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Thread: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

  1. #1

    Default Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Thank you everybody, especially Bertram Henze, for the inputs on a tenor resonator guitar.

    I bought the same model that Bertram plays in his videos, the Royall '29 Triolian resonator (mahogany body). If you are considering a tenor resonator, don't hesitate. Fantastic guitar. https://royallguitars.com/product-ca...or-resonators/

    As background, I started out in music playing five-string banjo. A friend introduced me to tenor guitar, which was a perfect accompanying instrument for a lot of old time gospel, bluegrass, and old time music. I tried six-string acoustic and resonator guitar, but kept getting pulled back to tenor. I play clawhammer, two finger picking, pick, and slide.

    This Royall guitar is a perfect blend for all of these styles, and the highest quality instrument I have owned (Ibanez tenor, Recording King and Gretsch resonators). Perfect set up (they ask what you want when you order), really good intonation all the way up the fretboard, comes with really nice case and strap, and personal and prompt customer service by both phone and email. They have a generous refund policy ("If you don't love it, you can't keep it"), but you won't need it. Beautiful instrument, both musically and visually.

    My only concern before buying it was that it has a longer scale and wider fretboard than a typical tenor guitar (25" scale, 1-11/16" nut). I pestered Bertram and Royall about my concerns. Don't worry, it's really an easy adaptation. My Ibanez tenor is quite skinny, banjos of course have twig necks, yet within an hour or two I was used to the Royall. I think the neck is skinnier than Royall's official specs let on, at least feel-wise.

    If you are looking for a resonator tenor guitar, I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Enormous fun to play, the biscuit cone is nicely balanced (vs. RK which is a little too mellow, IMO, and the Gretsch which is a little too loud IMO). The bridge is raw maple, I think, no ebony cap, which produces a really full and pure sound.

    I am selling all of my other guitars and making this my only guitar, it's that good. Seriously.

    echo

    P.S. If you want to hear sound samples, try Bertram's YouTube channel, OctaveObsessions, the videos less than two years old. He plays in GDAE, I play in DGBE and related open tunings, but you will get a good feel. He is a much better player than I, and his vids are beautiful.

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  3. #2

    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Thanks for the review! I own two of the now-discontinued Republic Route 49 tenor guitars, both tuned GDAE, and love how its tone is more acoustic than brassy, honky or metallic. I was curious about the Royall yriangular-body tenors, but ultimately didn't get one because the Route 49 really filled the bill.

    I'm so happy you like your new guitar, especially the tone!
    ----

    Playing a funky oval-hole scroll-body mandolin, several mandolins retuned to CGDA, three CGDA-tuned Flatiron mandolas, two Flatiron mandolas tuned as octave mandolins,and a six-course 25.5" scale CGDAEB-tuned Ovation Mandophone.

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  4. #3

    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Quote Originally Posted by Explorer View Post
    Thanks for the review! I own two of the now-discontinued Republic Route 49 tenor guitars, both tuned GDAE, and love how its tone is more acoustic than brassy, honky or metallic. I was curious about the Royall triangular-body tenors, but ultimately didn't get one because the Route 49 really filled the bill.

    I'm so happy you like your new guitar, especially the tone!
    Thank you for the response, Explorer. For some reason the tenor really hit home with me vs. the six string.

    I've never tried a metal body guitar, but who knows?

    Have you ever played in DGBE? This seems to be rare among tenor guitar players, I don't know why. Maybe because it is more of a bluegrass tuning.

  5. #4

    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    I never really got into DGBE on tenor. I did play some baritone ukulele, but my main fretted instruments have been guitar and mandola. I like lower tunings, and started almost from the start with building usable, frettable chord forms for mandola and octave mandolin.

    That's just my personal preference, of course, and I've heard players do impressive stuff in DGBE.
    ----

    Playing a funky oval-hole scroll-body mandolin, several mandolins retuned to CGDA, three CGDA-tuned Flatiron mandolas, two Flatiron mandolas tuned as octave mandolins,and a six-course 25.5" scale CGDAEB-tuned Ovation Mandophone.

    Love mandola?
    Join the Mandola Social Group!

  6. #5
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    They look very nice but they are not tenor guitars. They are plectrum guitars. They claim to be "period correct " with a 25" scale but they are wrong. A tenor guitar has a scale length of 23" or shorter. As a tenor guitar player that uses the original tuning of CGDA this instrument would be impossible to play.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  7. #6

    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    I highly recommend you write to the company and tell them they are wrong to market and sell it as a "long-scale tenor guitar."

    However, since that is how that product is currently searchable on Google and other search engines, for the moment I'll keep referring it in a way which will help those looking for that product.

    I look forward to an update regarding the company's response!
    ----

    Playing a funky oval-hole scroll-body mandolin, several mandolins retuned to CGDA, three CGDA-tuned Flatiron mandolas, two Flatiron mandolas tuned as octave mandolins,and a six-course 25.5" scale CGDAEB-tuned Ovation Mandophone.

    Love mandola?
    Join the Mandola Social Group!

  8. #7
    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Quote Originally Posted by echo chamber View Post
    Thank you everybody, especially Bertram Henze, for the inputs on a tenor resonator guitar.
    ...
    P.S. If you want to hear sound samples, try Bertram's YouTube channel, OctaveObsessions, the videos less than two years old. He plays in GDAE, I play in DGBE and related open tunings, but you will get a good feel. He is a much better player than I, and his vids are beautiful.
    Thanks for pushing me on stage , in front of those who say it can't be done. I'm glad it worked out for you.
    I had my own doubts about the scale length, after ordering and before arrival, but then realized this was basically what I had done before: I had once modified an electric ultra-light traveler guitar by spreading 4 strings over the fretboard space of 6 to make a quiet practise instrument for my OM, and it worked at the time.
    The abovementioned video is the one below, you can see the applied violin fingering from 2:56 - there is a lot of hand movement, but that's what cello players do all the time, after all. The biggest challenge in this story was, in fact, the tracking information provided (or rather withheld) by USPS...
    As for the correct naming of the instrument, I really don't care - in ITM, there's lots of instruments of the CBOM class whose naming is blurred at best, and most players in our sessions rather play their instruments than call them names.

    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

  9. #8
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Quote Originally Posted by Explorer View Post
    I highly recommend you write to the company and tell them they are wrong to market and sell it as a "long-scale tenor guitar."

    However, since that is how that product is currently searchable on Google and other search engines, for the moment I'll keep referring it in a way which will help those looking for that product.

    I look forward to an update regarding the company's response!
    Look, I get it, tenor guitars have gotten some what popular in the last few years so companies that make any form of a four string guitar market them as "Tenor Guitars" regardless of scale length. If they tried to market a 25" scale length "Plectrum Guitar" hardly any would be sold because hardly anyone in this day and age knows what a "Plectrum Guitar" is. It is just a pet peeve of mine.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  10. #9

    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Charles, Explorer, Bertram -
    Thanks for the replies, especially my confidence booster Bertram.

    No worries on what we call it, although Charles I understand your peeve. To their credit, Royall mentions the plectrum aspect in their write up and does not claim it as a pure anything:

    This is our Royall ’29 Triolian. This model is our take on the fabled 1928-1929 National Triolian. For only the first year of production the Triolian came with a wood body and sound well. After 1929 all Triolians had either 2 or 3 piece metal bodies. Those first year models are highly coveted for their unique sound.

    The original 1929 Triolians were usually painted a solid yellow color as were the later metal body ones. Our Royall ’29 Triolian shows a classic mahogany vintage tobacco burst finish. Triolians have a body size somewhere between a parlor size and a full sized Duolian body. Our long scale tenors are a new and very popular model of resonator for us. Also known as a plectrum guitar, they have a capability for many different tunings from high to low. All said, this new Triolian model with large body design is a very uniquely sounding and well rounded instrument that we are sure you will love.

  11. #10

    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    P.S. Sorry Bertram, I didn't realize the audience here was so tough!

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  13. #11
    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    Quote Originally Posted by echo chamber View Post
    P.S. Sorry Bertram, I didn't realize the audience here was so tough!
    No sweat. Just let's play our Quare Bungle-Rye whatever it's called.
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

  14. #12
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Royall Triolian '29 Tenor Long Scale guitar - review

    I have owned an original National Triolian tenor guitar (1928 Foux mahogany finish) for many years, it is a beast! I applaud Royall for making four string guitars and I would hope they add a 23 inch scale tenor to their lineup.

    It's all about the music, play on.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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