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Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | 
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | very nice but not a real one. Much more affordable, I'm sure.
Enjoy it!! |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | Yeah was trying for a 1930s National but is was £1600+. Sadly the budget is nowhere near that! |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Nice shiny guitar........
Has it arrived yet or are you still waiting to decide or on delivery? |
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April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | I think I've pretty much settled on this one, not ordered it yet.
Cannot justify paying top dollar for a 30s National as I'm a novice slide player. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | What brand is this? Unless you are prepared to spend a little extra on a good cone and a pro set-up cheap resonator guitars are a waste of time, and almost all of the Chinese ones are junk, even with better cones. Do you have the contact info for the 30's National for £1600, and do you know the model? I'd like to take a look at that, it sounds like a bargain at that price. You can't buy a current new National outside of the US for much less.
Dweezil, if you are not sure about resonator guitars do not buy anything on impulse. Talk to people who know first. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | The National sold and was in pretty bad shape, god only knows what state the neck was in (no truss rod obviously), the body had certainly been through the wars (quite literally ;) ). There is a '96 National on Ebay now for £1200+ but I do not have that budget.
I apprecaite that the general feeling is that most of the mass produced ones aren't up to much but...
As for the one I'm thinking of getting it's the brain child of Michael Messer...
With over thirty years experience of playing, collecting & reviewing resonator guitars, I have been working with a small guitar workshop and UK importer to create what I believe are the most authentic & playable 1930s style resonator guitars at an affordable and realistic price.
The body dimensions, neck profile, headstock, spun aluminium cone & set-up will give the player the classic tone,
volume & feel of a 1930s resonator guitar. I believe these are the only budget priced resonator guitars available that can boast these features.
The factory is excellent. It is only very small, more of a workshop than a factory. I am quality controlling design & finish in a similar way to how Marks & Spencer does with its own branded products. These guitars have my name splattered all over them, so everything has to be as right as we can get it, without turning them into expensive guitars. So far I am knocked out with these instruments. Otherwise I would not have put my name to them.
The MM guitars are being produced in the same workshop as Busker & Republic, but the MM ones are different. MM guitars are quality controlled and designed by me. Well, me and John Dopyera & his merry gang. The factory are producing these instruments exclusively for me.
The Lightning Bolt is properly sandblasted on the nickel plated finish. The neck, body and cones are all produced at the workshop. But as I have stated a couple of times - all under my supervision & with my approval. So the neck feels and plays like the real thing.
There is no way I would put my name on a resonator guitar unless it really is an exceptional instrument for the price. The whole idea of this is to create a REALLY GOOD affordable National style of guitar and I believe we have done exactly that.
The whole budget resophonic guitar market is swamped with instruments that are branded with different names by importers who have no interest or care about what they are selling. Just read my reviews of various brands over the years and look at peoples' comments on this forum.
I really do believe in these two guitars, otherwise I would not have done it.
I simply do not have £1500+ to spare for a resonator. The small dedicated company (Busker Guitars) seem to know there stuff and with Michael on board I have no reason to beleive this is not just hot air.
Thanks for the advice on buying on impulse etc, I have consulted with other people. Loads of very positive customer and mag reviews, Ian at Diamond Slides raved about their reso's. One guy on the AG forum who has Nationals, King Tuts and various other reso's seems to know what he's talking about said...
"I reckon if anyone can make a decent resonator at an affordable price, Michael probably can!" |
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April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | Having spoken to Robin at Busker he took his time to establish what my playing style was etc and will be performing a pro setup on it using a hybrid setup, i.e. for fingerstyle and slide.
The reason for buying a reso is to play the few blues solo pieces I play and to expand my repertoire / technique / style to incorporate slide. I think that this is a decent budget reso, if I really develop my slide technique then I can always get a more 'authentic' (expensive) reso later. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | More positive vibes from AG...
Hiya Dweezil!
If I had the money I would buy it!Michael Messer is not only a great guitarist-but he is a decent bloke.Definately use his resonator strings too-they are excellent.If you have the money-then go for it!Michael knows his resonator stuff!
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April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | And that guy has been playing for 30 years, studied with Tommy Emmanuel CGP, Preston Reed and the late Eric Roche and has opened for Andy McKee,Thomas Leeb and Amrit Sond.
So I reckon he knows what he's saying. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I've just hooked up with Robin at Busker, who is a nice guy and very knowlegable, and I'm going to be carrying several of his guitars. The Messer stuff is the best of the Chinese-made resos. I've just taken delivery of some of the Busker compact squarenecks and they are the only inexpensive resos I've ever had that didn't need any set-up before they went on sale. They arrived free from the rattles, buzzes and thin, plinky tone that plague budget resonator guitars, and they sound amazing. Looks like you made a good choice. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | Thanks Paul, I was getting worried there for a second! |
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OT: Next purchase. WARNING! May induce dribbling
