mrsungo - Posted - 09/11/2008:  15:18:03

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Hi,

I'm looking into getting a resonator and am pretty clueless as to the various brands, models, etc. Since I'm just starting out with it, I was thinking I'd get something kinda low end (under $500) so I can see if I stick with it before I pick up anything really expensive. I've seen lots of brands/models on different sites, but can't tell which brands are good and which ones kinda not. Can anyone give me some tips on a good basic starter resonator?

Thanks in advance

meldooby - Posted - 09/12/2008:  07:08:23

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Get a Paul Beard Signature ,Goldtone. You won't be sorry.
Most bang for the buck.

Mel

Bradskey - Posted - 09/12/2008:  11:43:39

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For a little less than $600 you can get the Gold Tone Paul Beard Signature model, round or square neck. Its the basic mahogany laminate model, and there's hardly anything else to recommend in that price range. A close second might be the Regal Black Lightning, but it can actually be more expensive and is at least a little more likely to have defects/problems. Moving closer to $1000 you can also consider the Wechter/Scheerhorn's.

The only thing I can recommend under $500 is a Johnson of some variety. Not that I think they're great or anything, but a lot of folks get one for about $300 and hot rod it with new parts (which will get you back to $500 real quick). Odds are decent that it will be a serviceable instrument, though not a really great one. Might be up your alley. I would try to buy from a good music store like Elderly or Janet Davis. If you buy from Musicians Friend or somebody like that, they don't know anything about the instrument, will not attempt to set it up, and will shipped whatever they have to you without so much as a glance to see if its already damaged.

If you want to go real cheap with good odds it will be a decent instrument just to try it out, look at the Rogue from Musicians Friend for about $180 (even less if its blemished). It won't last you long, but you can get started on it, and if you get a lemon MF is real good about exchanging it until you get one you're satisfied with.

mrsungo - Posted - 09/13/2008:  22:47:48

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Thanks for the advice.

It will be a few weeks before I make the purchase, but I'll come back and post once I have the new guitar in hand and have a chance to work with it a bit.

bris48 - Posted - 09/14/2008:  08:46:42

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Hey mrsungo
I think I have the answer to your inquiry
For $950.00 get you a hand built Red Line Rambler, Birch Laminate top and back,
Solid sides and neck
Contact Steve at redlineresophonics.com
Tell him Bobby sent you , he is straight forward ,Honest, and always striving to make your reso to your liking
Check out the pic of my Hot Rod #2 Mahogany

RedLine Resohead

Square Neck - Posted - 09/18/2008:  20:23:29

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That is all great advice above!!

One more option is an older OMI Dobro. They are still pretty affordable and made in the USA. You should be able to get into one for around $800 if you are patient and do some shopping.

Classic "old school" vintage dobro sound!!

Plus they are a Dobro not a dobro, the following text taken from Wikipedia® .........

The name originated in 1928 when the Dopyera brothers formed the Dobro Manufacturing Company. "Dobro" is both a contraction of "Dopyera brothers" and a word meaning "good" in their native Slovak language. An early company motto was "Dobro means good in any language."

The Dobro was the third resonator guitar design by John Dopyera, the inventor of the resonator guitar, but the second to enter production. Unlike his earlier tricone design, the Dobro had a single resonator cone and it was inverted, with its concave surface facing up. The Dobro company described this as a bowl shaped resonator.

The Dobro was louder than the tricone and cheaper to produce. Cost of manufacture had, in Dopyera's opinion, priced the resonator guitar beyond the reach of many players, and his failure to convince his fellow directors at the National String Instrument Corporation to produce a single-cone version was part of his motivation for leaving.

Since National had applied for a patent on the single cone (US patent #1,808,756), Dopyera had to develop an alternative design, which he did by inverting the cone so that rather than having the strings rest on the apex of the cone as the National method did, they rested on a cast aluminum spider that had eight legs sitting on the perimeter of the upside-down cone (US patent #1,896,484).

In the following years both Dobro and National built a wide variety of metal- and wood-bodied single-cone guitars, while National also continued with the tricone for a time. Both companies sourced many components from National director Adolph Rickenbacher and John Dopyera continued to be a major shareholder in National. By 1934 the Dopyera brothers had gained control of both National and Dobro and they merged the companies to form the National-Dobro Corporation.


Man playing dobro.From the outset, wooden bodies had been sourced from existing guitar manufacturers, particularly the plywood student guitar bodies made by the Regal Musical Instrument Company. Dobro had granted Regal a license to manufacture resonator instruments, and by 1937, it was the only manufacturer, and the license was officially made exclusive. Regal-manufactured resonator instruments continued to be sold under many names, including Regal, Dobro, Old Kraftsman, and Ward. However all production of resonator guitars ceased following the US entry into the Second World War in 1941.

Emil Dopyera (also known as Ed Dopera) manufactured Dobros from 1959 under the brand name Dopera's Original before selling the company and name to Semie Moseley, who merged it with his Mosrite guitar company and manufactured Dobros for a time. Meanwhile, in 1967, Rudy and Emil Dopyera formed the Original Musical Instrument Company (OMI) to manufacture resonator guitars, which were at first branded Hound Dog. However, in 1970, they again acquired the Dobro name, Mosrite having gone into temporary liquidation.

In a way my National tricone is more of a Dobro than the new Gibson dobros

Square Neck - Posted - 09/18/2008:  20:33:16

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The funniest part of all this is no one has asked mrsungo if he wishes to play "Spanish" or "Hawaiian" LOL!!

So mrsungo....

What will it be Spanish? or Hawaiian?

If Spanish the options will be different than above except for the OMI Dobro.

<*)))>{

mrsungo - Posted - 09/19/2008:  06:52:41

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First, thanks again for all the great information. I have to admit. I've been very impressed by, and I really appreciate, all that you guys have offered up.

Spanish or Hawaiian...

While I used to play guitar for several hours a day... played classical guitar in school, blues and rock in bands on the weekends, it has been very many years since I have given it the time it would require to not hang my head in shame every time I pick a guitar up and start messing around.

In a few months, one of the things I do outside of work that sucks up massive amounts of time will be done and I've decided to fill the time getting back into blues and taking it a lot more seriously than I did when I was younger. I want to finally take the time to learn how to play all those Robert Johnson songs, and I want to do it on a resonator.

Thanks again for all the advice you guys have given me.

quote:

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Originally posted by Square Neck

The funniest part of all this is no one has asked mrsungo if he wishes to play "Spanish" or "Hawaiian" LOL!!

So mrsungo....

What will it be Spanish? or Hawaiian?

If Spanish the options will be different than above except for the OMI Dobro.

<*)))>{

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BoiDetroit - Posted - 09/19/2008:  22:07:13

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I just got a Regal RD-40 Squareneck from ebay and I'm surprised at the tone and volume. It looks like it is recently built but I don't know the year. It's a real Banjo-Killer! Hey, Square Neck we got to get together again so I can let you hear it.


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Pedals?
I got no pedals.
I don''t need no stinkin'' pedals!

Square Neck - Posted - 09/19/2008:  22:24:31

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quote:

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Originally posted by BoiDetroit

I just got a Regal RD-40 Squareneck from ebay and I'm surprised at the tone and volume. It looks like it is recently built but I don't know the year. It's a real Banjo-Killer! Hey, Square Neck we got to get together again so I can let you hear it.

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Awesome!!!

I knew you where itching for a spider bridge LOL!!

I am looking forward to hanging out, plus you need to check out the 1955 national dynamic lap steel I just picked up!! We are both going to get into trouble if we buy any more

quote:

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Originally posted by mrsungo


Spanish or Hawaiian...

I've decided to fill the time getting back into blues and taking it a lot more seriously than I did when I was younger. I want to finally take the time to learn how to play all those Robert Johnson songs, and I want to do it on a resonator.

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Most blues players play Spanish (regular) style.....
youtube.com/watch?v=Q2p52JNcbDc

A few Hawaiian (lap) style blues players........
youtube.com/watch?v=j7WiZvSflTs

Most of the above recommendations are for lap style.

For what most call "bottle neck" style guitar these guitars have seemed to make a lot of people very happy!!

republicguitars.com/

I would recommend these ones even though I don't own one and have never played one.....but you cant beat the price!!!

republicguitars.com/singleconemodels.html

republicguitars.com/triconemodels.html

The plot thickens!!

<*)))>{

BoiDetroit - Posted - 09/19/2008:  22:55:10

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"We are both going to get into trouble if we buy any more"

You said it! It showed up on my wife's birthday. What timing!

I did post this to let mrsungo that you can get a good reso without spending a lot. Later on you can upgrade.


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Pedals?
I got no pedals.
I don''t need no stinkin'' pedals!

BoiDetroit - Posted - 09/20/2008:  20:15:51

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mrsungo

After reading this thread again I realized you were looking for a roundneck reso. In that case go with the Beard Gold Tone. I wouldn't trust any other starter reso not to have the neck pull up. They are using some poor neck joints on some of the new imports.


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Pedals?
I got no pedals.
I don''t need no stinkin'' pedals!

mrsungo - Posted - 09/20/2008:  20:47:10

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quote:

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Originally posted by BoiDetroit
Thanks.

Ok... now, what is potentially a stupid question...

In Guitar Center and another music shop nearby, the only resonator guitars they have are Fenders. I'm assuming, they're not the way to go... but I am a bit leary of buying one without having played it... it does seem like that is how you guys pick them up - yeah?

Thanks,
d


mrsungo

After reading this thread again I realized you were looking for a roundneck reso. In that case go with the Beard Gold Tone. I wouldn't trust any other starter reso not to have the neck pull up. They are using some poor neck joints on some of the new imports.


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Pedals?
I got no pedals.
I don''t need no stinkin'' pedals!

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Square Neck - Posted - 09/20/2008:  23:24:22

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I have heard nothing but negative comments about the fender resos!!

Run away!!

Just my $.02

smalltowntwang - Posted - 09/26/2008:  19:12:29

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Hello mrsungo, and everyone eles that hangs here. Just found the site off of a link on IGS. I've got a PB Goldtone square neck (the basic mahogany) and thinks it to be a great guitar. I also just took a chance on a Regal Tricone from Ebay and must say It seems to be well made. No intonation problems, great sustain and I like the finish a well. It is called Texas T. A combination of green and black. Purdy and kind of swamp-like at the same time. I have no idea why the owner had what seems lke Elixr light guage strings on it. Well after having it for a few days and finding a National I want, I'll put the Regal up for sale. I found I'm more of a single cone man after all. I'll get some photos taken in the morning and sometime over the next few days, I will list it with pics in the classifieds here on Hangout. Great to find this site and hope to share with the folks here. Steve