SEATAC - Posted - 07/31/2023:  14:19:39

Just in: Mule round neck tricone in brass with cutaway and mini humbucker!

I wanted a second resonator that would complement my beloved National T-14 but that wouldn't stray too far from my signature sound (I just plain like tricones). I also wanted to be able to keep one reso in D Vestapol and another in standard and/or Spanish and/or C Vestapol, to make it easier to experiment with new arrangements.



I've loved the Mule body style since forever, but didn't want a guitar that came pre-aged. I bought a Mule Mavis in 2021 and liked the tone but eventually sold it (in part) because I couldn't get past the patina. Not knocking it for those who love it--relic just isn't my style. I've followed Mule on Instagram for years and I didn't actually know that it was possible to order a Mule that didn't look like it had had acid thrown on it, but then Matt posted a pic of a "clean" looking one with a gold powdercoat and I signed up for the waitlist immediately.



Look and feel: It's a thinner body than my National, and very comfortable and balanced in my lap. The neck is wonderful--easier on my smallish hands than the National, in fact. The tuners are also smoother and easier to control than my National's. Visually, I love the combo of the f-holes and chicken-foot coverplate--National's art deco tricone grill design is iconic, but it's nice to have something a little subtler around.

It has a MUCH thinner back than my National does. Tap it with your finger and you get a nice 'sheet metal' sound ringing through the body. My National's steel back is much more rock solid. I assume this contributes to the differences in tone (see below).

I was a bit worried that the 12-fret neck join would mean I'd lose access to the higher frets. Yes, I actually play the higher frets--that's one of the main reasons I bought the T-14. But fortunately it isn't going to be an issue--I can slide up to 17 with no problem.

I asked Matt to keep the metal clean and he did, except for the pickup cover which is "dirty" in that Mule way. I dig the effect: again, it's subtle. However, I'm a bit disappointed with the powdercoat finish quality. There are several visible imperfections in the paint, and there was even a small ding in the paint on the upper side where bare metal showed through. That's a drag. The total cost I paid was within striking range of a comparable National or Beard, and I've never seen any visible blemishes in any new guitars from those builders. I'm going to chalk it up to builder aesthetics rather than lack of QA. I suspect Matt is going for a wabi-sabi kind of thing. If it continues to bug me maybe I'll look for a powdercoat touch-up pen and try to match the shade of gold.

Okay that's nice but how does it sound?: It sounds great :) Although I had to make some changes to fit my ear. It came strung with D'addario Phosphor Bronze 13s and tuned to C Vestapol (at my request). That just plain didn't work for me. The action was way too loose for my kind of slide work, and it didn't deliver the tone I wanted even when fretted. Sounded kind of dull/dead. I can though I can see why others might enjoy and even leverage that effect--kind of like the recent fad for rubber bridges on flattops--but it's not my thing.

So I swapped the strings out for my go-to reso strings--D'Addario Nickel Bronze 16s--and tuned it up a step to D Vestapol. Now we're talking! The action is firmer, but still a perfect compromise between slide and fretted playability. The Mule seems a tad quieter overall than my National, and there's more blend in the tone--somewhat less single note differentiation--maybe "warmer" is the word. I suspect that's due to some combination of the brass and the more active back. But these differences in tone are, again, fairly subtle, it's not night and day. I suspect the Mule will sound better for Instagram/YouTube recordings than the National does because it's less likely to overwhelm my phone's microphone (or my voice!). On stage, I might need to lean into my amp's volume control more than I'm used to in order to get the same amount of projection.

Speaking of, I haven't really tested it out amplified yet. I've plugged it into my Mesa Rosette and it sounded fine, about as good as I expected from a magnetic pickup on a resonator. I bet if I plugged into my Mesa Mark IV I could get some wonderfully nasty growly sounds out of that pickup, but my repertoire doesn't really call for that right now so that's a test for another day.

Verdict: It's a good guitar and likely a keeper. Subtle is the name of the game here--surprisingly, to me. The powdercoat is less pristine than I wanted, but it's still beautiful and I'm glad I asked for it. Very playable neck and superior tone. Overall, I paid a fair price for a US-made, built-to-order guitar. And of course Matt sends you "in progress" pictures which are fun to see and testify to the unique provenance of each instrument. He's also very responsive if you have questions or experience issues, which one should never take for granted. That + all the existing Instagram/Youtube videos out there takes a lot of the anxiety out of buying a pricey instrument like this unplayed and unheard.

I'd love to hear other peoples' experiences with Mules!

Note: I am not affiliated with any brands or builders and I have not been compensated in any way for this review. I just like thinking about these things and figured others would find a straight testimonial useful. I'm a semi-pro player who gigs regularly and I have owned tricone, biscuit, and spider cone resonators.

2023 Mule brass tricone w/ cutaway