I Didn't Win the Resonator - But I Bought One.

     If you like guitars, and I do, you'll know that an acoustic guitar is more personal than an electric guitar is. I think so anyway. I have always felt that an acoustic guitar is a private instrument, while an electric guitar is more public. I could be wrong, but that is how I feel about them. I have only owned acoustics. I don't have a reason to own anything else. I'm not performing; I am simply playing, and the size of my audience depends on how many of my dogs and cats hang around in my office. The lizard is captive; she doesn't have a choice or a means of escape.

    Well, I decided to fulfill my desires and acquire every type of guitar I've ever wanted; I could, so I did. I don't buy cigarettes, booze, drugs, or gamble, so I decided to buy the guitars I wanted so that I can say, "This is my guitarsenal" and I can feel their energy and outstanding love as it resonates throughout the office/studio.  I used the word "resonate", and that was intentional. I now have five (5) acoustic guitars, but only one of them is a resonator; I just bought it. Before I bought it, I put in a bid for one online through an eBay auction. I was winning right up to the end, and then someone else outbid me. It's OK, I found a better one! (so I bought it)

    The one I was bidding on was really, really cool, I'm not going to lie. It was a Gretsch parlor-sized, brass-bodied resonator, probably made between 2015 and 2020. It was beautiful, but it was broken. The reason it was so cheap is that the neck was broken. It was broken, however, in a way that I could have fixed it with literally some wood glue and a clamp, but it was, in fact, broken. That lowered the price considerably.  My good friend and I just left Guitar Center in Oklahoma City, where they have one exactly like it for $839.  My top bid was $176; the winner took it for $237.

    Well, what do you do when you want a resonator but the one you were looking at was sold? Simple answer...bid again. No. I decided not to bid, not to wait at all. There was one I liked that was for sale at another site, the Musicians' Friend (Link), and they had a few for sale that were used, refurbished, repaired, or just older and sitting around. They travel and pick things up, and they buy and sell online. They have a great reputation, and the shipping was amazingly priced. When I asked the guy about it, he said they do bulk shipping so they can afford to lower their prices; it was $19.97! (Granted, it will take 4 days to get here, but still - $19.97!  The guitar was only $129.

    I bought an early 2000s model Rogue laminate-bodied maple colored resonator with the traditional F-hole design. It is a square neck; I would have preferred a round, but I'll learn to love it. Resonators are mostly used in bluegrass, country, and/or folk settings because they have an almost banjo sound to them. The strings vibrate off a metal cone or plate, not a hollowed wooden body; it resonates! You know what it sounds like when you hear it, and I really haven't met anyone who doesn't love the sound. 

    I name all of my guitars, and they all have identities; usually, dealing with where I got them or what they remind me of. I have "Cash", a black Fender. He's named for Johnny Cash. I have "Wally" for William Wallace, because I'm a huge Scottish fan, and the man I bought him from is named Jim Wallace.  I have "Norman"; he is a 1974 model parlor-sized Aria that was found in a dumpster in Norman, Oklahoma! If you can believe that! Who throws out guitars? The maintenance man at the apartment complex rescued him and put him up for sale. He was $50! I couldn't drive fast enough to pick him up.  I have "MacRae", he's coming to me this week. He's a 1930-1933 Ercar acoustic with a pretty artistic sound hole. 

    Now, as of a few minutes ago, I have "Belle Starr"; I'll likely call her Starr. She is my resonator - I could have called her Bonnie for Bonnie Parker, she resonated too! Hopefully, the guitar won't be infamous or full of daring misbehavior like those two women, but I have a soft spot for Belle Starr, even if I'm not supposed to have one. She wasn't misunderstood, nothing like that. All of her decisions were her own, but she was an interesting woman if nothing else, and though she was an outlaw, she was revered and respected as far as I can tell.  When asked once why she was bad, she quipped that good women don't make it into the papers. She had a lot of moxy, that's for sure.

    Well, so that's it. I have all the guitars I need until, of course, I decide I need something else. However, I want to play each guitar for 10-15 minutes a day, so five is a good number to have if I'm planning on sharing my time with them. They each sound different from one another, and that's the main reason people have a slew of guitars when they get into it. I wouldn't be the one to tell someone they didn't need a few, only because, like I said earlier, I don't spend excessive amounts of money on any type of vice. What other hobby can you get fully into for less?  If I were into flying planes, I'd be mortgaging my house to get just one! I'm good with my guitar hoarding...or collecting. I'll probably stop at five. (probably)

Photo Credit: Musician's Friend