Re: amplifying a national steel dobro guitar

[Richard Sales <richard@glasswing.com>]

Hi Luis

I use a Schatten pickup in my little resonator guitar.  It's great!  It's cheap!  I use the Ultrasound little pre amp with it (also cheap).... although it sounds fine without it.  Whatever you use in a National, don't use anything that has a battery inside the guitar!  It's a REAL bear to change batteries and there's the risk of losing intonation etc. 

www.schattendesigns.com

Actually, I think I'd get the pre amp with it.   It could sound tinny without it. 

Email rodrose@schattendesigns.com and tell him I sent ya.  (Rod Rose).  He's a wonderful person.

K&K makes a good one too I hear.  

www.kksound.com

I felt the K&K was possibly too intrusive for my Phillips resonator - required more drilling etc.  It's an expensive guitar with a custom resonator (pie pan) in it and I didn't wanna risk having to have another one made. 

Highlander makes the one that National puts in their guitars at the factory.  (I assume they still do.  Haven't checked in a while). It seemed to me like it might dampen the sound as the pickup I think lays on the resonator.  

If you do put a pickup in, you might get a luthier who's done it before to do the work.  Putting the jack in the guitar requires some reinforcement (inside where the jack mounts) or the metal might pucker after plugging and unplugging for a few years.  

If you have a vintage National I wouldn't put anything in it.   I have a 34 National duolian and don't wanna change anything on it.  Gigantic sound.  

You can see a photo of the Phillips guitar here:
http://richardsales.com/ron_phillips_guitar.html

They are really amazing and incredible musical instruments.  

Happy motoring

richard sales
glassWing farm and studio
vancouver island, b.c.   
www.glassWing.com     www.richardsales.com
www.hayleysales.com     www.joannesales.com
www.blueberryfieldsfarm.com     
www.broombusters.org
On 1-May-08, at 12:24 AM, L.A. Angulo wrote:

> talking about Brozman,he seems to just mic his
> national guitar,but are there pickups outhere
> specially designed for this guitars?ive tried a few of
> them but the ones that come with humbuckers take away
> the character of their sound.
> cheers
> Luis
>
>
>
> www.myspace.com/luisangulocom
>
>
>
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