Harley Benton N-150CE Custom Line Resonator Guitar - Cone Upgrade
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 лип 2023
- Is it worth upgrading the factory fitted cone in a budget resonator? I find out in this video when I fit a Beard Legend cone into a Harley Benton N-150ce resonator.
If you like the guitar playing please check out our socials here....
we_happy_fe...
/ wehappyfewmusic
wehappyfewmusic.wixsite.com/w...
#slideguitar #blues #deltablues #resonatorguitar #mississippi #dobro #improvisation #acoustic #guitarsetup
The sound quality is insane
Cheers dude! Those beard cones are nice. 👌🙌
I love the factory cone. It’s a bit more grungy
Thanks for letting us know your thoughts, and know what you mean. It’d be handy if the cones slipped in and out a bit more easily, to make use of the different sounds for different song styles.
I have this guitar and you've convinced me to do the same upgrade. The new cone feels much more "open", not as muffled and has way more resonator sound to it than the factory one
Good stuff, it makes a noticeable improvement in my opinion. I need to retighten the screw that attaches the biscuit to the cone on mine, as its developed a rattle, but is great otherwise.
Well I did the upgrade yesterday and it sounds so much better. I took an alternate approach and very carefully trimmed the edge of the cone so that it fit in the sound well@@wehappyfewmusic
@@andyrobertson170 Glad to hear it went well! How is the string height with the new cone and did you need to adjust the saddle?
I used the same spider and saddle (mine's an older model which came with a split wood one) and not noticed a difference in how it played (used it for about an hour). So I guess the action couldn't have changed that much :) @@wehappyfewmusic
@@andyrobertson170 Cool, that makes life easier then. 👍
Found your video by random this morning. For me, the Beard Legend cone sounds more bluesy, when the factory fitted one is more bluegrass/country style oriented. I think I am going to try it on my Resoking, despite the fact that it is a solid body.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ve been enjoying the beard cone so far so would recommend it.
I couldn't tell the diffs. Loved the playing.
It’s pretty subtle unless you were in the room tbh. Glad you liked the playing though!
I believe that, aside from the difference in quality about the two above mentioned cones, we should talk about cones differences in term of design. It looks to me that the original cone was the so called buiscuit one, usually ( but not always) associated with Delta blues styles. The New one was a spider cone instead, that it is mostly ( but once again optionally) used for bluegrass type of playing. Now the point is that we are dealing with two drastically type of sounds, not better or worse, just different!
Then, within the two different type of cones you certainly may find a more sophisticated one than the other, but that's another story!
Hi thanks for watching the video. The original cone was a spider bridge too. I whiz through that section but you can see it briefly at around 1 minute in.
All right! That makes sense to me now. Morover I want to point out that the New resonator you installed has a much better sound. I own two reso guitars: one is the Gretsch Bob Tail with the spider bridge and the Nashville Fishman pick up, sounding great to my ears. The other one is a reso I purchased in New bedford ( Mass.) from a Liuther who probably used a Steward Mc Donald kit. It's a buiscuit type of cone, sounding good, but different!
I personally believe that the cone is the key in resophonic guitars, no much sense in spending lot of money on expensive reso as National or such. The meaning of the wood on those guitars is simply provide a sturdy protection to the cone vibratuon, so laminated is a better choice than solid wood. I'm talking about wooden resonators.
For metal I remember once playing a old National, very very light and very good sounding. The same concept it applies to the Beltona guitars, Australuan made. They use a fiberglass material instead metal and they are light and great sounding!
@@livioguardi2074 Yes the cone is fundamental to a resonator guitars sound and I also prefer the lighter bodies. I’ve only tried an old 1930’s National metal reso once and had the same experience. It wasn’t very heavy and had a sweet tone. I’ve got a newer biscuit version by Michael Messer which sounds good but is pretty heavy.
oh yes- it was a somewhat "suttle" differens but it was in the most important frequencies. The new cone seem to to carry the push the sound out with more power and therefore it carries sound further
Yes I think you right, defo seems to have a bit more power.
I would recommend splitting that saddle for access to set-screw. Sometimes they will loosen up on ya. Should it become loose, you typically hear a rattle...Tighten screw till you feel resistance, then give it one quarter turn.
Thanks, I’ll give that a go as it has developed a rattle since I did the video. 👍
Nice work mate, thanks for taking the time to do a good side by side, the factory cone is a lot more Mississippi sounding for sure, and got those good ol nasel mids, changing is not always an UP grade, good pickin matey!
Hey, many thanks for checking out the comparison and great to hear you like my picking!
Man ! the Beard sounded tight ... good playin' !
Thanks man, I’m really enjoying the new setup. 👍
The Beard sounds substantially better than the stock cone. Sometimes you need a trashy tone ( original). The Beard is much more smooth and less abrasive. Sounds like a much more expensive instrument.
Thanks for checking out the video and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there.
I've done similar upgrades but on square-neck resos. My advice would be to also upgrade the spider bridge, saddle inserts and nut.
Yes, good idea, I’ve been meaning to find time to do that since making this video but haven’t got around to it still. 😊👍
They both sound great to my untrained ears! Nice riffs.
Hey, glad you like the riffs and thanks for watching! 👍
I used to own one of these and loved the trashy tone
I used to own one of these and loved the trashy tone
The new cone was a lot better
Hey, thanks for checking it out and glad you think the upgrade was worthwhile. 🙌
I personally prefer the trashy tone of the factory cone. But both are nice on their own.
It does have a useful tone for blues tracks. 👍
Beard sounded a little more bassey to my ears. I wonder though if there isn't a way to modify the original cone to improve the sound rather than part with a load of dosh!
You could definitely improve the original cone by setting it up more carefully and adding a better bridge.
I have a Fender FR 50 CE resonator tunned Standard I use for acoustic bluegrass but sounds a bit less than my acoustic guitar. Do you think if I change the cone to the Beard legend will improve the sound and make it louder?
I haven’t used the Fender resonator but from my experience I think you’ll get a louder/richer sound from the Beard legend cone.
What slide are you using? That is sounding very nice too.
Thanks! It’s a Blue Diamond by Diamond Bottlenecks.
Would it be worth replacing the saddle? Im thinking of getting one of these. Maybe a bone nut as well?
Yes, the current saddle and nut are just plastic ones so I’m planning to swap those as well when I get a mo. Hopefully that’ll help improve the tone a bit further. 👍
@@wehappyfewmusic nice one. I'll do the same. Cheers pal.
@@abloke8834 Cool, you’re welcome. 👍
2nd cone warmer and more pure sound.
Thanks for having a listen and I think you’re right! 👍
I think it's both ok😊
Both sounds certainly have their own uses. Thanks for checking out the video.
I've heard that some resonators have a single cone and some have triple cones. Are they stacked or what? Do the extra cones add more complexity to the tone? The new cone was darker, but I couldn't help but think that the brightness of the first one (trashy though it was) might be needed at some point. Would it be possible to keep both in one instrument?
The tricone resonators do have a richer more complex sound and a bit more sustain. The cones are smaller so they are spread in a triangle formation next to each other. Know what you mean about the original cones trashy tone cutting through, it could be reinstalled later if required (but not stacked with the new cone).
@@wehappyfewmusic Thanks for the reply. I am wondering what aspect of the cones produces a different tone. If they are approximately the same size, then they would have a similar resonant frequency. Maybe they're different metals or support the high strings or low strings. I need to understand more.
@@JRandallS The more expensive cones are spun rather than printed which produces a more refined tone and resonance. The size, bridge, body and setup all contribute to the overall sound too.
Hi there, what string gauge have you on .
Hi, I’m using 16-56 Medium Resophonic strings.
With the upgrade sounds more modern clear... The old cone sounds more vintage trashyyy, nice riffs
That’s a good way of describing the sounds, and glad you like the riffs! 🙏
The factory cone sounds more authentic, if you ask me! Beard stuff is overpriced. 😊
Thanks for watching the video and quite a few people have preferred the original cone. Beard stuff is expensive but I got a great deal on this cone as it was 2nd hand, but hadn’t been used. 😊💰
How much was it? The guitar?
I have think the guitar is about £200 new, but I paid £50 on eBay (had to drive quite a way to collect it though).
Hi, being a thinner bodied model - is it as loud as an acoustic unplugged?
Hi, it’s actually a bit louder than a standard Dreadnought style acoustic guitar, especially with the new cone.
@@wehappyfewmusicthanks! I actually thought this was the ‘resoking’ but I’ve just noticed it’s a different model. Is this the go to in your opinion? Have you tried the ‘king’?
@@SenfMustard I’ve not tried the resoking but used to own an Airline Folkstar which is a similar concept. I prefer the full depth resonators with a pickup as you get a much better acoustic sound, and can still plug them into an amp.
@@wehappyfewmusic thanks. Strangely, it’s exactly what I’m after. My full sized is far too loud for when I practice/play after my kids have gone to bed and when my wife is reading. So I need something quieter but still with that reso twang I love so much. Seems to be spot on!
@@SenfMustard The thinner body would be perfect for that then! 👌
It's very clear that the lower frequencies sound better, but even the higher frequencies have more sustain and better projection.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! Yes I think it’s got a much bigger sound all round with the new cone.
Factory cone is better cause it's noisy !!Bobby Charlton Forever!!!🌍⚡🤟
It’s definitely more lofi and raspy which can be the right sound for some stuff. 👍
I mean what's the point of making music if it isn't noisy ,loud & bold😂
Haha, that’s a good point! 🤘😅
no
?
@wehappyfewmusic you asked a question at the end, was it worth the time and money. Although I missed if you gave a dollar amount that it cost.
The fact that they bent the cone to get it in the butchered sound hole is all the info I need to not buy this guitar…
Yes it seems like the quality control department had the day off when this one was built.