Help from members

[jaged]

Hi.

After buying a Hohner L75 electric Guitar I have become interested in the slide Guitar, mainly for Bluegrass. Reading Michael`s introduction to resonator guitars it would seem that the Regal RD45 is an ideal instrument for a beginner.
The problem is I have been looking for a while now but I can’t find one in the UK at present. The thought has crossed my mind about importing one from the USA but I would feel happier to hear from someone who has done this about the pitfalls and hidden costs (customs etc) involved in doing this.
Could someone advise me about this please and any recommendations about particular sources over there?
Alternatively are there any other Dobro type instruments that would be as suitable? I see various makes on Ebay such as Cozart @$202, Recording King RM-996 @£289.99, SX Resonator square neck for £299.99, Ozark square neck £299.99 and Hound Dog deluxe round neck $449. They all look very convincing but being a suspicious type I would not buy anything unless I had a recommendation from someone who knows what they are talking about, I don’t. So I would welcome advise and comments from anyone about these or other resonators that would be suitable for a price of about £300-350
So thanks in advance for any imput.

[Deleted]

Hiya
First up, import duty has worked out for me at about 20% extra.
TT

[bod]

Hi jaged

I have a Regal RD40 (a more recent model, I think, than the RD45 mentioned Michael's article), which I have been very happy with for the price paid - I also know that another forum member has one that they have used for recordings and been pleased with. So that might be worth a look.

That said, were I looking today I'd go for a Busker Tennessee - I haven't played one, but they look and sound good and I'd rather buy from Busker than most places, as the service and support is brilliant. Good price too...

Info: www.buskerguitars.co.uk/10.html and sound clip...

[mikeshipman]

Hi Jaged - welcome to the forum.
Hobgoblin stock Regal reso's - see here:
www.hobgoblin.com/local/sales/530/resonator-and-slide-guitars/
Cheers, Mike

[bod]

Hi again, just a quick further comment.
I said above that I was happy with my Regal RD45 'for the price paid', having just noticed that these appear to be going for £499 new I feel obliged to add that I didn't pay anything like that for mine and were I looking at spending that much on a dobro I'd want to find the extra funds and try out a Beard Gold Tone, which are held to be a kind of benchmark for budget dobros... (in the UK Frailers definitely carry them www.frailers.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=159 maybe other places do too)

[vent]

I have a Regal 14 fret model from the early '90s. I bought a Quarterman cone and pick-up from Stewart Mac Donald and had a local dobro expert do the installing. His name's Cedric Thorose and he completely re-set up the guitar as the tailpiece, bridge & neck weren't properly aligned. Beautiful job and it's a fine sounding beast but I managed to find a National Jazz Blues in a shop who had it at a price far less than it should have been so I don't play the Regal much anymore.

I'd be willing to sell, it's in really good nick. I live in London.

[slidenpickit]

Importing a guitar from the USA is straight forward. The 'hidden' costs as people call them are import duty, VAT and postage. It really depends on the exchange rate as to whether or not you get a bargain. It can work out cheaper but if anything goes wrong it may be a lot more hassle to put right unless you know the seller well. Import duty 5% VAT 20% + postage (can be up between $75 to $150) has to be added to the price of the guitar. So the 'bargain' can become less so. Also there is a risk that if a resonator is dropped on its back by the careful baggage handlers the cone or cones can be damaged. If I were looking for a budget resonator I would be looking at Thomann. They have a 30 day return policy and cheap if not free postage. Busker are excellent if you want a wooden squareneck for Bluegrass or find something on the free sites.

[slidenpickit]

Also, you need to be clear whether you want a square neck or a round neck. For a beginner instrument I would choose a round neck, then if you decide it's lap style you want to play mostly, it could be adapted easily. Plus, to begin with you can play both styles on a round neck which is satisfying enough for you to get the resobug.

Good Luck

[Michael Messer]

Hi Jaged,

The article you have read on my website was published in February 2005 and probably written in the autumn of 2004. A lot has changed in the resonator guitar market in that time and if I was writing the article today I would not recommend the RD45 as the best budget-priced entry level Dobro-style guitar.

My recommendation today in the UK would be to get a Busker Tennessee. It is very well made and has a proper Dobro sound. It is a better guitar than the Regal RD45. As I said, so much has changed in those years and there are some very good far-eastern guitars being built today. Back in 2004 the RD45 was the best of what was available.

For playing bluegrass you will probably want a square-neck guitar. You wouldn't be making a mistake buying a Tennessee from Robin. I know how those guitars were sourced and how much research both Robin and I did to find a Dobro-style guitar for his Busker range of instruments.

I hope that is helpful. I am sorry that you have been trying so hard to track down a guitar that I recommended in Acoustic magazine, but it was written seven or eight years ago. I don't want to remove those articles from the Internet, but they do have their date of publication on them to avoid confusion.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions about any of this stuff.

Best wishes,

Shine On
Michael.

[jaged]

Wow, thank you all very much. I will be looking at the options mentioned but the Busker looks like it will be the one. I do appreciate all your help and comments. It1s so easy to go out and waste £300 on somthing mediocre when there are good instruments out there, that are not well known, for a similar price.
I`m glad I joined the forum and will be reading all I can from now on.