And The Regal Likes it!
Got my new Molonator cones in the mail yesterday. These are being manufactured by Peter Moles of Tasmania and he's on to something here! (to see how Pete spins a cone click here) First off, I searched the web for any tips on the install and what I'd find inside once I removed the coverplate of the Regal. Stewart MacDonald has a good tip sheet for such an operation and it was enough to bolster my confidence, so I went in with out much fear. What's the worst that could happen?I marked the bottom part of the biscuit where it touched the body so as to have some sort of landmark during re-assembly and started taking the strings loose and removing the small coverplate screws. The screws on these things could get lost easily so don't lay them on the carpet or anything like that. The coverplate came off easily enough and there inside lay the sound system of this old-time technology. The cone of a resonator is akin to an acoustic "speaker" turned backwards and the bridge sits in contact with this aluminum cone and transfers the vibrations of the strings directly into the speaker/megaphone and is released through the opposite side, towards the back of the guitar where it swirls around and finally emits out the f-holes and perforated coverplate.
This "biscuit" is held in place with two screws on my Regal and comes off easily, even though the builders blobbed some clear glue around the edges of the biscuit where it met the raised surface of the original cone. I sanded this off using some coarse sandpaper laid flat on the patio wall and then set about drilling a new center hole to hold the bridge/biscuit to my new Molonator cone, which only comes from the factory with a single centered screw hole. You need to be careful here as you'll go right into the hardrock Maple string bridge if you don't watch it. I had to use some sidecut pliers to nip off a bit of my woodscrew so it wouldn't go all the way through. Measure first and you won't screw up too badly.
This being done successfully, all that was left was to put the new cone assembly back in the cavity, screw the coverplate back on and restring the thing. I'd purposely saved the same played-out strings to hear what difference there was before putting new bright sounding strings on (which always sound great for a while). To my surprise, the Regal sounded as if it DID have new strings on it. Much better tone depth and even a bit of reverb to boot! Pete's new cones are spun from very lightweight alloy and well made. The handlers at the Post Office dinged up the edge a little but that was straightened out by laying the cone on it's shelf in the guitar, pressing down firmly and evenly on the biscuit and running a wood pencil with the point broken off, around the edge a few times. The metal is so thin it doesn't take much to correct minor bends and mashes. 
The whole install job took me about a half an hour and I'm well satisfied with the resulting change in the sound of my pore old Regal Resonator. I'll be heading down to the Amp and Music Parlor for a new six pak of medium bronze wraps to see what happens next. May have to stuff a towell inside the cavity if it gets much louder than it is now;~)
For more information you'll need to journey halfway around the world to Tasmania.......or better yet, you could just visit the Molonator Guitars Site and get hold of Pete that way. I think he must be busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest, but I'm sure he'll take time to answer any questions you may have on obtaining his new cones or any of the other exceptionally fine products offered at Molonator Guitars.
Now all I gotta do is figure out what to do with the old cone up there...hmmm...might make a good JiffyPop lid...;~)
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