WELCOME TO BUSKER GUITARS
Resophonic / Resonator Guitar Specialists
NEWS UPDATE!
28 July 10
We are taking a short break over the period 1 to 8 August 10 and appologise for any delay in email or phone response this causes.
We are working on a batch of MM Blues, Busker Deco, Busker Delta, MM Blues 14 Frets, MM Lightnings and Busker Cannons at present. We are now taking reserves from musicians on those guitars. Please note that it is about 5 weeks from confirmed order to shipping due to the number of set-ups we are undertaking for musicians.
Upgrades and VAT
The Stewart-Macdonald Golden Age tuners have proved so popular that we are now fitting them to all our guitars. This upgrade and the VAT increase have raised our basic prices from 1 Jan 10.
Contacting Busker Guitars
One of the difficulties of living in a rural area is that we are right at the limit of phone and broadband connections (plus we have no mobile coverage!). We regularly have dropout on the phone and internet, particularly during bad weather. Please re-send your message if you have not had a reply in a reasonable time!
After a number of enquiries, Michael Messer has produced a 14 fret version of the MM Blues:
This guitar has a steel body, mahogany neck with slotted headstock and shallow radius fretboard. The MM Blues 14 fret can be ordered from Busker Guitars.
Here is a sound clip of the 14 Fret MM Blues kindly recorded by Richard Knott: 14 Fret MM Blues
We are pleased to anounce a couple of new models for the Busker range of resonator instruments. The Sidewalk is now available in a classic "Style O" 1930s finish and has had a body shape re-styling. Also, we have introduced a resonator ukulele to the range, the Busker Flea - and very cute it is too! Much live venue testing continues to be undertaken by the Busker team and we have a new page giving info on how to amplify your resonator guitar.
Here is our new baby:
Check it out on the Busker Flea page!
Please note that all of our models have received upgrades on the tuners, necks and fretboards.
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Stewart-Macdonald Golden Age Restoration Tuners
About 80% of musicians have asked us for these tuners, so we are now fitting them as standard to all models.
Stewart-Macdonald offer a whole range of luthier supplies and advice - a website well worth visiting!
Ian McWee at Diamond Bottlenecks has been busy! He has produced a special slide that is available only from Busker Guitars and Diamond Bottlenecks. She is a real workhorse with a huge tone, cut from cobalt blue soda lime bottles produced in North-East Italy - the area with the best reputation for quality glass in the world. The slide has a 19mm ID and so will fit most pinky sliders. Ask for the:
BUSKER BLUE DIAMOND
Phew! What turmoil in the worlds financial markets lately. Big name banks going bust, share prices falling, where will it all end? Well, this is not the first time we have been here. The great excesses and greed of the banking and finance markets in the 1920s all came to a halt when the bubble burst on the 21 October 1929, ushering in the Great Depression.
But some companies faired better that others throughout the 1930s. The National String Instrument Corporation produced great sounding, highly practical resophonic instruments enabling professional players and street musicians to continue to make a living during hard times. And what classic instruments, players and music sprang from that era - Guitars like the Duolian, Style O and Tricone; musicians like Son House, Booker White, Blind Boy Fuller, Tampa Red... the list goes on.
Our philosophy at Busker Guitars is to step into those shoes by providing great instruments for live music at affordable prices to enable you to creatively pursue your musical career during uncertain times.
Robin Clark
THE MICHAEL MESSER BLUES AND LIGHTNING GUITARS ARE FAST BECOMING THE "INDUSTRY NORM" FOR MUSICIANS WANTING WORKHORSE RESONATOR GUITARS - THE FEEDBACK WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM HUNDERDS OF OWNERS OF THESE MODELS HAS BEEN EXCELLENT !!!
VISIT MICHAEL MESSER'S FORUM FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
Michael Messer has recorded some great sound clips of the Blues and Lightning models. The recordings are "clean" (no eq or effects) and give a real flavour of the tonal pallet offered by these guitars. You can hear the classic difference between a steel-bodied and a brass-bodied single cone guitar.
Enjoy!
Michael Messer Blues - 12 fret steel-bodied single cone
Michael Messer Lightning - 12 fret brass-bodied single cone
Michael Messer with the very first production model "Michael Messer Lightning" guitar. Brass-bodied 12 fret single cone.
The Lightning - front and back, sides, headstock and serial number!
The "Michael Messer Blues" steel-bodied 12 fret with a 1930s "greyburst" finish.
All photos copyright Michael Messer
Featured Artists
Gwyn Ashton gigging with the Busker Delta 12 Fret steel-bodied single cone.
Check out Gwyn Ashton on MySpace playing live with a Busker Delta.
Adam Evans - highly talented session musician and songwriter. Adam has added a Busker Cannon to his quiver of instruments for its unique blues voice.
INTRODUCTION
At Busker Guitars we are passionate about providing musicians with practical, realistically priced resophonic guitars in the tradition of the guitar makers of the 1920s and 1930s. We source direct from a small guitar workshop overseas, and have carefully specified design features to ensure the dynamic tone and playability of each of our models.
Busker 'Deco - Brass bodied Tricone
The following sound clips illustrate our various models. All the sound clips on this site were recorded "clean", with no eq, reberb, compression, artificial colours or preservatives!
Feel free to browse this site for information on our guitars and resophonic guitars in general.
You can purchase securely and quickly from this web site through PayPal.
Or you can call us on 01654 712671 to discuss your resophonic requirements.
Busker Guitars recommends Michael Messer "National" Strings by Newtone:
All our guitars are fitted with these great strings in either phosphor bronze or pure nickel
Have you ever thought about playing lapstyle?
Check out the new Busker Hobo travel lap guitar!
And introducing the Busker Chattanooga - Squareneck Tricone:
Our squareneck guitars are becoming more and more popular as musicians discover the adaptability and pure joy of this style of playing. We can have any of our models produced in a squareneck desing by special order.