How to clean, polish, restring and maintain your resonator guitar
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- Опубликовано: 16 июн 2020
- How to clean or polish your resonator guitar.
We tackle three things here;
Techniques for restringing slotted headstock guitars.
What strings to use and why.
Also, maintaining nickel and chrome finishes. How to polish a Resonator guitar...
Get your chrome polish and string winder out and let’s go bonkers. 
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Thanks all!
❤️❤️❤️
🔵 thanks Âlot❕ love shiny & clean guitars ❕👍 🐊
- just bought myself the RK RM-991 Tri-cone after spending a lifetime on acoustic steel string guitar and having always admired the resonator tones❕🐸🍀
Sure that’ll do you well!!
It’s me again. Thank you for this as my nickel plated reso is looking a bit grotty. I had been cleaning with just a damp shammy. However, finding an appropriate chrome/nickel cleaner and a turtle wax polish will now be on my “to do” searches. I’m looking forward to a sparkling clean reso. Cheers for Ottawa Canada.
A light polish and wax to get it clean is good. The LaTromba will maintain it after use. 🎯
I know the Gresch Honey Dipper inside and out now, caution don't remove the strap button! While changing to a locking strap button the block of wood that is free floating dropped inside to the unit. I had to pull the complete system apart! Everything down to an empty shell I was at least able to clean the inside of moths, dust and lint. Nailed intonation on all notes, used blue tape for marking where the cone sits and at what angle. I was able to change out the strap button for a locking one! Chalk it up to more experence. Thanks for all the tips & tricks!
It’s a typical story! They fall apart so easily. Sounds like you did a great job!!
A little tip I use here for changing strings on my resos, because I do have that fear of the ball end of the string whipping out of the slot, I take a small piece of electrical tape and cover the bridge piece, where all ball ends are and just keep covering and uncovering as I need to get in there. Just an extra step for safety that's well worth it.
Excellent idea. Thanks!!
Awesome, great info, I just got a German silver Tricone,
Awesome!
Thanks for all of your comments. I ended up getting a Regal copper clad tricone
Filtered Waters Amazing. Hope it’s doing you good!!
Thanks for this. I'm about to buy a resonator and I need all the help I can get
It’s all lots of fun!
Thanks! 😬👍
A pleasure!
Hi Martin great video for cleaning and polishing. This last weekend I have been setting all of my guitars intonations: Epiphone, Ibanex, Les Paul it's been a gas! Now comes my Gretsch guitar G9201 resonator and it was way # at the 12th fret. Thank goodness for youtube, but saying that it's like a rabbit hole. I could not find anything for this adjustment. I have always been very mechanical aka MacGyver. I am an X scientific service engineer for Shimadzu Scientific Instruments. So I figured I am willing to takle it and I found the cone bridge to be rotated about 4 degrees and touching the metal cone hole. While searching for types of adjustment for the intonation, I can across your site. Any suggestions if the adjustments don't work?
My girl has not had a lot of usage due to playing with the Cordoba, Yairi etc. Only been playing for about 6 years on and off staying more focused now and getting ready to clean the Gretsch Honeydipper. Many Thanks.........
Glad it helps. Setting up resonators is a funny business. Think I’ll do a video about the subject as there’s been a few comments recently. Like any fretted instrument they’re never truly in tune. Because of the simplicity of the bridge they are often set as ‘good enough’ for rough and tumble bottleneck stuff. I have an NRP style o that was set up by Mark Knopflers old guitar tech and it’s about as good as any electric or acoustic I’ve ever played. It was a combination of truss rod, fret dress, new saddle but it’s incredible now. Shows it’s possible. Usually rotating the cone helps and yourself or a competent luthier could recut the saddle so the string length is perfect for intonation. I’ve seen Resonators where extra wood is spliced either side of the saddle to thicken it and then allow a compensated saddle to be cut into the extra material. It’s a start. NRP produce a compensated unit but I’ve not used one so couldn’t comment. Good luck.
I'm a big fan of your work! I have a 38 National Duolian, but most of the paint is gone. I'm thinking about applying 2X clear coat spray paint on its body to create a protective layer and keep it the way it is today. Do you think it is a good idea? Any suggestions on that regard?
Personally I wouldn’t but I understand they can shed paint quickly and someone might want to preserve it. Your call. Think you’re right either way.
Thanks for the reply! Indeed both have pros and cons. Have you seen other people doing this? Adding a coat of clear coat to their old resos?
🔵 on wood i use Mothers car polish Step 1 'pure polish' and Step 2 'micro polishing glaze' all with fibrecloth - the results are absolutely phenomenal ; you can use the pure carnuba wax afterward if you wish , but i usually do not bother this step any longer ❕🐊 🐸🍀
- because you are actually cleaning and polishing the 'clearcoat' on the gloss top of the guitar , not the actual paint and not the wood (so just like a car)
Beautiful technique!! Thanks for the share.
Nice video.
If I were as meticulous as you (well done) I'd stretch the strings with a tool (there's one for it) or a cloth, in order not to leave sweat or any human remains.
Any opinion on the Elixir .16 ?
I use Elixirs on all my guitars (both acoustic and electric) and I find they stay alive for ages, well worth the double price but they last more than double. I'm new to resonators but I'm guessing that they would last AGES if you're just using slide.
Have you tried them by any chance?
Thanks, keep it up!
Stretching by hand works for me. They do 20 gigs a month. It’s a tiny fraction of time they get handled when stretching. I tried Elixrs. I find them to lack middle frequencies and body. Plus the coating feels obvious. I’ve found that I prefer Daddario on gigging guitars due to the long life or on vintage-home guitars or when recording Newtone strings. To me they’re easily the best. But I play heavy and like a beefy sound so that’s what I’ve arrived at.
Hi Martyn,
the grooves on your frets tell me a lot about hard-giggin´fella.
Do you recommend nev´r dull wadding or rather to avoid.
Got some left from my motor-bike years, wanting to use ´em up.
Greetings, Gerry
Guitar has a fret job every year. Probably ready for a new set next time!!
You could use the wadding but it’s very abrasive so I’d use it if a deep clean is needed then use wax to coat.
After playing just a dry shammy and occasional spray of LaTromba.
Perhaps once a year at most for the wadding.
Thanx a lot, mate and keep on your good work.@@TheWashboardResonators
Martin. I might suggest not using Solvol Autosol for cleaning Nickel plated resos. It's too harsh. It's for cleaning Chrome on motorbikes. I use Britemax Final Shine metal polish and sealer. It cleans polishes and waxes in one application. I think I got mine through Amazon. National resos are Nickel plated. Except for a few early ones. Nickel is softer than Chrome and it can be polished away eventually.
Thanks for this. Worth pointing out. As I say I’m the video it’s used sparingly. It was recommended by a prominent resonator expert. Growing up in a biking household it was used on chrome constantly as a child. I did wonder. I’ll try the Britemax.
Thanks for the tip. I purchased some Britemax Final Shine for my Style O National Single Cone Resonator and it gave me a great finish. I still waxed the body after the polish to give some added protection.
How often do you pull the cover and clean the cone and how often do you change your cones?
I never take the guitar apart unless there is a problem. The longer they stay together the better. Same with cones. They should last 60-80 years and seem to get better in time. If I squash one or get an old guitar with a sunken cone then it gets changed.
I'm thinking of investing in a chrome resonator but I'm worried about the chrome wearing off. What caused the two or three yellow spots on the upper bout that are yellow in appearance. Did the chrome get rubbed off? Thanks.
The chrome is very hard wearing. In my case it’s worn through but there are reasons that few players will experience. I do 160-200 gigs a year (normally) and have had the guitar since 2011. Add to the this the rehearsals and the fact that on stage I mostly wear tweed / wool suits and you’ll see that it’s a surprise it hasn’t worn through more. It took years to show signs of wearing. There probably aren’t any guitars as hard wearing other than a thick polyester finished electric. I actually see the wear as a badge of honour a bit like Bo Carter and his 1931 National Style N which by the 1970s was worn through and has a lifetime of stories and professional music making. If you buy any resonator, play it a normal amount and wipe it down and use the methods here in the video as well as wearing cotton you’ll be fine. If you play 10 hours a day then in three years you’ll catch me up I’m sure in wearing through yours but that would be really cool because you’d done it all in making music and following your passion. ❤️
@@TheWashboardResonators Nothing wrong with a few honest wear/battle scars on a guitar. The whole issue of 'relicing' is up for debate! One comment might be useful. Autosol is a metal polish and as such does contain a mild abrasive. I use it on the bare metal cases on my old Royal Enfield 500 but never on the chrome. I expect the chrome work on nationals is way better than my Indian Bullet though!
Peter.Goddard.1960 I agree entirely. The suggestion for autosol came many years ago from some very knowledgeable National experts. Just use it sparingly. It brings the finish back brilliantly. The La Trumba spray creates a barrier that if used will minimise the need for much autosol if any. I gig 200 times a year so I don’t always have chance to protect the guitars 100%. The natural wear from playing sits well with me as it’s authentic and all mine!
@@TheWashboardResonators Many thanks for clarifying, I absolutely agree on the personal wear and tear!
I'm on a bit of a journey of discovery at the moment regarding resonators, I can't bear not knowing stuff so I suppose it's more of a 'deep dive'. I'm considering starting out with a Messer, haven't quite decided on the Blues or Lightning, although possibly the (slightly less of a big jump) blues 28 wood body. Have you any experience of these and would you consider it a good starter choice? They seem to be highly regarded and draw me more than the Gretsch models which seem popular generally.
I should clarify, I'm not a beginner guitarist, just new to resonators! I will be playing both fingerstyle and slide.
Hello friend, how can I remove the rust from my brass guitar? What product do you recommend or treatment.thank you.
Rust on brass? It oxidises a sort of dirty green but you don’t get actual rust. Sometimes nickel plating will lift.
Hard to say without seeing it but all the steps here will at least take the worst away and the wax will stop it getting worse.
I see lots of vintage instruments that tarnish badly. Say they get damp and the moisture gets into the brass which in turn stains the nickel plating darker.
You’ll never get rid of that kind of damage.
Polishing will help.
Not sure if this helps as it’s hard to know the exact nature of the problem.
🎯🎯🎯
@@TheWashboardResonators 👍👍👍🥰.
Hi, my question is the opposite of what you are doing here! Have you any advice on how to "relic" a chrome resonator to give it a distressed vintage look!
Apart from playing it for years you could do all the things you’ll see people do on RUclips about tarnishing metal. Finest steel wool plus Hydrochloric acid should get you some of the way.
@@TheWashboardResonators Acid sounds a bit scary! but thanks for the reply.
Autosol is abrasive
It is which is why you use it sparingly and maybe a couple of times a year.
Flitz is good for more general use and the La Tromba coats it to get finger marks off easily with a shamy leather so it doesn’t need a deep polish.
E#? 14.32
Yes. It was showing E that was a little sharp. The point is that we tune the guitar past pitch then stretch. Repeat a couple of times. When you finally tune to pitch the strings are settled good.
@@TheWashboardResonators Just subscribed to your site, I plan on getting my first reso around May/June time. Michael Messer gets my vote, I really fancy the Lightning. Bet it'd be a job n'arf to do a video of re-stringing with Newtones if they are long strings!