Johnson JM-991 Style 1 Tricone

Bought this resonator new in 2008. It has a 19-fret neck that joins the body JUST BEFORE the 12th fret. That makes the guitar useless for playing bottleneck as you cannot dampen the overtones with the fingers of your left hand when trying to play the octave. I have an AXL single cone resonator that comes form the same Chinese factory with a slightly longer neck which doesn't have this problem. So the Tricone can only be used for standard tuning.

I use it for Delta Blues, but can't use it with a bottleneck. The sound is a little more pronounced than the AXL, but the difference isn't that big. I honestly expected more from a Tricone, but the looks just blinded me.

The action was quite high as should be the case with a guitar that's supposed to be played bottleneck style, but it's too high for standard playing. Also the strings are too thick for me (something like 13-60), but they project well. The guitar is beautiful with a nickel plated bell brass body with beautiful Valley of the Lily engravings.

These "metal" guitars seem to be indestructable. The tuners are very good, oil bath closed Grover type. The neck is like a wood baseball bat. I wouldn't use it without a backup as I use different tunings and retuning can be a drag in concert. So I use two as a minimum for gigs.

I have been playing for about 45 years now. I own a whole string of guitars including a Taylor and a 1962 Gibson les Paul Jr., but I am concentrating on bottleneck style Delta blues these days.

2008 Model, Chinese made. Joins the body at the 12th fret.Impeccable chrome job on the body - I could not fault it. In appreance, this is an exact Style 1 copy except for the headstock which is not slotted and no binding on the fingerboard. It has a satin finish on the neck which was quite smooth to start with, but as soon as I started playing, the surface layer started "peeling", leaving a even smoother neck underneath. Very stylish MOP Johnson inlay in the headstock, with round MOP fret markers.

When I first got it, the action was fine for finger picking style playing, but too low for slide - especially on the bottom strings. So I replaced the nut with Corian nut. I wasn't happy with the strings it came with either, and replaced them with a set or 013 to 056 Martin phosphor bronze. Before these changes, the sound was average - after these minor changes, this guitar sings. Based on the advice from other reviewers, I was planning on upgrading the cones to National cones but after these changes, this is no longer necessary. Properly tuned, the entire guitar resonates in the key to which it is tuned. The sound is multi-dimentional, pure and this instrument responds to the slightest touch in your fingertips. No buzzes or rattles, as is common with resonators.

The stings it came with was sub-standard. The nuts on the tuners weren't properly tensioned. The surface coat on the neck seems to come off with playing but that doesn't seem to matter. The set-up wasn't suitable (too low) for slide playing and the nut had to be replaced. However, the body work is immaculate and the finishing of the frets were perfect. Here is my advice to the good folks in China: if you spend a little more time on the set-up, you can produce a guitar that comes VERY close to a National.

I have no reason to believe this guitar will let me down. The more I play, the better she sounds...

No idea.

Been playing for 30 years, since I was 13. I knew from the start that I could not justify spending a few thousand dollars on a National, so I was looking for something that comes really close. Having played the real thing, I was pleasantly surprized by this instrument. Sound-wise, it has the same brightness, clarity and responsiveness of a National, but only after the mods. I also own a Peavey T-60, a modified Fender thinline hollowbody, a Weissenborn and several acoustics.

Update on the previous review, no change.

I had Quarterman cones and bone bridge and yet it was not quite happening. I also had put a felt lining where the cones meet the body as I thought it was cause of buzzing (it was not).

Got National cones and maple with ebony cap bridge and it is amazing, both in sound and in volume. I removed the felt at the same time and lo and behold...no buzzing at all.

I have tried old and new Nationals so I know how they are supposed to sound. This is SO close that it enough for me.

Update on the previous review, no change.

Update on the previous review, no change.

Update on the previous review, no change.

Fantastic being something of an understatement, really.

2005 chinese nickelplated brass tricone resonater guitar.
i don't like the feel of the neck.it's too thick and round.i prefer a v-neck or one that is slightly slimmer.

i play a pretty wide variety of tunes on this guitar...from country to ragtime to jazz to 60's pop tunes.i don't use it for any slide playing...i always use fingerpicks and mine sounds almost as good a the national tricone right out of the box.i tried out all the other tricone knockoffs and they all were horrible.the johnson has a really full sound...especially on the low end.i play it about two hours a day and find it to be a good allaround fingerpickin' guitar.
i also have an early 30's regal spidercone guitar which i prefer for alot of songs(it has more character),but the johnson really puts out alot of sound.i don't know if i will do any of the mods to it.i like how it sounds as is.

the set-up is perfect for me,but the action is too low for slide

i have only owned it for 3 months...although i have heard that the johnson necks are poorly made..i have a friend who's neck split in two when he wiped out on his bike.i saw another johnson used in a shop that have a repaired neck.

n/a

i have been playing for 25 years and have owned several resonater guitars...this johnson can hang with nationals and dobros and i think it's way cooler to have some cheap chinese guitar that can stand up to those overpriced nationals.
if stolen or lost(who loses a guitar?)i would order another one immediately.this guitar is such a great bargain,i would recommend it to anyone interested in a metal body resonater.in 75 years it will probably be worth as much as a 2005 national cuz nobode alive is gonna really care about delta slide and ragtime enough to spend 3000 bucks on a guitar..so buy the johnson instead.it's funkier.

Basically just yer run of the mill tri-cone guitar. Bell brass body, chrome plated yada yada yada.

I've had this guitar for two years so that I don't need to take my national (which is getting on a bit) out. I bought the guitar via the internet from the U.S. and was always dissapointed in its low volume and lack of both sustain and tone compared to the national. However after completing the mushroom mod referred to in other posts and on other forums I amd completely amased by the difference - night and day! This thing now has such brilliant sustain ( I use custom guage strings) that I can capture the sounds of the national and sometimes I could find it hard to tell the difference.

set up was pretty good although you do need to spend some time tracking down rattles particularly in the cones. WHen you get them sounding clean always mark them before you remove them so they go back in exactly the same place. Fret ends could have been cleaned up a bit better.

This thing is a tank - you could break rock with it.

Haven't dealt with them

I have no major gripes about this guitar. These things offer excellent value for money!

For repairability, and put-togeher-againability...

Just to add - I made the so-called "Mushroom Mod" - removed the central mushroom altogether and moved the two others higher up and down on the guitar. Also, to beat the buzzing (caused by the wonly Chinese resonators) I glues a rign of felt around the holes for resonators.
Made a new bridge, too, as the felt raised the bridge a bit too much.


Result? No buzzing, pure heaven. Louder projection of bass as well.

No change to previous review by me...

No change to previous review by me...

No change to previous review by me...

No change to previous review by me...

The basic Johnson Tri-Cone, made in good ole China. No engravings, just a clean basic guitar. Brass bell body, wooded neck (mahogany?). Gotoh tuners, really good, too.

Some buzzing but otherwise great value for money. Amazing, actually. Even the action is just right for bottleneck.

Good for blues, Hawaiian, old time.

Near perfect, action righ for bottleneck. Even frets were smoothly polished. The bridge looks cheapish but does its job. Nothing to complain apart from buzzing - cone swap, ahoy!

This guitar came across the Atlantic in a soft gigbag, rolling on the floor of the jumbojet, hit by drinks trolleys, kicked around...and you cannot tell, no dents or dinks anywhere! It is indestructible! Very dependable indeed.

No experience - my Chinese is very basic, you know....

Been playing for nearly 30 years, have one Dobro and this is seriously competing with it on all fronts.

I just love that boxed sound of Tri-cone and the sustain you get with slide. Goes on forever....

Very good value for money, excellent sound as is, can be modded to compete with National. The only Chinese made instrument I can say I am proud to own......

Just purchased new about a month ago.
Serial #00012
Bell-Brass Body
Big,Thick neck with a V-shape like the Nationals,25.5 Scale
Solid peghead with Closed tuners
Wild Rose Engraving

The stock cones are crap,constant buzzing.
I replaced them with a set of Nationals.
While I was in there,I removed one of the back supports and moved another one up under the neck block,checked the rear one for a proper fit.
I put it back together,no buzzing,nice big Tone and plenty of sustain.
The reason for modifying the neck stick supports was to free the back up so it could vibrate like its suppose to and it increases sustain,tone and volume.

Rating is for the sound after the mods.

The guitar is near perfect in the fit and finish category.
I've found nothing worth complaining about.

This guitar is built like a tank.

Haven't dealt with them yet but the distributor has a limited lifetime warranty on its Tri-Cones.

I've been playing for 18 years or so.
If you want a Tri-cone and can't afford a National,get one of these.
Do the aforementioned mods and you'll have a tri-Cone that is very close to the National for a fraction of the price.
I have a National Delphi so I'm not just blowing smoke.

Before the mods,cone swap,I'd give this guitar a 6 at best but,
After the mods I see no reason not to give this guitar a 10.

chrome plated brass body,12 fret neck body joint,3 6 inch handspun stamped resonator cones with the ridges in them. this guitar is exceptionally good looking + sounding, the neck has an adjustable truss rod. this tricone looks + sounds as good as national tricones at a fraction of the price. it has gotoh tuners, the neck is mahogany + the fingerboard is rosewood. this is an exact relica of a national style 1 tricone, except that it has a regular solid headstock instead of a slotted one like most of the originals.

this is a tricone + it sounds like a tricone should, it has really good long deep sustain + a full metal body resonator guitar sound. the harmonics this thing can produce are truly amazing + it has a good bass response with a nice balanced overall sound. i had to do 2 things to improve the sound to suit my personal taste, i had the action raised about 1/32 of an inch by shimming the nut, + i put on heavy guage phosphor bronze strings, .16,.18,.28,.39,.49,.59 after i did this man this guitar really howled , absolutely perfect for playing delta style slide blues, i've been playing for about 12 years + i really like the sound of this guitar.

as i previously stated the action was a little low for my taste, but as for the finish it looks really good to me, very shiny, all the parts fit together nicely + i can't find any flaws. i purchased this guitar off of a luthier freind of mine + he fully inspected it + his opinion is that it is made just as well as the original tricones were if not better. i should mention that he has refurbished many vintage nationals both tricone + single cone so he does know of what he speaks.

i've only had this guitar for a couple of months, i believe it will be very reliable, its probably as reliable as any other resonator guitar, by that i mean they all seem to develop a slight rattle now + again but nothing that a little patience + tweaking won't take care of this is usually caused by temperature or humidity changes + happens to all resonator guitars. overall reliability + durability should be very good.

should be excellent cosidering i bought it off a freind of mine, it also has a limited lifetime warranty. i've never dealt with johnson themselves so i can't comment on there support.

overall i'd have to say this is an excellent guitar for playing bottleneck style blues, especially once the action is raised slightly + heavier guage strings are installed, its sounds + looks like a natoinal style 1(except for the headstock design), but it costs way less i think these tricones are gonna be highly sought after in the future, + you can't beat the price. i own a 1935 national trojan single resonator + this johnson tricone sounds just as good as it does. besides having to raise the action slightly + put on heavier strings i can't find anything wrong with this guitar. if it were stolen or lost i would definetly replace it. the reason that this tricone doesn't get a 10 all the way across the board is becuz of the low action + the solid headtock design.

This is one of the new (my serial number is in the very low 100s) Johnson replicas of the National Tricone resonator guitar now made by AXL in Shanghai, China. I'm unsure whether it was made in 2001 or 2002. It's one of the newest from the importer, though. Formerly tricones made by Amistar in the Czech Republic were sold under the same name and model number. The guitar is a very exact replica of a vintage National, having the same internal body construction with a wooden neck stick running from the neck to the tailpiece supported by wooden posts resting against the back. The soundboard supporting the cones is of pressed metal as the original. Differences are that this guitar is built with an adjustable truss rod accessible at the tuning head. (Originals had a fixed steel rod.) The tuning head is of the common modern solid type. Originals from 1927-34 had a slotted one, as do the modern reproductions from National Resophonic Guitars. (1935-40 original Nationals had a solid tuning head as well.) Tuners are made by AXL and have AXL hand-engraved on the backs. They are nicely made and finished, work smoothly and hold securely. The neck is of dark satin-finished Honduras mahogany with a rosewood fretboard, mother-of-pearl dot inlays and with side markers for the fret positions. The neck is very thick and round, rather like the midsection of a Louisville Slugger. The guitar body is made of "bell brass" with nickel plating. The three resonator cones are hand-spun of aluminum sheet, with raised spiral ridges pressed into them. (Some tricone cones have these raised spirals, some don't. Individual preferences vary.) The string nut is of unbleached bone, and the saddle on the T-bridge looks like maple. A "featherweight case" was included with this. It has a zip-up fabric outer shell like a gig bag, containing hard foam clamshell inserts moulded inside to fit the guitar, with plush lining. It has an internal pocket for slide, picks, tuner, etc., and the outer shell has pockets for books and such. It has a double-strap carrying handle and rings for attaching shoulder straps. Hard cases of traditional design are also available.

This guitar can be used to play a wide variety of styles, but is known as a classic blues machine and that's what I got it for. It is very loud, has a distinctive harmonically rich tone unique to tricones, and a very long sustain especially when used with a heavy slide. Haven't tried amping it; this can be done with a mike or an added pickup like the ones from Highlander. I suspect feedback would be a problem in a band environment; coughing around it will set it ringing for up to 10 seconds. The tone is rich and full. The attack is reminiscent of National single cone instruments, but not quite as sharp and peaky, and whereas the single cone give a sharp, loud "bark" with rapid decay, the tricone has a smoother, more sustained tone. Not as much of a sweetly singing tone as a spider bridge dobro, it has more "bite," is louder and more sustained. It's just the tricone sound! Nothing's quite like it. Some recommend replacing the cones with National or Quarterman cones, but I believe this is unnecessary. Perhaps the cones in mine or of better quality than some have used, but I can't complain about them at all.

The only criticism that I have of this guitar is that the action is set rather low and it came with light acoustic strings. It is perfect for fingerstyle playing. Considering that most will use this guitar for slide blues, heavier strings (at least on the treble side) and a slightly higher action would be preferable. I have not yet modified mine. The easiest way to raise the action is to make a new saddle that's a little taller. Aftermarket saddles can be had very inexpensively, with ebony caps like a banjo saddle if you prefer that for extra loudness and brightness. The slots in the nut are very narrow, suited for the light strings put on at the factory, and could use filing out a bit if heavier strings are installed. The exterior finish of the metal body of the guitar is absolutely flawless. The soldered joints are so smooth that the metal looks like it was moulded in one piece. There are no sanding or tool marks visible through the smooth, high-gloss nickel plating. Internally scratches can be seen and a couple of small solder splatters, glue drops and such can be found by peering through the sound ports. The wood finish on the neck is likewise flawless. The frets are smooth and level and the fretboard is smooth and flat. (Ideal for slide.) The mother-of-pearl dot inlays are bright, colorful and inserted smoothly and evenly. (The natural banding of the shells is not aligned from one to another.) The only assembly flaw I can find is a very slight bulging of the front cover over the cones in one of the three corners of the plate; it may have resulted from a slight misalignment of two of the screw holes. I would never have noticed it if not for the high polish of the metal, and it's not obvious. I'm very pleased with the quality of fit and finish; it is truly professional. I'm deducting points for the action setup and strings, not for the finish.

I haven't had this instrument long. Perhaps I shouldn't rate it. But it's got little to go wrong and it's built like a tank! The original Nationals are 62-75 years old and most of them are still going strong. This is a spitting image replica of one of them and should give the same service. Perhaps better, considering that the truss rod can be easily readjusted if the neck goes out of true. (Not so with the vintage Nationals, but true of the modern ones.)

The dealer was helpful and friendly. Haven't had to deal with customer support. It has a 5-day 100% satisfaction return warranty, and a limited lifetime warranty.

I've only been playing for about a year. My other personal guitars are a Washburn D11TR and Johnson JR-200 "Chicago Blues" dobro. I love the blues and slide guitar, and the National tricone has been my dream guitar for a long time. Realistically I'd nver be able to afford one of those (not being able to depreciate it as a professional expense on my taxes), and even other replicas have been rather high priced for my budget until this. As you can see from my other guitars (also reviewed here), I'm willing to accept less than perfect cosmetics for a good sounding guitar at a bargain price. This one is not a cheap looking or cheap sounding guitar at all, though! In my opinion it's very comparable to the "real" modern Nationals I've seen and heard, at 1/4th the price! I definitely would replace it if something happened to it, and would definitely buy another from the same dealer. It has simply an awesome sound, is totally high-class in appearance (that is, if you like big shiny sliver guitars), and has no peers in its price range. It would be reasonable at twice the price (as some dealers sell it for.) But then I wouldn't have one. :-)