Opinions please.. Reso guitars

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 27 Oct 2001 3:03 pm

I'm thinking of buying a resophonic and was wondering what people think of Johnson, Flinthill, or other less expensive guitars. I don't have the money and can't justify a grand or more for a Dobro. I probably won't be playing it live or recording with it.

Larry Behm · Post by **Larry Behm** » 27 Oct 2001 3:40 pm

Take the Johnson ($200 on ebay) drop a quarterman cone and spider and bridge from Beard Resnophonic Outfitters and you will be amazed at how good it sounds.

Larry Behm

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 27 Oct 2001 9:11 pm

Hi Richard and Larry,
I just recently bought a very clean Regal with a Barcus Beary pickup in it for $250.00 and I love playing it. It sounds so much more Hawaiian than my PSG. Look on ebay.

Mike Winfield · Post by **Mike Winfield** » 28 Oct 2001 12:29 pm

Another option is a Black Widow from Liberty Guitars. I bought mine on e-bay for $300. I put a bone nut and an ebony saddle on it. The stock cone was fine. Sounds great and is fun to play.
Mike Winfield

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 30 Oct 2001 3:50 pm

There must be more than 3 opinions out there. Come on guys, help me out. I probably won't be able to try out any of these guitars so your opinions are going to have to carry me through this.

Thanks to those that have responded.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 30 Oct 2001 5:25 pm

There are a number of fine low-priced resophonic guitars on the market right now. I'd say the average player has a better chance of getting a good beginner instrument for less money than any time in the past.

Overall, my experience has been that the Regal and Johnson resophonic guitars vary widely in construction and overall sound. I prefer the Regals I've played over the Johnson, Epiphone and other resophonic guitars.

The low cost of the average low end resophonic guitar is usually displayed in a couple of different ways:<ul>
[*]the quality of the wood used - most woodbody models use a cheap mahogany called luan
[*]the quality of the cone used - the less expensive guitars use a cheap "tin" cone that doesn't resonate as well
[*]the quality of the other parts such as the bridge and nut
[*]the quality of construction - the care with which the guitar is put together. A custom builder will take the time to make a better instrument than a Chinese sweatshop worker.

Any guitar with a proper set up will sound much better than one improperly set up. Changing the nut, bridge and cone on a guitar makes a huge difference in the overall sound quality and isn't that hard to do.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 30 Oct 2001 5:59 pm

Brad has given you a truckload of good advice. My opinion too is that at the low end of the market, the Regal or Flinthill (same factory; different brand names) is your best bet. Add in the Paul Beard set-up of a bone nut, Quarterman cone, ebony-maple bridges, etc. and you'll have a pretty good instrument. My own experience, having gone this route, is that I would save my $ if possible and spring for a better resophonic.
If you watch the market, you can often get a good used hardwood Dobro for $1,000 - $1,500 or so like the all-Mahongony Gibson Jerry Douglas, for example. While I realize that this double the cost of a Regal with upgrade, in the long run the difference in tone will be well worth it.[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 30 October 2001 at 07:23 PM.]

Patrick Ickes · Post by **Patrick Ickes** » 30 Oct 2001 8:09 pm

Richard,
Don't consern yourself with the quality of the wood, as Brad mentioned. Get one of those fiberglass Melobros. They sound really good and are cheap$$$and as Ted Smith showed us at Grass Valley a few years ago, you can dance on it!!!!
If later you decide to buy a better one, not that you will have to, get a Scheerhorn or Dobro Jerry Douglas model( but try out lots of them because they don't all sound the same), or an Allen or Beard.
Woods are finakee(sp) but plastic ain't.
Pat

Geoff Brown · Post by **Geoff Brown** » 1 Nov 2001 9:19 am

A Melobro would be great, but certainly not in the price range that you're looking at (although they are a great value). Brad's advice is on the mark. I would not recommend eBay, however. As Brad stated, the quality control on these lower-priced models widely varies. You'd do better, in my opinion to but something that you are able to see and play first, if possible. It would be a drag to buy something on eBay from a million miles away that doesn't sound right to you or to have to deal with any warrantee issues, which is a distinct possibility.

On a purely personal note, I would have a real problem purchasing anything new that would put a single nickel of my money into the economy of China or North Korea. I'd at least look for a used Regal or a Johnson. That may seem like a small thing to many, but I don't see it that way...anymore.

[This message was edited by Geoff Brown on 01 November 2001 at 09:31 AM.]

Aaron Schiff · Post by **Aaron Schiff** » 1 Nov 2001 11:16 am

I bought a Fender ($469 list, $325 discounted) made by Samick in Korea, the same people who make the Regal and Flinthill. I really like it, now that I have made a few modifications. High wide bone nut, maple/ebony saddle inserts and heavier strings (18, 18, 24Plain, 32, 42, 53. The total cost was about $20 and 1 hour of easy work, which BTW greatly aided my understanding of how the instrument functions. I did not replace the cone, but I could have for about $40 and another hour or two of delicate work. As it now stands, I haven't yet played an instrument priced under $1500 that I would prefer. All the Dobros (TM) that I have played have been grossly overpriced and lesser quality than my Fender. I haven't yet played a Melobro, but the recommendations on this board and the resoguit list make me really want to. I would highly recommend taking a similar route to mine, but like Brad said, "Play it first." BTW, check out "Brad's Page of Steel" and look for the link there for Howard Parker's "resoguit" list. For some people saving $1000 to $4000 is apparently easy, not for me. I have been playing reso for a little over a year now and if I had to wait to save the money for my future Tut Taylor or Beard, I would be waiting for another couple years. As other people have mentioned, I also prefer the Korean Regals and Flinthills that I have played over the Chinese Johnsons. Finally, get a copy of Paul Beard's "Resophonic Setup" video to help you. You can find him at "beardguitars.com". If you want a truly professional setup Paul will do the job for about $200, last time I looked, or sell you an import with all the goodies and his fine workmanship for about $650 (including a hardshell case), last time I looked. Do it now, not in a few years. Good luck.

Aaron Schiff · Post by **Aaron Schiff** » 1 Nov 2001 11:26 am

BTW Geoff, Samick is in South Korea, not North Korea. They make lots of inexpensive guitars (from jazzboxes to resos) that are sold under lots of brand names. Maybe that will help buying foreign a little.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Nov 2001 12:05 pm

Paul Beard does a superb job and once again, I'd highly recommend his upgrade of the Flinthill/Regal Dobros. You can get a lot of guitar for a fair price. On the other end of the spectrum, Carroll Benoit (Ben-Wah)makes one of the finest resophonics I've ever come across. I looked for a long time and then bought a Benoit. Carroll's workmanship is unsurpassed IMHO. I think they're really underpriced right now for the quality. Check 'em out at: http://www.benoitguitars.com/

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 1 Nov 2001 12:25 pm

Aaron says:

check out "Brad's Page of Steel" and look for the link there for Howard Parker's "resoguit" list.

You rang?

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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 1 Nov 2001 12:41 pm

From an earlier article I wrote:

Instruments Under $1,000

OK, you've decided to take the plunge and make the transition from fan to player. Now what? Choosing an instrument has got to be pretty high on the agenda and you'd like to do it without breaking the bank. Where to look and what can you expect?

Good news. For less than $1,000 you'll be able to find a perfectly serviceable resonator guitar, either new or used, that will last you for years, perhaps for the rest of your playing career. For the sake of this discussion I'll keep the price below $1,000. If this is a bit over your budget, never fear. Some of your choices will be well under this mark, even under $500.

Howard's rule No. 1:

Never buy an instrument without you (or a knowledgeable friend) inspecting and/or playing the instrument first. Please try enlisting the aid of a local player in your search. Contact me if you'd like some names.

OK....What are the choices in this price range? If we are talking new we've narrowed the choices down to imported guitars (with one notable exception). Some of the names you'll see; Regal, Johnson, Flinthill, Fender and others. Most of these guitars are available in the $300-$600 range (all priced are approximate retail). My observation is that every one of these guitars that I have ever played were in serious need of a setup by a qualified luthier. This alone should not deter you from choosing one of the imports. It just means you should budget an addition $75-150 for an additional makeover by your friendly resonator repair guy. For $150 the luthier will set up the guitar properly and replace the resonator and spider with standard U.S. made components. This will make an incredible difference in the instruments' sound. For $75 or so the nut and saddle will be replaced and the strings properly spaced. This will make the guitar much more playable.

The exception to all of this is the incredible and unusual Melobro made by Ted Smith. Unusual because the instrument body is fiberglass and not wood. The components are all standard, U.S. made, high quality parts. The instrument had been retailing for $900 or so which makes it an incredible value. They also sound great and should be considered on the high end of our price range. They do look a bit odd, ie., non-traditional.

Used DobroTM are also available for less than $1,000. The DobroTM is several cuts above the import. Instruments of the O.M.I (pre Gibson) era are available in the $750-$1,000 range. In my opinion these instruments vary all over the place in terms of sound, playability and construction quality. Remember rule #1? Do not buy sight unseen. DobroTM shipped many of these instruments with soft wood saddle inserts and plastic nuts. You can upgrade these instruments for about $50 and come away with the guitar sounding just fine.

Lest I forget. You can find contact info for many reso luthiers on the RESOGUIT website , http://www. resoguit.com, or email me privately at . and I'll see what I can do to help.

hp

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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 1 Nov 2001 4:12 pm

Unfortunately, the only reso I have found in a music store around here is a Dobro (Gibson) at Guitar Center for $1500.

I have checked out the Benoit guitar website and they are great looking guitars, but the price tag is way to high. As I stated, I will probably never play it (or any other instrument) live again, So a top of the line guitar is not necessary.

I also stumbled across the website of McKenna guitars in Connecticut. It looks like his guitars are very good quality with top notch parts for around $1300. I might sell all my rack gear to come up with the extra money to get one of those.

Keep your opinions coming.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 1 Nov 2001 4:28 pm

Howard, it was your website that I found the link for McKenna Guitars. Know anything about them? Great website you have.

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Carter D10 9p/10k
Richard Sinkler

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 1 Nov 2001 8:37 pm

Richard,
Take the time to drive over to Palo Alto and visit Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Last week they only had about eight resonator guitars, ten lap steels...it's the best store in the Bay Area for this kind of thing.
Otherwise go visit the Fifth String Music store (across the street from the Ashby BART station in Berkeley).
There are lots of other places to look in the Bay Area.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 2 Nov 2001 6:39 am

Richard says:

Howard, it was your website that I found the link for McKenna Guitars. Know anything about them? Great website you have.

Hey...Thanks Richard,

No, I've not personally played one of Greg's guitars although I've gotten good feedback from others.

It's a buyers market out there being you have lots more choices than you had even 5 years ago. That being said, prices have creeped up as popularity has increased. Good luck in your search.

hp

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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT