Personal experiences:

I swapped the Continental cone in an import Regal biscuit for a National, and the sound improvement was huge. I also played my import Regal tricone round neck w/ Continentals against a National, and the sound difference was minimal- the tricone stayed as is. Years ago I swapped out the stock cone in a Regal dobro for a Quarterman, and that sound improvement was huge. So....noticeable positive change in 2 out of 3.

....roads all traveled....stick with a #14 spider and a "quality" cone. Those cones are Scheerhorn, Beard (legend), Quarterman or Replogle. Fo the small difference in price, it's not worth the setup effort to result in inferior sound.

Okay, one post so far from Will as someone who has experience in cone and/or spider swapping. 

Jesse, I think you will find the vast majority of us won't have much to add except for upgrading or "hot rodding" the parts on relatively inexpensive resos by spending the money on the good stuff. If someone is going to go through the trouble on a cheaper guitar they typically aren't going to make a "lateral move" and buy inexpensive replacement parts unless something is damaged and it has to be replaced. 

Even on expensive guitars like a National Scheerhorn, some players haven't been pleased with the spider bridge and bought a genuine #14 from Beard. In my #1 guitar I have a Schoonover modular spider, it had a #14 in there for a number of years prior. They are both very good IMO. 

The stock cones on the Recording King seem to be pretty good, I've thought for a number of years that these have been the best bang for the buck spider bridge reso out there. Except the company ran into financial issues and was sold earlier this year - no idea at this point if they are going to continue with the dobros and if parts will be available.

What kind of guitar do you have that you're interested in swapping out components?
 

Just a fwiw from my years at the Beard shop:

 

That's worth a LOT! What an awesome photo.

If you're on a tight budget, i have a National spider and used Scheerhorn cone (minor oxidation spots, see photo) you can have for the price of shipping.  It's the combo National ships in their $4000-$5000 squarenecks (new of course). 

Ensuring the dimensions work with your guitar would be on you. And you'd need the bridge inserts.

DM or reply if interested.

Good luck in any case!

That is a generous offer Jamie!

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkinSonoma

That is a generous offer Jamie!

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My pleasure.  Sort of paying it forward, as I've had forum members do me favors in the past.

Just curious if OP left Dodge already...I have another forum member lined up to use these for an upgrade if OP doesn't claim the big prize...lol.

quote:

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Originally posted by JC Dobro

If you're on a tight budget, i have a National spider and used Scheerhorn cone (minor oxidation spots, see photo) you can have for the price of shipping.  It's the combo National ships in their $4000-$5000 squarenecks (new of course). 

Ensuring the dimensions work with your guitar would be on you. And you'd need the bridge inserts.

DM or reply if interested.

Good luck in any case!

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WOW! Thank you so much! And thanks, also, for all the great responses. I would love to take you up on your offer. Please email however you would like to handle it. Thanks again for your generosity!

quote:

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Originally posted by Bassandreso74

quote:

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Originally posted by JC Dobro

If you're on a tight budget, i have a National spider and used Scheerhorn cone (minor oxidation spots, see photo) you can have for the price of shipping.  It's the combo National ships in their $4000-$5000 squarenecks (new of course). 

Ensuring the dimensions work with your guitar would be on you. And you'd need the bridge inserts.

DM or reply if interested.

Good luck in any case!

---

WOW! Thank you so much! And thanks, also, for all the great responses. I would love to take you up on your offer. Please email however you would like to handle it. Thanks again for your generosity!

 

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Sounds good, I'm heading to a gig, will DM tomorrow.  Mind sharing what type of square neck you are upgrading?  Cheers.

Don’t waste your money on cheap cones. They are cheap for a reason.

Unfortunately the cone I shipped to Jesse was damaged in transit. Looks like US Postal dropped an anvil on the shipping box. So much for that.

At least the spider made it unscathed.

I had Schoonover spiders put in both Appalachians when they were made. A few years back we played a gig with Doyle Lawson, Josh Swift offered to take my Koa to Bobby Wright, he changed it out to a Beard Shockwave, it already had a legend cone. I got more sustain, and a bit even tone up the neck. Of course Bobby put his touch on it, so it may not just be the spider change. My birch Appy still has the Schoonover set up, it sounds great too.

Different setups may be appropriate for different guitars. I have set up guitars with all the mentioned cones (except Replogle) and various spiders (particularly #14 and Schoonover modular). In each case I have settled on the combination which gives the best results and these combinations have not always been the same. Usually Scheerhorn cones and #14 spiders were the final destination with the best sounding result to my ears. Occasionally Beard Legend cone and #14 spider and I would say an equal number of Schoonover modular spiders and Scheerhorn cone gave the best results. I think that the sonic differences of the various components are notable and the relative needs of each guitar make particular combinations more appropriate and satisfying. In some cases I had to do three or more separate setups in order to achieve a great result.