Anyone know a good source for National Tricone 59375 Resonator Cones?

DavidR

To upgrade Regal RC51 which is a Chinese copy of National style 1. Must be National rather than other brand.

On thomann website for £165 which seems a bit steep. Anyone know anywhere else, by which I suppose I mean cheaper! :-)

paulnb57

Probably worth asking on the Messer forum

https://michaelmesser.proboards.com/

equalsql

paulnb57 said:

Probably worth asking on the Messer forum

https://michaelmesser.proboards.com/

Good call. It's a really helpful place for resonator owners. Michael pops on there regularly and is a goldmine of knowledge on the subject.

DavidR

Thanks. Interesting source.

Here's what the gentleman said about updating cones and tricones generally in June 2021..............

"Hi Groff,

It is a big subject and it is unavoidable that my comments will be criticised and that I might be digging a hole that should not be digging! I am not trying to offend anyone, but I am trying to explain what I feel about Tricones.

There are differences and different opinions about Tricones. These are the first instruments designed by the inventor of the resonator guitar, John Dopyera. They were designed to play sweet Hawaiian steel guitar music on, but with enough volume to lift them above the backing instruments. John said that the sound of a great Tricone "flows like a river" and he was right. When I play a Tricone I am looking for an instrument that is sweet, warm, silky to play, is abundant with overtones and natural harmonics and has loads of sustain. The smoothest and sweetest thing you ever played! These are qualities that I have only ever seen in many original square-neck and a few round-neck 1920s and '30s Nationals, some modern NRPs (National Reso-Phonic), and all Fine Resophonic Tricones.

When I say "some" modern NRPs; NRP make steel bodied Tricones which are very popular, but they do not sound anything like the Tricones I am talking about. They do sound good, but to me they just sound like good resonator guitars with none of the qualities I have mentioned. This is also how I see Far-Eastern built Tricones. They're fine, they play well and sound good, but they don't sound like what I call real Tricones. There are a few reasons for this; The soundwell is just not constructed as it should be and therefore is not as stable as it could be, the 6 inch cones are not made of the correct gauge aluminium, and the assembly is just too quick for such an intricate and sensitive instrument. So what they end up with are very nice sounding resonator guitars that for my money do not perform as well as single cone instruments, which are just easier to assemble and get right.

A new set of NRP cones might help and I hope they do, but they could also exaggerate the problem because they are lighter and finer.

I have nothing against the Tricones we are talking about, they are nice and sound fine, but they do not sound like the instrument John Dopyera invented and built.

This is like comparing a Ford family saloon to a Mercedes family saloon. Everything is there and the Ford works fine, but there are enormous differences that just cannot be built for the price of a Ford.

As for the correct way to build a Tricone, I am not going to explain it on here.

I hope that explains my thoughts on the subject and does not offend anyone.

Shine On
Michael"

Sounds like I might need a new guitar!