Hello! I thinking of buying a new resonator. I really dont know much about this guitars so I really have to learn more about these.. I live in sweden and here in my town we dont have many of them so I wonder what brands should I look at? I have more or less 1400$ too spend so what can I get for that money in the states?
I'm not an expert on resonators, but I do have a few observations that may be of help.
The low-end ($200 - $500) resonator guitars I've played have been ok, for the most part, with one exception: the Epiphone Biscuit. I played one of those a while back, and really liked it a lot.
The mid-priced (around $1000) ones I've played have been a little better, but not by much. I played a Gibson Hound Dog (Dawg?) a while back that, honestly, wasn't as nice as the Epiphone Biscuit, and the Gibson was priced much higher.
I've only played one mid-to-high end one, which was around $2500, and it was really nice. It was quite some time ago, but I believe it was a National.
If you are dabbling in playing a resonator, I'd recommend a Biscuit. You get a fair amount of guitar without a huge outlay in cash.
If you are serious about picking up a high quality resonator, I'd explore a lot further than what I've said here.
www.elderly.com is a great resource for resonators -- they have the biggest selection I've seen online.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck.
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
-Dave Barry
The resonator guitars were first developed to add volume to the acoustic guitar. At that time the guitar players were getting drowned out by the other instruments in the band. The resonator was added becuase the sound was "amplified" by the resonator.
The blues players picked up on it and the rest is history. When you buy one be sure and get one with a bisquit in it. The bisquit stabilized the cone and the quality of the sound is improved. You can get a resonator with or without it.
When you pick one up make sure it has a solid wood top (not plywood). Some are made of all plywood. STAY AWAY FROM THESE!! Most will come with a maple, mahogany or spruce top. Any of these are good. Spruce is the most common. For the back and sides the best is made of maple or mahogany. There are several brands available with the Dobro, National and Gibson being some of the best. There are a lot of companies that make them now. If you make sure that the guitar comes with a bisquit, a solid top and maple or mahogany back and side you will be ok.
I hope this helps.
Adios,
G
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