bit and fiddled with the bridge, and it's playing great again.
So I'm sticking to my story: High action doesn't help a roundneck reso.
quote:
Originally posted by CarolinaGetawayI am new to resonators but have been playing steel string acoustic and electric for sixty + years. I don't see why the action on a round neck resonator needs to be any higher than that on a steel string acoustic. It seems to me so far that a very light right hand produces the best results. Any thoughts on this?
I'm with you on this. My 70 year old fingers can't handle high actions anymore. After having set up my round neck resonator every which way, I finally set it up exactly like my regular acoustics. Perfect. Love it. I generally play it fingerstyle, and do not have a heavy right hand.
Thank you. A voice of sanity.
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