Wolneberg - Posted - 07/16/2023:  11:35:16

Hi everyone! It's cool to find this hangout since I have been a member of the Banjohangout for some years already. I sold my banjo last summer and have been focusing on other instruments. Recently I got a steel string guitar from Thomann and I had to fill the basket to get free shipping. I threw in a slide with very little intention of using it. Last week I decided to give it a go and I realised that I love to play slide. It ticks all the same boxes inside me as banjo. I am really surprised that guitar can give me the same feeling as playing banjo!

Now I am convincing myself (and the rest of the family) that I need to get a resonator guitar next. There is a lot of factors that are new to me and I have limited options of trying. What I have figuered out is that there are some defining choices.

Material of the body? Wood or Metal? From the videos I have watched I can't really tell if I prefer one or the other. I tend to find the wooden bodies ones the prettiest.

Biscuit or spider bridge? Again the videos I am watching are not making this an obvious choice. I will be playing mostly blues and understand that biscuit is the prefered choice?

Pick up or not? On an acoustic guitar I can always snug a soundhole pickup over the soundhole. Are there similiar solutions that works well for resonator?

Now I have a few models in mind that are within my bugdet.


The Maxwel from RK.

Rattlesnake from RK

Minniebucker from RK

Swamp Dog from RK

And last the is the Harley Benton CLR Resoelectric

Out of all these it's a close call between the Rattlesnake and the Swamp Dog. At the price I have to pay for the Swamp Dog it's difficult not to get the Harley Benton instead since my experience tells me Harley Benton offer more quality per cost.

Now what I am asking you is general advice for a novice, but I am also specifically curious about the significance of body material?

docslyd - Posted - 07/16/2023:  15:11:10

Assuming you’re addressing bottleneck playing....a severe generalization is this... metal body is funky and bluesy, wood body is warm and country. That being said, many are apt to disagree and the sound also depends upon your playing style....but since you are starting at square one, generalizing might help. I would also go back and listen to those who blazed the trail within the style you like. Not just amateur players but pioneers like Bukka White, Tampa Red, Ry Cooder ( though never a reso player), Arlen Roth and sorry, a hundred other players whose names won’t come to mind at this particular place and time. But you get the idea.  For that matter, there’s a lot you can do with an acoustic guitar and a bottleneck slide. But that wasn’t the question.

Edited by - docslyd on 07/16/2023 15:13:05

wilkey - Posted - 07/17/2023:  07:30:04

Check out my dobro which would be a very good for what you are looking for. Fender bought ou Gretze

wlgiii - Posted - 07/17/2023:  07:46:30

To my ears:

Metal body/biscuit has the bluesiest tone and bark, and the looks; but if you want to be diverse it doesn't always sound great for the non-blues. There's no rule saying metal biscuit = blues; our ears are just used to that.
Wood body/biscuit still has the blues tone with a bit more warmth as noted above.
Wood/spider doesn't sound quite as bluesy- I've seen 2 guitarists in the past fortnight play bottleneck on a wood/spider, and it didn't quite bark. However...this would be really good universal resonator.
Metal/spider- Worth a shot. I haven't played one of these, but am curious to hear from others who have.
Metal/tricone- My favorite; nice overall sound. It came first. I have an import round neck and a National squareneck. Covers all the bases and has The Look.
wood/tricone- I haven't heard the imports. I've played someone's National M1 and liked the warm wood sound, but based on others' comments, feelings are mixed.

So...If you could pick anything I'd vote tricone. As for the wrong choice- there is none. Get the one that feels good and sings out to you, and it will help you develop your personal sound. And....that may indeed be Joe's dobro; check it out.

Wolneberg - Posted - 07/18/2023:  12:59:02

I googled Tricone and found a video from Royall comparing tricone, spider and biscuit models. I really prefered the tricone! The biscuit was not that different from the tricone, but lacked a sweet punchiness sort of?

Thanks for the tip! I think I must look into my options for getting a tricone!

Wolneberg - Posted - 07/18/2023:  21:56:07

Wilkey it looks tempting, but living in Norway I am afraid shipping and toll would make it too expensive.

wlgiii - Posted - 07/19/2023:  09:56:43

You're correct- Biscuits are a bit louder, but tricones are much sweeter. I happily played a Regal import tricone for years, so if you don't have enough kroner for a National now, you should still be happy with a Regal, Royall, Recording King...

One other option to look at- Michael Messer guitars. They're mostly biscuits, but I have read good things about him. He's in the UK, so shipping may be better than from the US. And if you get one, let us know how it is; they aren't available in the US (unless things have changed recently). We'd have to get one from Canada.

Brad Bechtel - Posted - 07/19/2023:  15:21:17

Ask your questions on the Michael Messer Forum. It's where all the cool Europeans hang out!

Good luck!

Wolneberg - Posted - 07/25/2023:  03:58:35

Thanks! I checked it out. They look and sound very good, but they are a bit out of my price range. But I tried buying a brass slide to replace the cheap glass slide I have been using. The difference was significant! I will probably enjoy sliding on my parlor guitar until I can afford something nice like a Messer!