The Magic of the Resonator Guitar

In this month’s edition of the Maple Street Guitars Newsletter, we have a video of yours truly contrasting a couple National-Resophonic single cone resonators.    As a bit of a resonator nerd, this task was just a terrible imposition, requiring me to abandon my beloved post as principal e-mailer, jack of all trades, and office manager to go play some captivating guitars… ;-)   All kidding aside, since my late teens I have had a fascination with resonator guitars that has remained constant throughout my career as a musician and retailer.   Resonator guitars, particularly Nationals, are an important piece of American history, having contributed to the quintessential tone of many genres of music including: Hawaiian slack key, country blues, rock n’ roll, country, blues, and contemporary fingerstyle.  (On an interesting side note, the collaboration between two key players in the National guitar company, Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp, also led to the earliest commercially viable electric guitar pickup designs.)  Obviously, folks are instantly drawn to the primal, industrial look of a resonator, as it does indeed pique one’s curiosity.  And, the subsequent fact that you instantly get attention when you play one is appealing (this was admittedly a bit of a factor when I was a teenager!).   Yet, as is always true when it comes to instruments, it is the sound of a resonator guitar that sets them apart from all other guitars.  

Now, I will not get into exhaustive detail where the history of these instruments is concerned, as that is readily available for anyone who cares to do some research on the internet—for those interested in doing so, I recommend a site called guitarhq.com; or, for the more old school readers, I highly recommend Bob Brozman’s The History and Artistry of National Resonator Instruments, which you can typically find in our store.   I will, however, briefly relay my own experience with these uniquely beautiful guitars.  Somewhere around age eighteen, I began to take a harder look at slide as I attempted to play Leo Kottke tunes and some basic blues.  Being terminally stubborn, I hadn’t bothered to really research conventional open tunings or techniques at that time; rather, I contented myself with drop D and double dropped D tunings, which I explored quite a bit.  A year later, I made the mistake that anyone with dormant addictive or compulsive tendencies should never make: I casually picked up a resonator for the first time thinking, “I wonder what that double dropped D tune I’ve been working on would sound like on this?”  Well, as you might suspect, I played one chord and was instantly smitten with serious guitar lust!  Being a man of humble means at the time, I was forced to negotiate a layaway with my dear mother.  Ultimately, however, I became the proud owner of a National Polychrome Tricone, the first high quality guitar that I ever purchased for myself and the instrument that would eventually be dubbed “the Magic Guitar”.

My initial goal in obtaining my Polychrome was to become a proficient slide player.  Yet, as I explored open tunings, I soon discovered that the tone of the instrument was inspiring me to take an unexpected path, that being fingerstyle music in open tunings.  I attribute this to the fact that the mechanical speaker of a resonator guitar generates an otherworldly blend of power and ethereal brilliance, where notes have tremendous sustain and interplay.  This, in conjunction with open tunings, allowed me to compose interesting progressions and harmonies with relatively simple, minimalist fingerings.  Of course, what seemed like a revelation to me at the time was, in fact, the well-established engine of inspiration for so many players who have embraced resonator guitars and/or open tunings (little did I know!).  Like those before me, I discovered that the tone of my Polychome consistently inspired me, to the point that I firmly, albeit superstitiously, concluded that it was charmed and was some sort of mystical conduit through which songs were delivered.  I therefore began referring to the guitar as “the Magic Guitar,” and assumed that whenever it was not in use it was merely charging up for its next inspirational transmission.  As crazy as all that might sound, I recently watched an interview with Mark Knopfler where he referred to his now famous National Style O (upon which he wrote “Romeo and Juliet”) as a magic guitar, so go figure! 

All romance and mysticism aside, resonator guitars are truly enthralling instruments.  As evidenced by my account and by their application in a wide array of musical genres, they are far more than just a slide guitar.   Bearing that in mind, if you have yet to experience one for yourself, I certainly encourage you to do so, here in our store or elsewhere—I’m clearly a bit biased, but I’m confident you’ll be glad you did!  Whether or not you get bitten by the bug as I did, your appreciation for this important and radical variation on traditional guitar design will surely grow….     – Lindsay Petsch  (March, 2018)