Musicians and music-lovers alike have tuned in to collecting one of the all time favorites in the family of stringed instruments – the resonator guitars. Also known as resophonic guitars, these instruments are constructed using a single, or combination, of resonators or metal cones that contribute to their unique and distinct notes. Their design is constructed to produce louder sounds than guitars made with wooden soundboards so that other instruments, especially those of the percussion family, will not drown out their contribution to a musical piece.
Aside from the differentiating
music, there physical appearance is also a work of art. Before starting your
collection, get to know the different styles and designs of the resonator guitars. Volume is the chief
priority of these guitars, hence all types are equipped with resonators and
would then be differentiated with the number of these metallic cones. One type
is the three cone, “tricone,” version, another is the spiderless single cone,
and the last is the single inverted-cone design. The style would depend on the
shape and how it is to be played. If the instrument you need is for the
conventional classic guitar style or the lap steel guitar style, you would need
the amplification provided by round necked guitars. For the steel guitar
styles, the square necked guitars are the option. A glass or metal slide is
used in playing the instrument, which is either placed on the lap or face up in
front of the musician.
Resonator guitars produce their amplified sound by using spider bridges. Once the string is struck, the bridges will transfer the sounds to the resonators, which in turn will magnify the notes received. Those guitars built with more than one resonator would use a larger spider bridge while those made of hardwood and usually used by one-coned resonators are called biscuits. The sound holes of resonator guitars may vary in design and shape from different guitar makers. However, the most common ones you can find for single cone guitars would have symmetrical f-shaped or circular holes while the traditional tricone designs would have irregularly shaped ones.
Bluegrass, country, and blues music are popularly played with resonator guitars. Blues would prefer the sounds produced by metal or wood made ones while some bluegrass musicians would opt for wooden designs. There is an increase in the variety of these guitars made by manufacturers nowadays. Aside from hardwood, aluminum, steel, brass, fiberglass and marble are now incorporated to make up the body of the instrument. The materials used when combined with the design of the sound holes make each resonator guitar a collector’s dream.
