Resonator Guitar Strings
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About Resonator
Resonator strings are built for a different job than a flat-top acoustic. A resonator has to drive a metal cone, so the set runs heavier and starts with two plain strings instead of one: .017 and .018 on the top, up to .056 on the bottom. That extra mass is what gets the cone moving and gives a resonator its volume and bark.
All three of our sets are medium .017–.056. What you choose between is the wrap, and that is what changes the sound.
Choosing a set
Nickel (DBR1756N) is the balanced one — warm, focused, controlled on the low end, with a smooth feel under a slide. Stainless (DBR1756S) is brighter and more aggressive, with harder attack and more cut, for players who need to be heard in a band or want maximum presence for slide. Silencer 80/20 (DBRGL1756) is our semi-flat set for resonator: the bright 80/20 voice with a polished surface that reduces string noise, which matters when you are recording or moving a slide a lot.
Gauges
| Set | Gauges |
|---|---|
| Nickel Medium .017–.056 — DBR1756N | .017 .018 .028pw .036pw .046pw .056pw |
| Stainless Medium .017–.056 — DBR1756S | .017 .018 .028ps .036ps .046ps .056ps |
| Silencer 80/20 Medium .017–.056 — DBRGL1756 | .017 .018 .028gl .036gl .046gl .056gl |
The first two strings are plain in every set. pw marks a nickel-plated wound string, ps a stainless one, gl a Silencer semi-flat.
How Resonator compares to our other acoustic sets
These are the only sets we make specifically for resonator guitars, and the heavy .017 top string is why — it is not a gauge you would put on a flat-top. If you play a squareneck in open tuning, start with Nickel. For a roundneck played in standard tuning as well as slide, the same set works. Our flat-top acoustic lines start with Phosphor Bronze.
Made in the USA.