The HIGHWAY 61..!! New model from Republic Guitars!!!!

[gjfanatique]

Help! I need to hold my own at the jam sessions in a room full of Nationals. I need VOLUME! I know it's time for a resonator, and I like them too. But I also love a pretty tone in my quiet room at home. What should I do?

[TheVatonaught]

You'll put your eye out !

[0Binku0]

Do you use Full Scale or 3/4 Scale? :)

Thanks, I am considering buying one.

[BottleneckJohn]

@0Binku0

3/4.. You'll like it!!

[rwbrdms1]

nice guitar!! but you could also use this video for the dullest knife on the planet lol

[edpratt123]

great video, i've been looking for the highway 61 all over the internet and i cant find a site that sells them? is it because they changed the name of the model? if so what is the new name?

thanks

[12Radius]

How's that action at the nut?

[order57]

Always thought to get a reso and these sounds pretty well. And cheap as well.

[freqwhincy]

Beautiful work of art right there man congrats.

[BottleneckJohn]

@freqwhincy

Thanks!! It sure is a beautiful guitar!!

[arqorti]

are he republic cover plates standard (full) size? swappable w/a national hotplate for instance?



[BottleneckJohn]

@arqorti

They should be, I have no idea if the drilled holes match the pattern on a NRP though..

[Flyboy207]

tape, box, bubble wrap, tape, box, bubble wrap, case, bubble wrap, guitar. lol

[BottleneckJohn]

@Flyboy207

Haha, exactly!

[Boogietized]

Sweeeeeeeeeet!

[BottleneckJohn]

@Boogietized

Yeeeesss..!!! :-)

[alphasxsignal]

Man using a razor knife to take the plastic off.

[BottleneckJohn]

@alphasxsignal

Of course..

[tommott77]

Curious on your take how the short scaled resos compare to their brothers in terms of playability? Does it play a bit faster?

[BottleneckJohn]

@tommott77

There's no big difference, just a matter of getting used to the shorter scale. I really like it and it's great for travelling!

[wc4dblues]

VERY NICE PLAYIN' I hear a lot of Johnny Winter in your playing, and that's all good

I'm about to order one of these Republic resonator guitars, glad I fell upon this THANKS

[BottleneckJohn]

@wc4dblues

THANKS!

[wisesatyr72]

Can it be fitted w/ light guage strings like 11-52 ?

[BottleneckJohn]

@wisesatyr72

Sure it can!

I've used 0.10 - 0.48 for a while in standard tuning. And now I have .15-.58 and it sounds great with all kinds of strings, lol!!

[MurPaDiLos]

I'm sorry if I missed it, but what finish is this?

I love the Highway 61, and hearing your music and that guitar I fell in love!

I want to get the swamp green finish :D

[BottleneckJohn]

@MurPaDiLos

It's a slightly reliced brass body & steel coverplate.

Thanks for liking my clips and do get a swamp green one, they look cool!!

[alfonsgoffin]

Great video and great guitar. You play awsome!!!

[honeydooda]

sure did enjoy this entire video! Clever...nice job. I was searching for some Ry Cooder stuff when I found this.

[BottleneckJohn]

@honeydooda

THANKS!!

[71LCC]

great vid man, i was laughing my ass off, but it sounds unreal...

[BottleneckJohn]

@71LCC

Hehe, thanks!

[Glaeken1961]

You are a great teacher as well as funny.

[rwebb61]

But do they ship to Canada?!?!?!

[jedi189]

@rwebb61 I'm wandering that too.

[rwebb61]

I almost cried when you first started playing.

I really need to get me one of these!

[BottleneckJohn]

Kind words, thank you very much!!

And they do ship to Canada, $85 is the shipping cost, check their website!!!

[LTmattYT]

i will be holding this gift from god in my hands in a mere 12 days

happy birthday me lolololololool

[BottleneckJohn]

LoL!!!

Happy birthday then..!!! :-)

[frg8526]

The guitar I was about to buy can wait. I want a highway 61!!!

buy the way the video is very funny.

[BottleneckJohn]

Thanks, LoL!

OK, it's a good choice!! :-)

[KHooves]

Its a bit heavier than I expected: I got the aged brass body too.

I tuned mine to open E, has a nice growl, warmer tone than expected, I was having ahard time chosing this one or the dark powder steel.

The neck heel sticks out just a bit much but I think I can get used to it. I normally play a short scale (23") acoustic, but this is pretty close which is why I wanted to get one.

I'm glad I got one, mine is number 29, must be a full production number.

[BottleneckJohn]

Yeah, they're kinda heavy, LoL!

Really warm tone I agree, I got mine in open E also..

[picknngrinn]

Thanks for the video.

I'm absolutely smitten by the concept and the look!

Could you please comment on the difference between brass vs. steel body?

How's the intonation? Resonators can be difficult to set up, and the shorter the scale length the fussier the adjustment. Do you think it's possible to compensate the saddle for perfection?

[BottleneckJohn]

Yeah, this is one fine looking and sounding little reso! Haven't tried a steel body of this model so I can't say, but generally a steel body can be more bright and harsh..

This one intonates really well except for the lowest string(the fat one) this is never a problem for me since I hardly ever fret around there, haha!

So for open tunings it's ok, otherwise you can always compensate the saddle, by turning the biscuit a wee tiiiiny bit or make a new bridge as you want it..

[Nightwolf79x]

Hi John,great sound and most of all GREAT STYLE as always ! ;)

Love your videos ,keep up the good work!

This little guitar really sounds great but what can you tell me about sound difference comparing Highway61 to Resolian?

[BottleneckJohn]

Hi there Nightwolf!

And thanks a lot for the comments!!!!

There's slightly less bass in the Highway 61 compared to the Resolian, volume is equal I'd say..

I made this clip where you can hear them together, it's my latest uploaded clip, check it out!!

[KHooves]

I'm just about going crazy waiting for Republic to release them.

Funny video, and some great playing, your doing Republic a service by demonstarting it so well.

[BottleneckJohn]

Haha, maybe Santa will bring you one for X-mas..!?

I heard from Frank today that they'll be in stock any day now...

I wanted to make a video where you can see the guitar being actually brought out of the box and played right away!!!

I have never seen such a clip before and it shows that they work very well from the moment you unpack it.... :-)

I've unpacked and played four(4) Republics and ALL have been nicely adjusted and cool from the first note..!!!!

You're gonna like yours!!

[BottleneckJohn]

In stock NOW!!!

Go get it... :-)

[kanekilaboy]

Hey B.John -- would you say this guitar is not only good for travel, but to play on gigs, too? Maybe with a Lace Ultra thin pickup on it? I love the idea of a lighter, more easily portable guitar that still sounds big and not like a toy. I may just have to order one of these babies... ;-) Oh, and you should TRY lap style. Really! I am a lap player who just started with bottleneck, and it was hard at first, but you inspired me to keep working on it. Thank you!

Slide on, brother!

[BottleneckJohn]

YES!!!!

It's definitely "GIG-WORTHY"...!!! :-)

I have played it at 4 "proper" gigs now, two of them totally acoustic with no mic, cables or amps... This little beauty is LOUD, haha. Actually just as loud as the bigger Resolian which I have considered earlier to be as loud as a regular size reso!

It's just a matter of getting used to the shorter scale..

But it'll be ok after 30 minutes of playing..

It has a surprisingly bassy and cool tone, vintage Duolian style!!

I love this guitar..

[KHooves]

Don't use a lace PU, they really are awful, I had a lace ultra-thin and it was the coldest, harshest PU Ive ever heard. Its thin, looks cool, but sound is far more important than looks.

I hate to see such a cool guitar besmeared with a Lace PU.

I plan to hot-rod mine with a National Hot-Plate (or make my own). Anything Jason Lollar makes blows Lace out of the water.

[kanekilaboy]

I think Lollars are great p'ups, but I have to disagree on the Lace. I have one on both my biscuit and my tricone, and I'm getting just the opposite tone that what you're experiencing. On both my resos, they sound warm, fat, clean and clear. I prefer a mic for recording, but on live gigs, I get nothing but great tone with plenty of harmonics. I think the right preamp makes a giant difference, too.

I was going to get a hotplate, but the $400 price tag was a bit steep for my wallet.

[BottleneckJohn]

Don't you think that using a magnetic pickup removes most of the acoustic tone?

[KHooves]

Yes, I plan to mic it on stage. The Hot-plate is a bit pricey, for now I'm happy with it as is.

I plan to take soem relief out of the neck, came along way, almost always have to "set-up" a guitar once you get it.

I saw some of your other videos, good playing and singing.

Have you tried any other Hwy 61 models? Can you tell a difference between the brass and steel bodies?

[BottleneckJohn]

Haven't tried any other of this model, this is probably the only one in Sweden.

I've miced it on stage twice and it works very well into a microphone!!

[BottleneckJohn]

After this video was made this guitar model has changed name.. That's why there's a different name IN the video, just wanted to clearify that, folks!! This is the HIGHWAY 61... :-)

It still sounds and plays awesome though, LoL!!

[YouKnowItsMatt]

where can you get these???

[HondaSuperSport1100]

yes getting stuff in the mail is great

[BottleneckJohn]

It sure is!!!!

[misterd699]

Looks & Sounds great! Well done John!

[BottleneckJohn]

Thanks bro!!

[pedrokupfer]

Dearest Bottleneck Guru,

Cheers from Brazil! Thanks for sharing this beauty, and your amazing playing.

I have a technical question: being such an expert about resonators, I noticed you chose a brass body model instead of a steel body model. Is there some special/occult reason for that? This seems to be the perfect instrument for my travels, as I live on the road. Will you also test for us the new Republic Weissenborn? Thanks again. Keep up the good work! Aloha!

Pedro.

[BottleneckJohn]

Hi Pedro!

Thanks for finding my videos and thanks for your kind comments!!

I don't have any preference between brass or steel, I like both very much.. In theory steel is more harsh and brass has a warmer tone but not always.

This IS the perfect travel guitar indeed, you can't go wrong with one of these, bro!!

Good luck with everything!

No Weissenborn for me, can't play lap style, LoL!!

Say hi to Brazil!!!

[sawabojo]

your are a great ambassador for these instruments you and republic go togther

al

[snakehips81]

Hi Brother !

Loved the video !!! The opening the parcel comedy thing was great !!

Guitar looks great and sounds pretty good too.

I think this is Republic's best model - would love to try one out.. You are a great Ambassador for them.

[BottleneckJohn]

Thanks bro!!

Yeah, I even tried to hum the "Benny Hill Show" theme but it's hard to hear it, LoL!!!

This IS the Republic HIT for sure, come December and I guess reso-freaks like me and you will go nuts over this little one..

It's got everything one needs from a reso and it comes in a light-weight easy to carry around on tours format..

Amazing instrument this one!!

Haha, I can't stop my amazement over it, had it for almost two days now and man, I'm hooked!!!!!!

[ignatiuskhan]

I want one or I'll cry...

[BottleneckJohn]

December!!

Aks Santa to bring you one...

[ARVNpistola313]

The most exciting times for a guitarist's life are in this order:

1) Opening a package with a new guitar inside

2) Playing the guitar straight out of the box

3) Proposing to girlfriend

[BottleneckJohn]

Hahaha!!!

[fanwick]

Yeah, man, you're so right! :-))

[classicwfl]

That baby sounds so sweet. I bought one of Republic's Duolians a few months ago, and love it. After playing my Duolian, I couldn't imagine myself buying a different resonator.. Of course, now that I hear this thing, I'd love to pick one up for my busker work (My Duolian is a fat bottomed lady, heavy to pack around with me).

You're a lucky man to get to play that sucker early :)

[BottleneckJohn]

Hey, this is truly the most awesome travel-reso, it's small and it sounds great!!!!

I'll use it a lot on the road for sure..!!

[tallercaller]

As always, you do a great service to the maker of the instrument, by showing how different playing styles sound on it.  The intro clip on the unpacking was a hoot!

[whirligig29]

Frank's got a hit on his hands with this one for sure, you sound great B.John as always!

[BottleneckJohn]

I agree, it's a hit!!!!

Thanks!

[pickinpop]

good one john its a keeper

[BottleneckJohn]

It sure is a keeper, folks!!!

I totally dig the size and tone combination!!!

[KarloR27]

Nice guitar shall be great in other new videos for it. Especially in other tunings!

[BottleneckJohn]

Thanks! It's a nice little one!

I'll post some stuff in different tunings for sure.. :)

[blinddrunkal]

I'm not jealous - I'm usually this shade of green!!!

[BottleneckJohn]

Haha, it's cool, Al..!!

They'll be up fo sale real soon..

Thanks for watching and commenting!!!