Fellow players I’ve been at the dobro a very long time and the modern cones and spiders seem to have something that the dobros back in 76 lacked. What has changed?

Can someone that’s knowledgeable help answer my question?

The modern spun cones are loghter and thinner than the OMI Dobro cones from the 1970s.

More of a bell-like tone and some increase in bass.  My circa 1936 Regal-built Model 37 has a Quarterman cone. I bought the guitar from Steve Toth last December. I don't know how long the  Quarterman  has been  in there but the guitar sounds great. 

I was on a Facebook dobro site awhile back and a guy was wondering why anyone would put a modern cone in a prewar Dobro? The modern cone doesn't necessarily make it sound like a modern resonator guitar - it still sounds like a vintage 1936 Dobro but the good qualities of the classic old Dobro sound are more accentuated with a modern spun cone. 

My early 1930s California-built, most likely a Model 37 has the original lug cone. I have owned this guitar for 48 years. The cone material is thicker than a modern cone. I'm guessing it doesn't move as much when strings are plucked. Mike Auldridge said something like these old lug cone guitars have a "midrange honk."  Lighter on both bass and the highs. And the body is slightly shallower than the Regal-built Model 37.  For that old school, old timey Dobro sound a 1930s  guitar with a lug cone has it in spades. 

Ray...without regard to cones and spiders, there's no telling what kind of setup the old Dobros (or the OMI's for that matter) were blessed with. That makes it hard to compare. I have had a model 37 with a lug cone and changed it to a Scheerhorn then a Legend cone. It sounds better than it ever has yet, to my ears, still sounds like a pre-war Dobro. I have a '35 model 66 with a Scheerhorn cone and it's just as pleasing to me as the Legend. I have had Quartermans as well and Nationals that have the original 95-year-old cones within.  I would suggest that the other elements of the setup are just as important as the cone/spider combination. As Mark mentioned, the new cones didn't make the vintage Dobro's sound like modern ones but, to my ear, they made a vast improvement. I have two ears....and sometimes even they don't agree with one another....so sound is in the ear of the beholder.  Another factor is often, within a 90- year-old guitar the cone may have suffered abuse from the environment as well as the owner.  This will compromise the sound for sure.

Different alloys

Different spinning technique

Different cone design (size)

New post spin, treatment (Vesper Cone)

Above specifically if talking the Beard cones.

h

As far as the most popular spider, that would be the good old #14 which has been supplied by Paul Beard for many years now.

I don’t recall the full story right now off the top of my head, but as I remember it, the #14 designation was used by the foundry where the Dopyeras had the spiders made in the prewar era.

Is the modern #14 the same aluminum alloy as back in the 1930s? No idea - maybe Howard can shed some light on that question.

Sidebar: if you go back 15 years or more, some dobro components were supplied by Mark Taylor, son of Tut, when Crafters of Tennessee was still a thing. I remember Todd Clinesmith telling me he used to purchase some parts from Mark Taylor.

Hello,

Spiders: my spider that was OEM OMI was frustrating. The slot was slanted with a high side on the treble side. Getting level was not possible without accurate information or automation.

Cones: my OEM cone from my 1974 OMI was two pieces and popped by the previous owner. Damaged, glued in, and abused means a replacement was required. The original was smaller than modern cones. Today is 2024.

Moving to modern methods allowed for my 1974 OMI to be effortlessly updated. Now, I have a level nut and insert. Playing is much easier.

Until John Quarterman's spun cones became available, sometime in the early to mid 70s, Dobro cones typically sank down over time, requiring the outer edge to be reshaped about once a year. John's new alloy fixed that. Today, Tim Scheerhorn, Paul Beard, Mike Replogle, and National Reso Phonic all have their own versions of the new alloy spun cones.

Paul Beard's spiders are copies of the #14 spiders developed by the Dopyeras. Tut Taylor did produce his own #23 spiders, which were a little cleaner and a slightly different alloy from the #14. Today National Reso Phonic, Steve Smith of Redline Resophonic, and Mike Replogle have their own versions. Replogle offers two alloys with different tonal characteristics.

Actually,

Paul procured actual #14 molds from a foundry that discovered them.

So, not copies of #14 spider.

The actual #14 spider.

I can also try to assert that there are more than one alloy and preparation being used by various cone providers.

h

What about "their own versions" limits it to the same alloy as that used by John? Do we even know what alloy John used?

I believe the cone has the large part of producing the sound and tone, but how much does the spider contribute to these characteristics?
Some #14s I saw were "rough" compared to other brands. Howard how does the cone thickness and applied coating improve sound, tone and sustain? How are these features measured? I guess, first of all, can the person play the instrument?
I have Resos with pressed Dobro cones from the 70s, Quarterman cone in a 60DS compared to the original pressed version made a noticeable improvement. Beard cones and Quarterman cones in a couple custom made Fairchilds...all good...hard to rank one over the other, same basic guitar construction, just different sold wood types. I had an old Regal with a lugged cone...that guitar championed many other Resos...it had a different but great sound, tone and sustained. See the attached
"import" spider, which has dimensional tolerances of + or - .005 of an inch.

According to Ed Dopyera, from an article by Robb Lawrence in Guitar Magazine the spider web bridge is cast of duralumin a strong aluminum alloy. I’m still searching for the alloys that they used to make the prewar dobros. I hope this helps.

quote:

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Originally posted by little ray

According to Ed Dopyera, from an article by Robb Lawrence in Guitar Magazine the spider web bridge is cast of duralumin a strong aluminum alloy. I’m still searching for the alloys that they used to make the prewar dobro spun cones. I hope this helps.

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