Does Gruhn have any idea what year that guitar was made? It's an unusual headstock logo, I don't think I've seen that one in the past.

I can't school you in R.Q. Jones guitars, I'm sure there are others here who ar more qualified. I think I've seen up close and personal and briefly played maybe five or six in my life. I recall the first one was back in the early 1980s when I lived in San Jose, there was a big monthly bluegrass jam there at a middle school and a guy brought a Jones. I remember lusting after it. My Dobro back then which I still have was a 1933 Model 37, and I don't think I'd ever seen a resophonic guitar that didn't have "Dobro" on the headstock until I saw that R.Q. Jones.   And there was one that belonged to a friend of a friend in Los Angeles that I played one time over 20 years ago and I would have loved to own it - great sounding guitar. 

Speaking of Gruhn, after ResoSummit 2010 in Nashville I was staying with a musician friend for a few days who had moved from my town here in California to the Nashville suburb of Franklin. He took me to Gruhn Guitars to check out the store. I had my bar and picks with me, and I spotted an elaborate looking  Jones in the dobro area. Rudy had done  tree-of-life inlays covering the fretboard and there was fancy binding, etc. I took it off the hook and played it - sounded alright, but to my ears the sound didn't match the bling. For comparison I grabbed a classic tuxedo black Beard Mike Auldridge Signature.  After pickin' on that one for a few minutes, my friend and I both agreed that the Beard blew the Jones out of the water. It wasn't even close.

There's the old saying, "don't ever buy a guitar without playing it first." But that has changed a lot over the years because nowadays with all the online sales, being able to return a guitar if you're not happy with it within a short time period is often an option - but return shipping usually has to be paid by the buyer so there's that.

So in my limited experience with R.Q. Jones guitars I have found, along with talking and having online discussions with others, they are not all created equal. I mentioned the Beard earlier - one of the reasons Jerry Douglas has said that he signed on with Paul Beard to make his signature guitars years ago  is that the quality is consistent.  

 Some of the Jones guitars are known for the scale being off slightly and other other little quirks. But there are R.Q. Jones fans who are as dedicated to these guitars as Scheerhorn owners are to theirs. 

Most of us love the sound of Jerry Douglas when he played a Jones as his main guitar - but this is also Jerry we're talking about so he makes every guitar sound great. I recall speaking with him after a show one time and he told me that after playing that Jones for years and "putting a million miles on it" he said it could be temperamental at times, "like it got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning." But he loved that guitar even though he "retired" it at one point, and he added something like "sometimes you think you're done with a guitar, but in reality you might not be." 
 

Funny you should mention the Beard MA; been thinking about those, too.
Thank you very much for the info.! I used to have great trepidation about buying (especially acoustic) instruments online, but in 2018 I swapped a guitar straight up for an old Collings that has become my favorite guitar I've ever had. But it can be a crapshoot, for sure.

For reference, I have a Jones guitar that I purchased from Rudy in 1980. I wouldn’t sell it, so I guess you could say I’m a fan. Describing its sound is like trying to describe the taste of vanilla. I have played quite a few including the one that Jerry used on most of his recordings of the 80’s….so I’ll try to help you. Also, I would echo much of what Mark says above, specifically try to play the guitar before you choose. What I love about my Jones guitar is that it is extremely friendly to play. It’s very sweet and has a mellow sound. Mine is all mahogany. I don’t think the Jones guitars are very punchy as compared to some of the modern sounding resonator guitars. Although my guitar is very sweet and suits itself very well to country music I don’t think that it would stand up very well in a bluegrass jam that was very loud. In addition, there was a period of time when some of those guitars had some questionable construction. I have heard stories of some of the bracing being made from scrap woods. Also, I have seen cracks in a few of them, and I don’t think that was very unusual to see. So with regard what Mark mentions above about inconsistency, I would agree with that. However, as I mentioned, I would never sell mine and I really love it. So if possible go play the one that gruhn has or another…I’ve seen a few for sale…then make a decision based upon a guitar that motivates you. I do believe that judging how a guitar feels in your hands is nearly as important as to how it sounds to you. That’s something you can’t judge without holding the guitar. Also, you don’t mention what brand of guitar you’re playing currently and whether you’re looking for something that sounds similar or something entirely different. That would factor in my choice as well.

That looks like a Deneve head stock in your post so I assume that’s what you’re playing now. I would say most Jones guitars are more similar than different, compared to what you’ve got now if you’re playing a Deneve.

Thanks for the info!
It is a DeNeve; my wife got it for me for Christmas in 2024 and I couldn't be happier with it. I believe it's sn# 0007. It's my only reso currently. I owned a Wolfe ported for awhile, and I liked it but it was all rosewood and got heavy quick playing on my feet. Resos just hardly ever show up where I live. Vintage Martins, all the time, and other high-quality acoustic guitars and mandolins, but resophonics are thin on the ground.
Thanks again for all the info.