The resonator guitar reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
265 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Fender online
Year Purchased: 2017
Price Paid: Don't Remember
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This is a Fender Roosevelt CE electric resonator guitar. I use it to play open-g, mostly chords and picking, some slide. I play it through a Digitech RP360XP multi-effect pedal. The sound is bright, with a great resonator sound. I like the guitar now, but it required some modifications to get it to sound well.
Sound Rating: 9
This guitar sounded fine until I plugged it in, after which it assaulted me with a high pitch wail through the speakers. I found the problem was due to the piezo pickup not being attached properly at the bottom of the cone. The pickup has to have proper contact with the cone, and that is done by adjusting a small nut on the tension adjustment screw beneath the cone. For some reason, the nut was too loose thus causing improper contact between the piezo pickup and the cone. Also, the maple-ebony saddle height was too low on the treble side.
Setup Rating: 7
This is a beautiful guitar, with dark maple highlights and a sunburst finish. The wood is laminate, the fingerboard is rosewood. There were no flaws in its appearance.
Appearance Rating: 10
I'm not sure how long laminate guitars keep their appearance, but I've had the guitar over a year and it still looks great. I think it is a sturdy and reliable guitar.
Reliability Rating: 8
I did call Fender for help soon after I received the guitar. I don't think the person I spoke with knew much about resonator guitars though. I'm not sure about the guitar's warranty, but I've never had to take it in for repair.
Customer Service: 6
I think the standout components are the piezo and magnetic pickups. I hated that the piezo pickup was attached to the tension adjustment screw beneath the cone, but I moved the pickup elsewhere within the guitar body so that solved that issue. I also had to replace the saddle, as it was too low on the treble side. The laminate body is a turn off, but it doesn't seem to detract from the guitar's sound.
Components Rating: 7
This is a beautiful, bright-sounding guitar. The body and cone seem to amplify and enhance each other well. It took a lot of work to get the piezo pickup issue resolved though, and I also spent quite a bit of time and money getting the saddle right. The piezo pickup makes it impossible to tighten or loosen the tension adjustment screw without getting underneath the cone because the nut holding the pickup to the bottom of the cone needs to be adjusted every time the tension adjustment screw needs to be turned. If the piezo pickup retaining nut is too loose, it will result in horribly loud feedback noise in the speakers.
Overall Rating: 7
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