Is one of those GT’s sq neck and one round?

I have never seen 1 5/8 spacing on a squareneck . Way too narrow. 1 15/16 is fine.

The Beard spec is 1 7/8

h

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Originally posted by skydog

Is one of those GT’s sq neck and one round?

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Both are square neck. I called the dealer and he will get back to me to confirm that measurement. Update - they remeasured and it is indeed standard 1 7/8" width nut.

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Originally posted by hlpdobro

I have never seen 1 5/8 spacing on a squareneck . Way too narrow. 1 15/16 is fine.

The Beard spec is 1 7/8

h

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Thanks for the confirmation.  I called the dealer and they remeasured it at 1 7/8. 

I’d look for a new dealer

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Originally posted by skydog

I’d look for a new dealer

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Nope, this one's reliable. (I don't want to give the name out. ) They deal with these instruments all the time. It was just a glitch. The guy on the phone texted me right away and was thankful I caught it. In fact I may ask for a discount (if I decide to buy.) 

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Originally posted by carlosoly

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Originally posted by skydog

I’d look for a new dealer

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Nope, this one's reliable. (I don't want to give the name out. ) They deal with these instruments all the time. It was just a glitch. The guy on the phone texted me right away and was thankful I caught it. In fact I may ask for a discount (if I decide to buy.) 

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Don't let your strings get dusty.

Carlos, you can't go wrong with a Gold Tone/Beard reso. And since the confusion is cleared up regarding nut width - wide is what you want. 

A popular alternative, and nowadays more bang for the buck since the Gold Tones have taken some serious price increases in the past several years is the Recording King Phil Leadbetter Signature model. Very nice guitar for the money though it has gone up in price as well. The only real negative, though some folks are fine with it, is the guitar comes with a 1 3/4 inch nut. A little tight on the string spacing, especially if you have big hands. They flat screwed up because the two lower priced RK squarenecks were spec'd with 1 15/16 inch nuts. Quite a few players have done nut conversions on the Leadbetter to make it wider and though I guess it works okay, to me these wider nuts on a somewhat narrow neck look awkward. 

I've never been part of the old time scene here in Northern California so my knowledge of clawhammer banjo is pretty basic. I do know that some players use picks of different kinds but it seems most clawhammer players don't.

You may already have the next part covered: If  you're a clawhammer player with bare fingers on your picking hand, unless you're only playing dobro quietly in your living room, along with a groove-on-top dobro bar, you will want to invest in thumbpicks and fingerpicks. The picks give you power and volume, with the heavyish strings and picking reasonably hard to "excite" the cone, the picks are a must to get pleasing tone.

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Originally posted by skydog

 

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Don't let your strings get dusty.

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I have no intention of letting them dusty or rusty. Good advice. 

MarkinSonoma:

Thanks for the great response. I am looking at a used Dobro brand tomorrow I found on FB Marketplace.  It's not pricey at all and might make a good starter instrument. I generally buy quality instruments not for the name or fancy inlays but for the feel and sound, and I have enought experience to know the difference.  But I've never played a dobro before so before I spend minimum $1300 hunting down a Gold Tone Beard I think I will try a starter of nominally good quality. If this thing sounds good to me I'll go for it. $550 is a good price if it's okay.  Then we'll see I go with it. 

As far as fingerpicks go, I found my way into old time music and clawhammer only after 5 years of bluegrass banjo, flatpicking guitar, and fingerstyle guitar a la John Fahey.  I still have my thumb and fingerpicks from back then, and have been noodling with a guitar pretending it's a lap guitar.  So I'm primed.   

Your name seems to indicate you are in Sonoma. Do you know the mandolin player Phil Lawrence? 

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Originally posted by MarkinSonoma

Carlos, you can't go wrong with a Gold Tone/Beard reso. And since the confusion is cleared up regarding nut width - wide is what you want. 

A popular alternative, and nowadays more bang for the buck since the Gold Tones have taken some serious price increases in the past several years is the Recording King Phil Leadbetter Signature model. Very nice guitar for the money though it has gone up in price as well. The only real negative, though some folks are fine with it, is the guitar comes with a 1 3/4 inch nut. A little tight on the string spacing, especially if you have big hands. They flat screwed up because the two lower priced RK squarenecks were spec'd with 1 15/16 inch nuts. Quite a few players have done nut conversions on the Leadbetter to make it wider and though I guess it works okay, to me these wider nuts on a somewhat narrow neck look awkward. 

I've never been part of the old time scene here in Northern California so my knowledge of clawhammer banjo is pretty basic. I do know that some players use picks of different kinds but it seems most clawhammer players don't.

You may already have the next part covered: If  you're a clawhammer player with bare fingers on your picking hand, unless you're only playing dobro quietly in your living room, along with a groove-on-top dobro bar, you will want to invest in thumbpicks and fingerpicks. The picks give you power and volume, with the heavyish strings and picking reasonably hard to "excite" the cone, the picks are a must to get pleasing tone.

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This post leads to a question Ive had, in general is a Sq Neck Reso "less stressful" on the left, fretting,  hand that a guitar, fiddle or mandolin?  

well….yes….of course.
Have you not tried both?

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Originally posted by SlideRules

This post leads to a question Ive had, in general is a Sq Neck Reso "less stressful" on the left, fretting,  hand that a guitar, fiddle or mandolin?  

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Great question - I started this thread, and I am investigating a dobro precisely because of this reason. I have played stringed instruments since I was 13, and as I have gotten older (yowtch, 73 as of March) I have noticed that my left wrist and hand parts tend to hurt and ache, especially after I play more than an hour (often.) It is especially pronounced when I do fingerstyle guitar or clawhammer banjo and, using my thumb under the neck as an anchor, use wide fingerspreads using all four fingers. There is something about all those tendons and ligaments getting in a traffic jam in my wrist (or that's how I picture it) when they're all being used.  I recently had severe tendonitis, and took antiinflammatories and wore a wrist brace for a month. Also, diagnosed as age-normal arthritis, all totally new to me. This has spread to even fiddle and mandolin to some extent even though the fret spacing and neck dimensions are smaller. So I wondered if playing a lap guitar where no fretting or thumb pressure is used would be something that will allow me to keep playing for myself and with friends without pain and injury.

So I found a dobro and for the last couple of days have been having a ball with it.  So far if I stay relaxed my left wrist is having no issues. 

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Originally posted by carlosoly

quote:

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Originally posted by SlideRules

This post leads to a question Ive had, in general is a Sq Neck Reso "less stressful" on the left, fretting,  hand that a guitar, fiddle or mandolin?  

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Great question - I started this thread, and I am investigating a dobro precisely because of this reason. I have played stringed instruments since I was 13, and as I have gotten older (yowtch, 73 as of March) I have noticed that my left wrist and hand parts tend to hurt and ache, especially after I play more than an hour (often.) It is especially pronounced when I do fingerstyle guitar or clawhammer banjo and, using my thumb under the neck as an anchor, use wide fingerspreads using all four fingers. There is something about all those tendons and ligaments getting in a traffic jam in my wrist (or that's how I picture it) when they're all being used.  I recently had severe tendonitis, and took antiinflammatories and wore a wrist brace for a month. Also, diagnosed as age-normal arthritis, all totally new to me. This has spread to even fiddle and mandolin to some extent even though the fret spacing and neck dimensions are smaller. So I wondered if playing a lap guitar where no fretting or thumb pressure is used would be something that will allow me to keep playing for myself and with friends without pain and injury.

So I found a dobro and for the last couple of days have been having a ball with it.  So far if I stay relaxed my left wrist is having no issues. 

Thanks for the reply.  I have been able to lessen any pain by eliminating carbs (bread, cereal, rice, oatmean, sweets) from my diet. I have a D18  need to sell before I purchase a reso.  Good luck!

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Originally posted by SlideRules

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Originally posted by carlosoly

quote:

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Originally posted by SlideRules

This post leads to a question Ive had, in general is a Sq Neck Reso "less stressful" on the left, fretting,  hand that a guitar, fiddle or mandolin?  

---

Great question - I started this thread, and I am investigating a dobro precisely because of this reason. I have played stringed instruments since I was 13, and as I have gotten older (yowtch, 73 as of March) I have noticed that my left wrist and hand parts tend to hurt and ache, especially after I play more than an hour (often.) It is especially pronounced when I do fingerstyle guitar or clawhammer banjo and, using my thumb under the neck as an anchor, use wide fingerspreads using all four fingers. There is something about all those tendons and ligaments getting in a traffic jam in my wrist (or that's how I picture it) when they're all being used.  I recently had severe tendonitis, and took antiinflammatories and wore a wrist brace for a month. Also, diagnosed as age-normal arthritis, all totally new to me. This has spread to even fiddle and mandolin to some extent even though the fret spacing and neck dimensions are smaller. So I wondered if playing a lap guitar where no fretting or thumb pressure is used would be something that will allow me to keep playing for myself and with friends without pain and injury.

So I found a dobro and for the last couple of days have been having a ball with it.  So far if I stay relaxed my left wrist is having no issues. 

 

Thanks for the reply.  I have been able to lessen any pain by eliminating carbs (bread, cereal, rice, oatmean, sweets) from my diet. I have a D18  need to sell before I purchase a reso.  Good luck!

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I'm rowing the same boat! At 73 I have a lot of hand pain. Several years ago I developed trigger fingers in both hands. I had bilateral surgeries but never recuperated to the extent I wanted to. 14 months and I can't clench a fist. I sold virtually everything but my guitars to buy a reso and associated gear. If eliminating those foods greatly relieved your pain, have you checked your sugar?

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High blood sugar is not the issue. Processed carbs are bad for the body. Diet should consist of protein and fats. Make sure you eat eggs daily to prevent Alzheimer's.