Resonator guitars have been the ideal tool for blues music for many decades. Some very best albums of all time featured blue guitars with stars like Eric Clapton or Jerry Douglas. For some people, the resonator guitars have nearly become the sub-type of the best acoustic guitar since they two go in symmetrical sync very smoothly.
Choosing the best resonator guitar is not so easy since most people don’t about their preference, budget or rig sort of aspects. We provide the best 5 resonator guitars in our platform so you could find the best for your demands.
In this article, every guitar detail, we are going to provide is clear and easy to understand whether you are a newbie, mid-range player or a professional guitar player.
OUR TOP-LISTED 5 BESTSELLING RESONATOR GUITARS
Best 5 Resonator Guitars of All Time!
Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog Round Neck Resonator Guitar
Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog is the vintage guitar, which was first introduced in 1920. This was the pioneering period for most guitar players, including the blue one; it’s a work by the Dopyera Brothers who were involved in making the first spider resonator. Their contribution to designing the first electric guitar was something that led people to success.
By looks, the Epiphone resonator guitar plays and sounds DOBRO, which in Slovakian means Good. If you are looking for the best resonator guitar under mid-range price this is the best instrument for you, stick with the vintage design with warm and clear tones. You will notice the guitar is F-shaped which allows the guitar players to keep it in balance while the highs and lows.
Dobro Hound Dog has a round neck with a rosewood fingerboard which is easy to play. The round neck like acoustic guitar makes it an easy job, also, there is an action located on the higher end of the strings so players could switch easily between chords, fingering and slide playing.
The availability of Spider Resonator makes it even more special, which is geared particularly for the bluegrass and country sounds. For any player who wants to improvise the finger-picking haunting whirling or drippling, this can be the ideal platform for doing it all.
Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog Round Neck Resonator Guitar appears to have a fan-pattern cover plate with the nickel plating on them. Fan pattern cover plate usually has a bell-like tone with an enhanced projection. The overall guitar hardware is made of chrome steel with nickel-plating; every component speaks of well-designed and remarkable quality. Grover tuners can be found which are the authentic ones for sturdiness and keep the strings in-balance.
Dean Chrome G Round Neck Resonator Guitar
When you are thinking of a charming and appealing to the eyes kind of instrument, we surely take you to the Chrome G round neck resonator guitar. This is one of the classically designed and lively resonators from the same brand which is known for their guitars with BEAUTY!
Dean Chrome G Round Neck Resonator Guitar is a mid-range electro-acoustic treat for the users under a tight budget. It has a non-cutaway body which is made from the polished chrome that also comes with vivid golden hardware. Many things are appealing to the eyes in this instrument such as ornate headstock, pearl split block inlays present on the fretboard.
Apart from looking gorgeous, Dean Chrome G Round is mixed with two blendable pickups which give amplification to the natural and raw tones. Even if your piezo pickup by any chance is not working efficiently, you can rely on that.
Rogue Classic Spider Resonator
Rogue Classic Spider Resonator has pushed many guitar players to come and taste the music from this out of the world instrument. It can overlap the line between the bright and rootsy plus metallic warmth. It has been used by so many well-known musicians like Jack White and Robert Johnson.
According to some guitar experts, this is the perfect Resonator guitar within an inexpensive price range. One of the best things about this resonator guitar it comes with both round and square neck configurations. There are two necks for resonator guitars which are square and round which we are going to talk about in the buyer’s guide section.
The hardware of Rogue Classic is topped with classical spruce and mahogany back and sides. In comparison with other pricey resonator guitars, this one comes with less volume and quite a thinner response, but it’s a good tool for solo performances. Purchasing this guitar means you are also going to be able to EQ the instrument which then may sound much warmer and with high volume.
Overall, Rogue Classic Spider Resonator sounds like a decent resonator and is perfect for the respected genre. For the ones who are interested in buying this resonator, know that the square neck version of this guitar won’t fit with the bluegrass since it won’t be much of a loud. However, this can be easily managed depending on your technicality and combined band performance.
Gretsch G9220 Bobtail
The American vintage guitar is back to the real version of retro music on the stage. Gretsch G9220 Bobtail is the best resonator guitar with a small body; it has 19 frets, round neck resonator which is made completely from laminated mahogany.
There are certain vintage additions to this guitar, which gives it a time-traveling look, these are dark sunburst finish with an extroverted Pearloid headstock that looks the work of amazing craftsmanship.
The hardware is combined with Gretsch’s Ampli-Sonic hand-spun spider cone and the bridge makes the loud resonating sound play. The sound is delivered clearly to the audience with pure refinances. Gretsch G9220 Bobtail also features a Fishman Nashville Resophonic Pickup which makes it easy to plug and play!
Danelectro’59 Acoustic-Electric Resonator
For the versatile blue resonator seekers which allow you to bang your house walls? Danelectro’s 59 Acoustic-Electric Resonator Guitar is the treat.
It has a double-cutaway shorthorn body shape with a slim maple neck. You can play with different styles and its possible you will play ‘em all quite well.
Danelectro’59 Acoustic-Electric Resonator is geared with two pickups, one that is visible “59 Lipstick Pickup while the other Schatten Piezo which is present inside the biscuit cone under the cover plate. The guitar revolves around the tones which are perfect for sliding and fingerpicking, you can play the Mississippi Delta Blues in this like heaven!
User’s Buying Guide
Now we have given the 5 great options for buying the best Resonator Guitars in 2020. What you do need more?
There are some factors you need to understand before resonator guitars without which your knowledge about them is futile. Let us show you some great differences and an easy way to buy them.
Resonator Guitar With Square And Round Neck – What Is The Difference?
Resonator guitars come in two types of necks, square and Round which determines the overall sight of how you are going to hold and play the guitar. As you will option, you can either choose any of it depending on your comfort.
- Square Neck
Square Neck Resonator is mostly used for playing bluegrass, country or Hawaiian music. The reason is simple because they are placed on your lap and the fretboard is facing upward. This is similar to playing the lap steel guitar with a slide or bar. This cannot play the Spanish style as it may be impossible for the holders to play it this way.
The main feature of the square neck is they are easy to rest on a lap; this is because of the wide and chunky neck with squared off at the edges. The frets in this are not meant for making any sound, the nut of square neck resonators is set quite higher than the regular guitars. This makes the regular fretting nearly impossible and is only played with a bar or a slide.
Needless to say, Square neck resonator guitars are something not everybody can play, you need to be pro at this or starting from the regular guitar is recommended, those with round necks.
- Round Neck
Round neck is the most played resonator guitar around the world due to their curved neck which users can easily hold. There is a difference between the round neck resonator guitars and the regular acoustic ones, the round neck can be played with a slide and is equally efficient for strumming, flat-picking, and finger styling. Due to this feature, the round neck resonators are best for the blues genre.
Wood Or Metal- Which Type of Resonator Guitar Should You Buy?
The choice of the wood of metal material doesn’t impact the play or tones since the resonator guitars have Resonator Cone in which most of the sounds are produced.
Whatever type of resonator guitar you choose depends on your personal preference, the wooden body, usually gives a warmer sound while the metallic body emanates the truly metallic and brittle tones which are much louder in projection. It also comes down to your budget, whether you buy the wood or metal type of resonator.
The majority of the acoustic guitars’ preferences are solid wood, but for resonators, even the most expensive models are using laminates. This is because of the sturdy body projection, which also gives the same quality of tones as the solid wood material. The inclusion of wooden material to the resonator guitars is only when the company wants to make its superior aesthetic looks.
What About Electro-Acoustic Resonator? Should You Need It?
In 1920 when the first resonator was designed, their sole purpose makes to make the sound of acoustic guitars louder so they can be overhead in the presence of other instruments.
Generally, resonators are louder than the standard acoustic guitars, but if you are going to have unplanned jamming sessions you may want to plug the electronics to further boost the sound experience.
For stage performance, you may want to look for the resonator with the pickup in which the choice for getting electro-acoustic models is recommended. There are so many reliable electro-acoustic resonators are available with piezo pickups, single or lipstick coils, etc. that you can choose.
The electro-acoustic resonator guitars are controlled by two different methods, either they have:
- Preamp Control Panel with EQ Controls- Like those in Conventional Acoustic Guitars
- Other Guitars with Rotary Control Knobs for Volume and Blend- Like those in electric guitars
Buying Used Or New Resonator Guitar – Which One Should You Buy?
Now that depends on your pocket and how much you want to spend on resonator guitars.
For someone who can buy a $1,000 guitar at $500 price, it’s a fair deal, but is he willing to buy it?
The main problem in choosing the used resonator is that you don’t know what happened to it in the previous life. It could have been dropped or damaged or some parts like cones were replaced or anything. You can mend or replace quite many things in the resonator, just like the electric guitar.
Buying used resonators is not always the failure, always make sure you are getting from the official and reputable stores.
Summary – Best Resonators Of 2020
Talking about the electric guitars or classical guitars is way too easy, but when it comes to the resonators, you may find may complicate stuff with multiple variations in styles and sounds. The basics for every guitar are difficult to understand at first, but once you know them, it’s only a matter of time that you learn the advanced tricks.
For everyone who might be a beginner round neck player or professional square neck spider wrestler, the top 5 resonator guitars on our list would be sufficient to give you the little bit of experience about what Resonator Guitars are and how to get the finest model in the very easy budget.
The more you learn about resonators, the less you are going to make mistakes with the normal acoustic guitars.
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Last update on 2023-04-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
