This is my favorite Reso. Best I've ever played. As a passionate slide and finger-style player, I've always been seduced by resophonic guitars. The history and timbre is just so cool. That haunting metallic sound reminds me of an America I wish I was old enough to know.
That said, I could never justify the loss in "woodiness" that I'd grown accustomed to playing small-bodied wooden flat-tops. Just used to it I guess. This guitar is a whole different story.
First off, it's about 3 times louder than any reso I can ever remember hearing. It has a focused honk that could scare the end-pin out of an addy-topped dread from across the room.
It's not all "metal" and "honk", though. It's rich, woody, and complex too. It's almost like two guitars being played simultaneously. An acoustic guitar played acoustically, while at the same time, broadcasting blues through a primitive metal speaker. It's a dream stereo setup in an instrument that rests comfortably in your lap.
It plays like a dream. Setup the way it is now, you can easily fret or slide on it by simply changing the tuning (or not, if you're one of those people who can play slide in standard...that's always felt like playing "don't step in the lava" to me)
This is old "sinker" wood, so it's beautiful, responsive, and resonant.
What else can I say?
Mr. Franks had a goal and he knocked it COMPLETELY out of the park...it's still going.
Robinson@SoundPure.com
919-682-5552