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Tricone - anyone use one?

As a new student of Gypsy Jazz I have two guitars at my disposal, one of which is a National Tricone. My notes sound great on this instrument, but since I'm changing my way of picking to the "rest-stroke," I can no longer dampen the strings with the side of my hand as I could with my other technique. So when I play single note leads I hear lots of unwanted overtones.

I know Oscar Aleman used a Tricone in his earlier days, but his picking technique was obviously not traditional gypsy since he used fingerpicks. What can I do to reduce the resonance of the strings that are not being played? Any suggestions from Tricone and non-Tricone players will be appreciated.
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Comments

  • CampusfiveCampusfive Los Angeles, CA✭✭✭✭
    Posts: 98
    I would argue that you have to adapt to a given instrument. You shouldn't play a tricone like a selmac. Part of the magic of different instruments is how they bring out different things in your playing, and make you play differently.

    When I play an archtop, I can't help but play Charlie Christian riffs, or Allan Reuss chord solos. When I play a Selmac or a Tricone, I can't help but play Django-y stuff. (By the way, I have no problem with the muting of open strings on resonator or any other guitar, but I also do not use the rest-stroke technique)

    Let the guitar be your guide, and don't worry about the orthodoxy. Or, play a different guitar.
  • CampusfiveCampusfive Los Angeles, CA✭✭✭✭
    Posts: 98
    Also, tricones are bitchin'. And loud!
  • trumbologytrumbology San FranciscoNew
    edited January 2006 Posts: 124
    nixpix wrote:
    I know Oscar Aleman used a Tricone in his earlier days, but his picking technique was obviously not traditional gypsy since he used fingerpicks. What can I do to reduce the resonance of the strings that are not being played? Any suggestions from Tricone and non-Tricone players will be appreciated.

    I've got a single-cone new-National myself, and was a fan of both Aleman and Django when I got it. Trying to play it with rest-stroke technique and Django's idoms did prove frustrating to me, and eventually I decided I had to get a Selmac. The ringing strings and overtones were a problem, as was the 'biscuit' cover getting in the way. Also, with my singlecone, sometimes sophisticated chord harmonies and ballad playing are hard to get across as sweetly as I would like. On the other hand, nothing barks out like my resonator guitar, and in the hands of a talented player, it would probably kill on uptempo rhythm tunes.

    Aleman was playing his tricone before electric jazz guitars were commonly owned by pros, much less commonly owned period. (George Barnes, Les Paul, maybe Eddie Durham and one or two others were using them professionally). Resophonics were (like Maccafferi's D-hole with internal resonator) an attempt to solve the volume problem guitarists were having in the 1930s. As cool as they are in contexts like blues and Hawaiian music, they haven't been taken up by any swing guitarists save Aleman that I've heard of. And Aleman himself did not return to playing tricones after he left Europe.

    I agree with Jonathan S. that if you want to swing out on your tricone, don't limit yourself to Gypsy picking and the floating right hand. You'll have to work with the limitations of the instrument and come up with some hybrid technique.

    Neil
  • nixpixnixpix New
    Posts: 17
    I agree with technique being applied differently based on the instrument. When the Tricone was designed, it was for Hawaiian players who used fingerpicks and a slide. That's why it sounds so great when played in that style (including blues and open tunings). Not that it can't be used by a flatpicker, etc, but the approach must be different than it would be on a not so resonant guitar.

    That's why I own more than one guitar anyway. Not only for different sounds, but even different set ups are important; high action for my slide guitar and lower action for more traditional playing. So until I get my first Selmac, I will use my flattop for gypsy playing :wink:
  • Colin PerryColin Perry Montreal, QCNew
    Posts: 115
    I use a tricone when I play on the street, and for house parties. They are great jazz guitars but the sound does lend itself to a certain way of playing. I find the big fat single note sound you get is great for Eddie Lang style leads. For that matter, I think that is a defining difference in Aleman's playing vs. Django's. Not that his playing is any less sophisticated, but it is more simple and direct than Django's. He plays more on top of the beat. Another player to check out is Ikey Robinson, who played on a triolian tenor guitar. His solos fall right into place on a national.
  • Lango-DjangoLango-Django Niagara-On-The-Lake, ONModerator
    edited May 2014 Posts: 1,854
    This thread is long abandoned, but let's see if anyone around here still plays resophonic guitar and would like to talk about it?

    I'm a fan of both Oscar Aleman and Ikey Robinson, who played jazz on resophonic instruments, and I've been considering buying one.

    So I need somebody to talk me into it, or perhaps out of it!

    Will
    Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."

    Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."

    Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
  • I still play dobro from time to time and own 3 really nice ones. 2 Wolfes and a Rayco. One day I am going to get a cutaway reso built by Rayco for playing. Single cone spider with Scheerman cone.

    I love the sound of a reso. damping on a round neck would better done with the left hand more a la rhythm if you flat pick although it is possible to right hand damp just in front of the bridge cover.

    They sound better to my ear with metal finger picks but thats just a personal thing.....and that is how I suspect I would choose to play one.
    The Magic really starts to happen when you can play it with your eyes closed
  • MichaelHorowitzMichaelHorowitz SeattleAdministrator
    Posts: 6,152
    Greg Ruby had National make him a custom Gypsy reso which is pretty awesome. He uses it quite a bit on his Gypsy gigs.
  • BonesBones Moderator
    Posts: 3,319
    Hey Will,

    What kind of tricone are you looking at?

    I have one of those Asian cheapos which is actually pretty cool but I never play it.

    What type of strings would be best on a tricone?
  • Lango-DjangoLango-Django Niagara-On-The-Lake, ONModerator
    edited May 2014 Posts: 1,854
    Lordy, Mike, I have no idea about strings! I still don't understand the difference between the different types of cones, etc. that's what I'm hoping to learn about from guys like Jay who own several types.

    My first question is: which would,sound better for flat picking, a metal body or a wooden body?

    Second question: I notice some models have a cutaway so you can reach the higher frets... is that a desirable feature?

    Will

    PS Michael, I did a google image search hoping to see Greg Ruby's custom reso, but no luck...
    Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."

    Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."

    Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
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