Dear A.G.Dear A.G.I'm looking to buy a resonator instrument to use as a rhythm guitar in a jazz band. The neck is of utmost importance, since I need to be able to play full chords in all positions. What instruments (vintage or new) would you recommend?
Lars Edegran
New Orleans, Louisiana
Pre-World War II Dobro, Regal/Dobro (made under license from Dobro with Dobro resonators), and National guitars are eagerly sought by collectors as well as musicians. The metal-bodied Nationals, in particular, are highly desired by blues players and collectors due to their attractive appearance and great sound, but they are not known for perfect intonation or playability. Many of the players who seek these instruments set them up with relatively high action and play bottleneck slide in open tunings. A lot of these instruments have 12-fret necks, which you might find rather limiting for jazz styles of playing, and virtually all of them have necks you might consider large, clubby, and clumsy in contour.
Dobro (now owned by Gibson) and National Resophonic (871-C Via Esteban, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401) make new round-neck instruments with modern, comfortably contoured necks. Both companies make wood- and metal-bodied models. The metal-bodied instruments are most desired by blues players and tend to have the best resale value. The Dobro resonator system has a bridge mounted on a metal "spider," which creates a very different sound than the upright tone system used in Nationals. (Some modern Dobros feature an upright cone similar to that of the old-style National cone.) National Resophonic offers single-cone resonator models as well as tri-cone models similar to the prewar originals. In addition, National makes a solid-body that can be played acoustic or electric.
The brand and style of resonator a musician prefers is entirely a matter of personal preference. I am very fond of the new National Resophonic instruments and feel that they compare very favorably in sound to the genuine prewar originals but are more comfortable to play.
--George Gruhn
I've studied and played fingerstyle guitar for the past 15 years. I play entirely by ear and rarely consider intervals, chords forms, etc. I've recently attempted to learn theory in an effort to become a more complete player. Can you recommend a method that will help me connect fretboard knowledge and theory with what my ears already know?
Bob Donaldson
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Music theory exists to explain and to place labels on what sounds good. A person with an experienced ear but no music theory training can come up with something as harmonically "correct" as someone who is schooled in harmony and composition. Knowledge of music theory will only make your job easier by showing you what a few of your options are before you begin searching all over the fingerboard for just the right chord or bass note to harmonize a melody, or playing every chord you know to figure out a chord progression off an album.
Most importantly, analyzing your theoretical options may inspire you to attempt something that your fingers would never have stumbled upon. But don't fall into the trap of making everything fit within rules--if it sounds good, it is good.
A small amount of music theory can go a long way. A good place to begin is Mark Hanson's For Beginners article in the July 1995 issue of Acoustic Guitar. And Howard Morgen's Preparations: An Introduction to Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar (CPP/Belwin, PO Box 4340, Miami, FL 33014) is a wonderful introduction to how the fundamentals of music theory apply to guitar, no matter what style of music you play. For a very basic introduction to fingerboard theory, CPP/Belwin's Guitar Theory, from its 21st Century Guitar Library, is a good choice. If fingerstyle guitar is your interest, you can benefit greatly after getting the basics down by obtaining any books on the study of counterpoint (which deals with how two or more voices in a piece of music relate to each other).
--Dylan Schorer
I purchased a custom Johnny Smith Heritage archtop guitar in September 1991. I am curious as to why I hear very little about Heritage guitars.
Russ Fuguay
Bridgeport, Connecticut
The Heritage Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan, operates out of the building that formerly housed the Gibson Guitar Company. The company's owners and employees are mostly former Gibson staff. Heritage instruments are, in my opinion, on a par with the instruments produced when the same staff worked for Gibson (prior to 1984). Heritage is a small company and has received a significant amount of recognition and publicity in proportion to its size.
--George Gruhn
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