dobro string height vs tension question
Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 9:47 am
I have recently decided to play my round neck Gold Tone PBR-CA - quite a modern resonator designed by Paul Beard and made by Gold Tone - as a lap style instrument. I know that the tension of a typical resonator string set tuned to high G tuning (GBDGBD) is fully not recommended for a round neck instrument, but I have mitigated this by using quite light gauge strings for the GB pair (from a typical extra-light .010 - .047 set) and only a .014 for the high D string. All the rest are normal light gauge acoustic strings. So it occurs to me that by raising the string height with a nut extender and higher bridge saddles so that the strings are 1/4" or a little less off the fretboard, I've increased the leverage that the string tension has against the neck truss rod and the rotational torque around the neck joint. I calculate that my total string tension is around 167 lbs, and string height won't affect that - but the string height might affect what the impact to the guitar is. Anybody who still retains high school math skills care to try to quantify this for me? I can still add, but multiplication and division send me to a calculator, these days...
Edit: action height at the nut is 3/16", and 1/4" at the 12th fret, that would probably help...
Edit: action height at the nut is 3/16", and 1/4" at the 12th fret, that would probably help...