Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

[ratherdashing]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/LIBERTY-Copper-T...QitemZ3776759999QQcategoryZ2385QQcmdZViewItem

They are based in Florida. The price seems too good to be true.

 

[Tweed]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

I would not buy it. If you read the auction and visit the website, you'll see some clever wording to suggest that the guitars are crafted in the U.S.A. The truth is: The guy imports parts and assembles the guitars in Fla. Personally, I wouldn't consider buying one of these unless I could play it first. The quality control seems to be all over the map...very much like the Johnsons and other imports. There are decent ones out there, but you have to play them to find them.

Check this out:

http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/MBGT1R.htm

Paul Beard knows a thing or two about resos. I have played his wood-bodied resos, and they are not only a good value, they are flat-out killer instruments. I bought one for a friend last year at Gruhn's, and that guitar smoked resos in the store that were 2x the price. It even gave some of Beard's own handmade resos a run for their $$. Beard's Gold Tone models are built in Asia to his specs, without hardware. Cones, and other hardware are then installed at Beard's shop and the guitars are properly set up. Beard spins his own cones, btw. I'd bet that the metal-bodied model is a damn nice guitar. Not a whole lot more than the Liberty, and probably 10x the guitar:bigthumb: This metal body must be a recent addition, as I don't see it on Beard's website:

http://www.beardguitars.com/index.html

Jaysus, now I'm gassin' for one

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

Great info, thanks! This one looks like what I'm looking for:
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/BGT1R.htm

The metal body resos sound a bit too "banjo-y" to me, but the wood bodied ones I've played have an amazing tone.

 

[Tweed]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

That's the model I bought. It has a slightly warmer tone than the maple...but it will bark just fine if you want it to. Nearly half the price of a Gibson Hound Dog, and it's a much better guitar, IMHO. Nothing comes close in that price range. Also, you'll find the price to be about the same wherever you look, so don't knock yourself out too much shopping around Beard's website has a dealer list, so maybe you can find one near you to play.

 

[bgood]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

I just got this one and I like it alot. Defiitely not like the wooden bodied ones though. Pretty good for the price. Regal. I researched all of the lower end ones and determined that the Regal was the most reasonable deal but the Deans and Gold Tone's seemed like good options. My Regal has a spun cone which looks exactly like what you see on National's web site. I don't see a need to change it yet but I haven't AB'd it with my buddies National yet. Can't vouch for the wood bodied ones.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

That's the model I bought. It has a slightly warmer tone than the maple...but it will bark just fine if you want it to. Nearly half the price of a Gibson Hound Dog, and it's a much better guitar, IMHO. Nothing comes close in that price range. Also, you'll find the price to be about the same wherever you look, so don't knock yourself out too much shopping around Beard's website has a dealer list, so maybe you can find one near you to play.

According to the site, the closest dealer to me is in Seattle (I'm in Vancouver BC). Perhaps I will have to do a road trip someday and visit the Hendrix Museum as well.

I just got this one and I like it alot. Defiitely not like the wooden bodied ones though. Pretty good for the price. Regal. I researched all of the lower end ones and determined that the Regal was the most reasonable deal but the Deans and Gold Tone's seemed like good options. My Regal has a spun cone which looks exactly like what you see on National's web site. I don't see a need to change it yet but I haven't AB'd it with my buddies National yet. Can't vouch for the wood bodied ones.

The Regals look really nice too. I'll check if they have a Vancouver dealer.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

I've been really happy with the Johnson 'rosevine engraved' resonator, which is chromed bell brass. Johnson acoustics are junk, but whoever makes their resonators is building a good quality dobro clone. I've actually had 2. After selling the first one, I regretted it, and got lucky when I found another just like it. They cost around $700 new, but can be found used for $450.

I highly recommend chromed bell brass over the wood ones. The brass ones ring louder and have a more authentic sound. The wood ones are a little dull sounding and remind me too much of Hawaiian guitar.

Johnson w/rosevine engraving

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

Does a brass body sound nicer than steel? The steel ones I've tried (Fender and Epiphone) sounded really harsh and clangy to my ears. I've enjoyed the mahogany-bodied Dobro's I've tried though.

 

[bgood]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

I think the sound is more related to the cone/biscuit/bridge combo than the body type - brass vs steel. Could be wrong though - brass bodied resos are more $$ so there may be something to it. Mine's not harsh at all. My technique leaves something to be desired as I am a beginner slider (20+ playing regular style) so there is not the greatest of damping and intonation on my slide work but tonally this thing can be very sweet and thick sounding when handled right. What I've noticed so far is if I play sloppy - it's harsh if I pay attention to technique - it's not. Slide material matters too. Lightweight glass tends to chatter, metal is very bright, ceramic, porcelain and heavy glass = nice warm thick tones with glass being the loudest of the three. YMMV

 

[Tweed]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

Yeah, I agree on the biscuit vs. spider bridge effect on tone. The cone is a big ingredient in the recipe. It is a very common practice with owners of Regals, Johnsons, and other imports...to replace the cheaper cones with Quartermans, and to notice a big improvement in tone.

There is also a difference between steel and brass, but it's matter of degrees. Brass is generally a bit warmer, where steel is a tad more percussive and edgy. In good guitars, the difference is not huge, but it's there.

Recommending wood vs. metal is tough, especially when we don't know what styles of playing are involved, or the player's approach to the instrument. It's not like one is inherently "better" than the other. It's a matter of getting the right tool to get the job done. Jerry Douglas uses wood, because it fits the style he plays. John Hammond uses metal for the same reason. Very different styles, but equally "authentic".
Define your style and what you want to play, and go from there. Generally speaking...if country-blues is your bag, wood might be the way to go. Listen to Duane Allman on Please Be With Me, or Come On In My Kitchen. If you lean more towards delta-style blues, metal is probably the better choice. Listen to Son House, John Hammond or Johnny Winter. It's all good

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

My style would definitely be more in the roots/folk/country ballpark of tone, which is why I'm leaning toward a wood body. I would be using the instrument for solo acoustic performances, or possibly in a band setting. It seems that most wood bodies are spiders while the metal bodies are all biscuits or tricones. Is this an accurate assessment?

 

[Bludave]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

I own a real Brass body nickle plated Dobro from the early 60's. Its a killer Dobro, I also own a Regal wood body. The Regal has a real nice warm tone, but lacks the volume of the real Dobros or Nationals. The other major problem with the lower end Dobros is the nut width is to narrow. My Regal Dobro has a thin neck and the string spacing is a little tight. This makes it difficult to fingerpick properly. The way I use my right hand for slide playing I need to be able to fit my fingers in there to mute strings. Good guitar though it sounds real nice.

 

[bgood]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

From what you said it sounds like a wood bodied reso is your ticket. Not sure about wood bodies and spiders vs biscuit but I think in general you are right. At least that's how it seems to me from the homework I did.

Good luck.

 

[Tweed]

Re: Anyone know anything about Liberty resonator guitars?

It seems that most wood bodies are spiders while the metal bodies are all biscuits or tricones. Is this an accurate assessment?

Yup.

From what you said, I think you're right to be considering wood, too. I would also go with a spider bridge and cone setup. There are some wood resos with biscuit bridges, but they are very different sounding. In a reso, the cone is really a speaker. It takes vibrations from the bridge and amplifies them. With a biscuit, the cone is inverted (facing the back of the guitar), so it makes contact with the biscuit over a very small area, giving it a certain "fundamental" quality. With a spider, the cone sits in the guitar facing outward. The spider transfers vibrations to several points around the edge of the cone. Very different sound. Not better, just different. Also, with spider bridges, the cone is supported by a "tone ring" made of wood. The bridge/cone assembly accounts for probably 75% of a reso's tone. That's why upgrading to better cones is such a popular mod in budget-priced geetars.

Tricones are another animal, with a different bridge/cone setup that gives those guitars their distinct tone.