Republic Guitars Highway 49 Tenor coming soon

[mandoannie]

See here for a photo:

http://www.republicguitars.com/comingsoon.html

Coming Soon Sept/Oct 2010
Highway 49 Tenor Guitar

Specs: Bell brass body...9 1/2" Continental cone...rosewood biscuit...ebony capped maple saddle...rosewood fretboard...round mahogany neck...1 1/4" bone nut...34 3/4" total length...22 1/2" scale...padded gig bag...tortoise shell veneer headstock...polished nickel silver finish.
Suggested Retail Price: $989


Website Price: $679 With Padded Gig Bag

Looking forward to hearing some sound bites and reviews. NFI.

[delsbrother]

Nice! I'd love a tenor neck on their "parlor" size wooden body.. I wonder if their custom shop could do that?

[catmandu2]

I could use that. But I wish it had a factory pickup.

[bmac]

Sure glad that resonater has a trust rod!

[Charles E.]

NOW we are talking! That would make a great to my old triolian.;)

[kmmando]

i'd say the neck at the nut looks a lot wider than my 1928 national tenor - I wonder if they are building for guitarists first and foremost, and not mandolin/banjoists who are more used to narrower necks? I'd certainly want it narrower. Looks fab though, cool lines, and begging for a P90 at the end of the neck and a cone pickup too!

nice one, drool .....

[Charles E.]

They specify a 1-1/4" nut width, that seems normal to me.

[kmmando]

Interestingly, out of curiosity, I just measured the nut width of my two original tenor Nationals (1928 & 1930) and they are at the very widest 1 inch and 1/8th, with fretboard to match.

Nice and fast and comfy for me, but each to their own, as ever.

cheers
Kevin

[Charles E.]

So..... has anyone seen one of these yet? Let us know.

[bluesyswede]

Guys, here's some pics and a video clip!
The Highway 49 from Republic.. 4-strings and a LOT of tone!!


A VIDEO clip so you can hear it, never mind the playing!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTGooB8jNc8


Well, I like this one a lot but I'm not really sure I can play it this way, haha!!
Gonna try open tunings and slide on it OR maybe build me a 3-string blues bass..

Here it is together with my 1930's Levin tenor..
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04576.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04577.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04578.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04579.JPG

[bluesyswede]

http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04581.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04584.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04582.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04583.JPG
http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/DSC04585.JPG

[Dolamon]

Well - mine was delivered yesterday. First impressions are one word - remarkable. It had a few little oddities and minor irregularities but after changing out the A string (first string) from a .012 to a .010 it just thumps. Even compared to an old Regal resonator I still have and an old Dobro which is gone ... this is the loudest and most intune resonator I've ever played - period!

While a small bodied instrument, it is hefty, with a thicker neck than I normally like - I'll get used to it but, after an hour exploring this thing, my legs went to sleep from holding it. I played it finger style initially, then it settled down to stay in tune, and I explored it as a jazz rhythm instrument - wow. As far as it needing a pick up, maybe if you're in the Albert Hall with a full brass band.

Irregularities: the twelfth fret double dots - are single, there is a dot at the ninth fret rather than the tenth fret, and the tuners - like most of my instruments, will be upgraded at a later date (the shafts are little spindly and the bearing surfaces are a bit small). This came strung a bit heavier than I like, but the sound projected is spectacular. The C string is a .036, most of my tenors are .034 - but at least it was strung correctly- once the A string was swapped out.

Observations: If you're playing this outside ... you may want to wear extra sun blocker, under your chin. It reflects light to the degree a polarizing filter may be needed to get a pix or two. The tailpiece is an interesting design which can use ball end or loop. The loop hooks are a tad short and required a spike or a very fine screwdriver to align and hold the loop in place while it's threaded past the bridge and onto the tuners. I have slotted peg heads on four or five instruments, while really nice looking, none are easy to change strings on - I used a chunk of packing tape to hold the loop in place while I threaded it through the tuners. In the future, when it is fully restrung with loops ... I may try running a piece of felt under the front lower surface of the tailpiece to reduce the wolf tones. I don't know ... it is a resonator after all, but the secondary vibrations are really extraordinary from behind the bridge.

Reasons for buying: I have been working and exploring more strict rhythm playing on a tenor for a year or so and - In Brozmans book on resonator instruments, he explained that they were devised / conceived as ensemble guitars (etc.) for dance bands - before electrics were a common reality. With this little (however hefty) girl, it thumps like an L5 or a Super Deluxe 400 with just your thumb and index finger on full barre chords - with a flat pick, I felt as if I might need a set of ear plugs ... What surprised me was playing some Bach Cello preludes, and other classical music - it works.

Does this mean I'll stop playing Mandola or Mandolin? No - it is just a different tool for a different role - and it is great if you want to blind your band members.

[catmandu2]

Cool -- thanks for the review (and thanks for the pics mrblueseys-)

Yeah, I'd like to have one of these. But re a pickup--the youtube clips (while considering the generally poor quality of youtube recordings) confirm for me that, as I've experienced with many resonators, much imbalance in volume and/or projection between mids and highs. Quite unlike banjo--which has penetrating power in highs all through the sprectrum, and generally well balanced tone. I would want to put a really uncomfortable heavy A string on it--and don't know if I could get one heavy enough--or tune it GDAE. Same reason why I wish all of my guitars were wired--for solo playing. As you mention--these would be fun for a rhythmic role.

The mandolin more provides these highs--the two together are quite nice. I must say though that I prefer the look of these to the triangular-shaped bodies of the old Nat resos; those are about the funkiest-looking instruments.

[Dolamon]

This is from Frank -it seems he and a few others spent some time on figuring out what is possible on these.


Tenor Guitar String-Tuning & -Gauges Chart

Type of string will vary from maker to maker. Bronze, Steel, and Nickel will vary.
Most of the plain strings work about the same. But wound ones vary.
Gauges will very with scale and type of strings.
The trick is to get a nice even tension across the bridge without to much pull on the neck.

Standard Tuning C G D A 23" Scale
According to Steve Pyott @ tenorguitar.com 036 024 016 010
La Bella 700T 027 020 013 009 x-Light
D'Addario J-66 032 022 014 010 Light
GHS CU-BBTG 032 024 013 010 Light
033 025 015 011 Medium

Eddie Freeman Special guitar (EFS) C G D A 25.5" Scale
David Hodson 032 020 028 018 (all wound)

Octave Mandolin Tuning G D A E 23" Scale
040 025 015 011 x-Light
042 027 017 012 Light
045 029 019 013 Medium

Guitar Tuning D G B E 23" Scale
026 020 015 011 x-Light
029 022 017 013 Light
032 025 018 014 Medium

Plectrum Tuning C G B D 26" Scale
x-Light
030 020 014 011 Light
032 022 014 012 Medium
042 027 018 016 Heavy

Guitar Tuning, up fourth G C E A 23" Scale
Uke Tuning, G=Minus 1 Octave 010 017 012 009 x-Light
012 019 014 010 Light
012.5 020 015 011 Medium

Slide Tuning C G C G 23" Scale
027 020 012 009 x-Light
032 027 015 010 Light
036 025 0017 012 Medium

Slide Tuning D A D A 23" Scale
028 020 013 009 x-Light
030 022 014 010 Light
032 024 015 011 Medium

Open G Tuning D G B D 23" Scale
020 013 010 009 x-Light
025 017 012 010 Light
029 020 015 012 Medium