Fender Brown Derby Resonator Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

The Hound Dog sounds good acoustically and looks great, but I bought it specifically to amplify and use in live music situations. The Fishman pickup is an old style, under the resonator cone type. I plugged it into a Crate Gunnison acoustic amp and it was difficult to get any volume. The tone was shrill, even with bass on the amp maxed out. I then tried it with a Fishman preamp. That improved the volume level, but I could never dial in a tone that I liked. I could never get an amplified tone that was close to the acoustic, unplugged tone. If the company updated this resonator with a newer under saddle Fishman Nashville pickup, it would probably sound great. The Hound Dog was sent back to the pound.Rockabillybob

Overall: Dobro Hound Dog : This is one poor hound. Garbage. The pick-up is worthless. The fret wires are sharp. The action is so low; why is it even called a Dobro? It is an insult to the Dopyera Brothers. I don’t believe I can say anything good about it; it is That bad. Dobro? What does it mean? The one I have has a set-up too low to play bottleneck style. This will have to be a list of cons. Rough fret wires. The pick-up and electronics mystified all, until the return period had expired. I had no cord, patch cords or any jack at all that fit the input. After finding one, a “stereo” cord that fit, it was all hum and buzz. More waste. I needed to do something. I would like an acoustic guitar but the neck is so rough. Another complaint is the finish of the wood, which is rough. The cover plate was easily scratched and I don’t use picks. Basically, I have not gotten much use out of it. I will make this bad dog behave, I have a nut extender. . . So it is now in Open G and I play it w/ a tone bar for my lap steel. I’ ll need an ironing board to housebreak this dog. I think I’ll need a thumb pick.Wren

I have a number of acoustic type guitars – both steel and nylon strung. When playing these I rarely strum – it's a finger style combination of rock, flamenco, folk, blues and jazz ( a real mixture). The first thing I did was to change the strings (D'Addario Silk & Steel). As a result this little Fender beauty has turned into an excellent parlour guitar: it's responsive, lovely to play and remarkably loud for its size. Build quality is good and the sound projects well. If you're a chord strummer, I wouldn't suggest that the Sonoran is for you – but it responds superbly to finger style playing. It's subtle and responsive. For the money, it's very, very good. And of course, it's very, very easy to lug around. Love it!Gillian B.

Pretty nice sounding instrument! Way less money than most solid wood, small bodied shorter scale guitars, & stacks up decently against “higher end” offerings. As a traditionalist, the onboard electronics were an annoying detraction, but in practice the pickup system sounds far more natural than I was expecting. And as a couch/practice guitar, having a tuner on the instrument is handy, I’ll grudgingly admit. If I were the type to plug in an acoustic on stage, I’d get good use out of these features. There are a few other general things that caught my attention, listed in no particular order. The dynamic range is an interesting departure from typical full scale acoustics. It’s quieter when finger picked softly, but as loud or louder when dug into with a pick. Definitely doesn’t sound small when played with authority, & generally has great resonance. I’ve yet to try lighter strings, but with 12 gauge phosphor bronze, it doesn’t feel too slinky or incredibly different than a longer scale length acoustic. I do find it a tad more comfortable, but not a night & day difference. The only lesser aspect is mostly down to the stock setup. Action was a little on the high side, & the G# fret under the low E string was a little high, so G chords buzzed on that string. This doesn’t detract from my over all impression, as I’m imagining most folks buying a decent instrument will end up setting it up & leveling fretwork to taste. All in all, mine’s a very nice acoustic guitar by any measure, & its sound punches way above its weight class in terms of cost. I dig it.WJJ

This Fender guitar is awesome. Out of the box it is almost perfectly set up. The intonation is off just by a little bit and only with 2 or 3 strings. The sound seems a little washed while playing chords, but single notes are loud and clear. All the frets have edge treatment, nice and smooth. The synthetic bone used for the nut and bridge are way better than plastic, allowing for a long sustain. The guitar could use better tuning keys, but the guitar stays in tune good enough. Over all my guitar was built well, and I'm glad it sounds good, too. I would recommend this guitar for all beginner guitar players because of the sound quality, and anyone else who don't have the money for their dream guitar.Tim

I. Bought this G9200 several years ago. It's easy to play and has a great warm sound. I added a 12 Bar Blues pickup to it so I run it through my Positive Grid Spark amp with wonderful results. I use Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings which gives it a sweet response. It's a great blues instrument but just as punchy with bluegrass.Earl

The first time I tried one of this series, I liked it a lot but couldn't "pull the trigger" on buying another guitar. Someone I know bought one and mentioned it on Facebook, reminding me of my interest. I did some searching and checked "Watching" on a few listed on eBay and about a week later I saw a price drop on this one due to a rust spot on its metal cover so I purchased it . It needed a neck adjustment when it came but that was fairly easy to do. Now it's very playable and fun, and adds a new element to my acoustic recordings that previously were a standard dreadnought guitar, mandolin and bass guitar. Natural Bob Holdsworthmicky6119

This is a nice quality dobro type for the money. I'm guessing its all laminate. Which is fine with me. The cone is good sounding, it has a bone nut, and came with good quality strings. I got it for a western gig coming up for the looks. The fact that it sounds good it an added plus to boot. I also play delta blues bottleneck slide. String heights on the lower seven frets is easy to play. (Someone once told me there is no money above the fifth fret) It gets a little high at the 12th but I'm not playing speed leads up there. Its perfect for bottleneck slide. I have lots of guitars. I really didn't need it but I like it regardless.AZ RESO

This model of Goldtone squareneck resonator is absolutely best in class. I own two (tuned differently). Incredible bell like tone, sweet wailing and LOUD. I have been playing lapsteel for 40+ years. The color of the front of the guitar on this MF site is horrible. You can get some idea of color by the photo of the back of the guitar on this site. Best photos are on Paul Beard's store site. I ordered my first Gold Tone PBSDeluxe blind. The second one I ordered a year later through Paul Beard's shop because he goes through them and sets them up and changes anything that is not perfect. Once the second one arrived and I heard it, I shipped my first one to across country to have them do a set-up and also install a Fishman Aura pick up like I did with the other. Well worth it, even if you buy it through MF.Bugs

I. Bought this G9200 several years ago. It's easy to play and has a great warm sound. I added a 12 Bar Blues pickup to it so I run it through my Positive Grid Spark amp with wonderful results. I use Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings which gives it a sweet response. It's a great blues instrument but just as punchy with bluegrass.Earl

The first time I tried one of this series, I liked it a lot but couldn't "pull the trigger" on buying another guitar. Someone I know bought one and mentioned it on Facebook, reminding me of my interest. I did some searching and checked "Watching" on a few listed on eBay and about a week later I saw a price drop on this one due to a rust spot on its metal cover so I purchased it . It needed a neck adjustment when it came but that was fairly easy to do. Now it's very playable and fun, and adds a new element to my acoustic recordings that previously were a standard dreadnought guitar, mandolin and bass guitar. Natural Bob Holdsworthmicky6119

This is a nice quality dobro type for the money. I'm guessing its all laminate. Which is fine with me. The cone is good sounding, it has a bone nut, and came with good quality strings. I got it for a western gig coming up for the looks. The fact that it sounds good it an added plus to boot. I also play delta blues bottleneck slide. String heights on the lower seven frets is easy to play. (Someone once told me there is no money above the fifth fret) It gets a little high at the 12th but I'm not playing speed leads up there. Its perfect for bottleneck slide. I have lots of guitars. I really didn't need it but I like it regardless.AZ RESO

This model of Goldtone squareneck resonator is absolutely best in class. I own two (tuned differently). Incredible bell like tone, sweet wailing and LOUD. I have been playing lapsteel for 40+ years. The color of the front of the guitar on this MF site is horrible. You can get some idea of color by the photo of the back of the guitar on this site. Best photos are on Paul Beard's store site. I ordered my first Gold Tone PBSDeluxe blind. The second one I ordered a year later through Paul Beard's shop because he goes through them and sets them up and changes anything that is not perfect. Once the second one arrived and I heard it, I shipped my first one to across country to have them do a set-up and also install a Fishman Aura pick up like I did with the other. Well worth it, even if you buy it through MF.Bugs

This rig just oozes swamp blues. I use it for open slide and the sound makes me feel like I'm on a river somewhere in the deep south. The action was high, which is a good thing for slide. This beast is heavy… I mean hella heavy, and tends to want to slip off your lap (opposite of neck dive); I use a strap even when seated. There are no electronics (it's *so* loud that you might not really need them) and there is no strap button near the neck; you have to tie off a strap to the headstock. Only gripe is that I wish the octave was more accessible; if you're playing with slide on ring finger it's tough to get past the 11th fret.Alexander

Took acoustic fingerstyle lessons for a few years and played in a few ensembles. Last year I started on slide guitar. You can read my slide reviews elsewhere on MF. Well I wanted to go Resonator and this fit the bill. I compared it to high end ones and there is more a difference in "bling" than quality. For an active student and amateur performer this is a wonderful guitar. Great tone. Nice Frets. Sturdy soft V neck. Wide Nut for fingerstyle or slide playing. Very loud for an acoustic. The cone is great. For the price there is nothing to complain about. If I had to I'd say a matching case would nice – with faux gator skin. I am currently using a classical guitar padded gig bag and it fits like it was made for it.Mr. Prytania

I purchased the G9221 with pickup and spider bridge – and though it was a nice instrument the tone wasn't what I was looking for. So I then decided to get the G9201. I was wanting that filthy grimy ka-dunk delta tone on the low strings and the G9221 was more chimey with a sweet bell like tone. If you're not a slide player or don't specifically want that thick swampy resonator tone, the G9221 is more for you in my opinion. You get a resonating tone that can play your acoustic riffs that adds a melodic chime to them. If you are like me and want a thick growl from your resonator, the biscuit bridge G9201 is what you are looking for. Though it doesn't come with a pickup- based on acoustic tone alone these are the tonal differences I found, and for my playing style with the tone I was looking for I much preferred the G9201. That's not to say the G9221 isn't a quality instrument but based purely on tone I prefer the G9201. From an aesthetic perspective, the G9221 looks almost chrome to whereas the G9201 has the brass/metal body look but is not a mirror like chrome look in its appearance. The spider bridge vs the biscuit bridge along with differing body materials on each guitar produces 2 completely different tones. Hope this helps you make your selection.Jesse

The CC 60sce has a more cheery upper range, great for folk or country songs. The tuner is accurate and easy to read. The colors of the guitar really shine in good lighting. I'm not sure if it's the strings being new or if it's just the guitar but they seem to need some frequent tuning. Other than that, this is a great guitar for beginners hoping to play for a small audience or jamming with friends at home. Finally, I noticed it has good response vibrations in the body when you strum a full chord. It reacts nicely against your body. Would buy it again.Kai

Great feel and sound. But the little $1.99 door that holds the battery for the Fishman electronics is or will break, and it's a non-repairable part. You have to return the guitar to repair it. Disregarding the battery, the guitar is great. And I would buy it again. It's not a top of the line $1000 guitar, but it is a top of the line $200 guitar (with an extra $150 added on for broken electronics). The overall size is good, and the neck and frets are a good size for my 12 year old daughter. The action feels good with little fret buzz and it seems to stay in tune all day. I've had 2 of these now. My first one had a broken batt door when opening the box. Per Fender's rules, I returned the whole guitar for a replacement. Great! Except on the 2nd one the little door is too wimpy to stay clipped shut. So the battery just falls out. Maybe I'll have to resort to a big strip of duct tape to hold the door shut. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Or just rely on the clip-on tuner I already have and use a Mic to amplify it.Ben (again)

Great guitar for a beginner like me. Shame that the plastic battery cover didn't fit properly and I broke it trying to install the battery on the first day. That said, this is a really nice guitar for any level player. Good quality guitar but Fender should spend a few more pennies on that battery cover. Brilliant delivery from PMT ordered late afternoon arrived first thing the next day.Stephen D.

I added a Grover extension nut to raise the action (which is high to begin with) and am using it as a lap resonator. It is easier for me than the full size metal body square necks–I use a chair with a pillow next to me under the headstock to fully support the neck. It holds tuning quite well and the intonation is good. This is loud and gnarly–if you want smooth, this is not the instrument for you.Holly

I got a Rogue about four years ago and didn't expect much because the price was so low. I was pleasantly surprised to see the finish and workmanship. This is a beautiful instrument, and the sound is incredible: clean, penetrating, and fairly loud with great sustain. I've added a pick-up so I can run it through my Fishman amp, so it's even better. The guitar is far from perfect. The fingerboard is very narrow, so it's hard to finger-pick on it. And the intonation, as someone else mentioned, leaves a lot to be desired. The notes become increasingly sharp as you go up the neck, and if you put a capo on it, you'll have to tune all over again. Given those two issues, I play mostly slide, and almost exclusively in open tunings. The instrument serves me well that way, and was a good purchase at the price. But it does have those definite limitations.Steve

A lot of the reviews are old, so I thought I'd add to the more recent reviews. Looked at these when they were on sale, and got enen further savings when I bought a return. Described as in "mint" condition and it was. Only issues right out of the box were minor. The ball end of the 5th string was not seated correctly and the 5th and 6th strings were not in their slots in the bridge. These issues led to unwanted vibrations, but were easy fixes. Quality control appeared to be an issue in the early days of MF selling this instrument, but this seems to have been solved, as more recent reviews have been generally positive. Couple things I would suggest. One, put some graphite (pencil lead) in the slots of the nut before you tighten the strings or when you change strings the first time so that it will be easier to tune up. Second, I got this from reading somewhere, tighten and replace strings from the "inside out" like 342516, to keep the bridge/spider in place (probably remove them in the opposite order, outside in, too). The finish on this instrument was flawless, grain on the top was tight (yes, I know it's plywood, but it looks nice) and I like the figure of the wood on the back. Tuners are cheap and not the smoothest, but they get the job done and stay in tune. I peeked down onto the spider under the cover and it looks neatly done (I know from reading that the spider from these inexpensive guitars can have excess flashing and that may need to be addressed) and it sits evenly on the cone from what I can see. Eventually I will change strings and probably take it apart to look at the insides, but for now things look good and it sounds good. Not a high end instrument, but for what I paid for it (and this was a return, remember) this will be a good introductory instrument for me and I anticipate that it will serve me well until I get good enough to start thinking about upgrading. I'll play this for a month or so then I might get back with an update.Thisoldman

Had this guitar given to me as a Christmas gift. Although I immediately took I liking to its volume and tone quality, I thought its intonation and parts were a bit of a disappointment. Its intonation certainly isn't the best since the notes do get more and more sharp the higher you are on the fret board. The nut was sort of cheaply made, some of the grooves not even big enough to hold the strings it came with. Tuners were okay but out of all the guitars I own, I think this own goes out of tune the most. Even my Squier Affinity Telecaster, which is a guitar that comes in a complete guitarist starter package, stays in tune more and has better intonation. I would definitely recommend this guitar, especially to those that are more on the novice level or want an affordable resonator. If you do buy this guitar I just want you to know that it does have great tone, but I suggest finding a local music store that fixes guitars because it can use some improvements. You may want to ask them to have the instrument intonated. As for the tuners, you may want to replace them with Grover tuning machines. They're often used on Epiphone Les Paul's. My Les Paul has these tuners and they can go a few weeks without going out of tune. The tuners on this guitar can hardly go a few hours without going out of tune. Just something to consider if you do buy this.J.R.

Overall: I ordered a from zZounds,received it super fast as usual,let it sit for a bit to get acclimated to the temp inside my house as I had ordered it in the winter. After playing it for over a year I’ve got to hand it to Epiphone for making sure they got it right. This thing rings forever and plays like butter,actually I could stand to bring the action up to make slide playing easier but I don’t want to mess with a good thing. You aren’t tied to one style of music with this guitar,yes it can very easily get that classic metal bodied sound but depending on your picking technique it gets a very decent folk sound and fingerpicking tone also. Intonation is right on the money and I’ve had no problems with build quality whatsoever. Yes it gets fingerprints super easy but it’s made to play,not just look at(although when shined up she’s pretty). I might try using heavier strings to play more slide but I love the tone it has already and I have a guitar already dedicated to slide anyways. Definitely a keeper,already won over some converts from the musicians who frequently visit my place.. I recommend it!Dave

I’m very happy with this resonator guitar, but there’s some initial work to do which any resonator owner needs to learn. All typical with any resonator unless buying very high end models and even then.,, After I made some tweaks my guitar is singing very nicely. I usually play in open tuning and play a lot of slide. You won’t find better for this price and you might find a guitar much lower quality for the same.If you seek a wood bodied reso with no electronics for under $800 you should consider. Oh and 13-56 strings should go on immediately after initial inspection/work. Your tone will immediately improve in open tunings like G, D, and C. I rated a 5 taking into consideration price and the fact it’s a resonator guitar. Rated as is for what it is.Mountain Rock

I spent a few months researching resonator guitars, and ultimately settled on the Dobro Hound Dog. I really like the simple, vintage look, as I really feel that it's the type of look that goes along with classic blues and slide guitar. Overall, I'm very happy with the look and feel of the instrument, and the sound is unique enough to be a welcome addition to my set of instruments. A few of the negatives: When I first received the guitar from MF, there were several rough spots in the finish, and what appeared to be some specks of glue that had hardened on the finish, and I was not able to remove them. I returned the guitar to MF for an exchange, and the experience was straightforward and hassle-free. Upon receieving the replacement guitar, I noticed a few of the same "rough patches" in the finish, although it had none of the same "glue specks". It's not really an issue; like I said, it is a vintage looking and feeling guitar, just don't go into it thinking that you'll be getting a 100% smooth, laminated-type finish. Again, not a big deal, I'm just overly particular, and I didn't know that was a fairly standard finish for this guitar. Like some others have stated on here, the stock strings are garbage. Just bank on throwing in some coated resonator strings in with your order. I was going to upgrade eventually; new guitars typically come with junky strings, so I wasn't too upset about it. Overall, it is a solid instrument with a great look and great sound. If it came with better strings, and would've been described as having a semi rough, "vintage finish", I would rate it 100%. In my opinion, it's hard to find a nice sounding acoustic in this price range, so this is a nice value, and a great addition to anyone's arsenal who is looking to throw in some slide guitar and unique twang.travis2013

Regal RD-40 resonator guitars come in two flavors, round neck and square neck. I have one of the latter. The listing here is a bit confusing, because the headline says round neck but the description says square neck. The round neck seems to go for about $200 more, so this is probably a square neck version as in the description. What is the difference? The round necks can be played like a regular guitar. Square neck versions have much higher action; there's no way you can press the string to the fretboard! These are commonly played as a laptop, laid flat, as Ben Harper like to play slide, for example. That also lends itself to using a bar type slide, which is held between fingers rather than a regular bottle style that fits on one finger.Stickman

I've been a GC customer for many years without issues or complaints. However, I was sadly disappointed with this guitar. I purchased the Regal RD-40 M on the GC website and it arrived yesterday. It looked really nice out of the box, but when I began to gradually tension the strings and tune it there was a loud bang and the strings went limp. I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered the entire tail piece had cracked about 90% across the bottom of the guitar. A little more and it would have come completely off. So today I returned it to my local GC about 30 miles away for a full refund. They were very accommodating. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I expected better at the price point. The quality control folks in China missed something critical. I plan to continue researching my options on a resonator style guitar.Windchaser

This Regal is pretty much your best bet for sound and quality from a manufacturer outside the United States. It will serve me well until I can afford a National resonator.j_r_s_one

Looks gorgeous, sounds great. Has a lovely vintage sound especially when finger picking the higher strings. Perfect if you want to get into slide, or folk.Reviewed by Project Music custom

This guitar has a great sound in a variety of styles. Sounds like a National for a fraction of the price. It is also beautifully made to a very high standard. I can’t believe it’s a sub £1k guitar!Reviewed by Project Music custom

The resonator itself is great. It has very good tone and action. It holds tuning well. Very playable both in fingerstyle and with slideJK

OK, I know I'm not being entirely realistic, but it's not going to get 5 stars unless the one I get shows up playing like the ones in the maker's demo videos. I've been playing and fixing instruments for 60 years, and so know well to expect any new-made one to need a little setup, and at this price maybe a lot. This one arrived with the neck a bit back-bowed, requiring a little truss-rod adjustment, and the frets needed leveling, re-crowning and their ragged ends smoothed, but that's all. The nut and bridge were fine right out of the box– including quite good intonation, which really surprised me. I've had several resonator guitars over the years, and even some otherwise very well-made ones have needed some serious tinkering to get the bridge in the right place! Yes, this is the same amazingly good-sounding instrument they show in those videos– POTENTIALLY! It's going to take some basic set-up work to get it there, and if you can't do it yourself, that will cost something. Add a hundred to it, though, and you'll still have a whole lot of instrument for the money– about 1/8 what a new National goes for. Of course the National is far superior, but IMO this RK (with a little tweaking) manages to get a lot closer than it has any right to. Recording King really knows where to cut corners, and where not to. This guitar has a 2-way truss rod, bone nut, spun cone, ebony-capped maple bridge saddle, and nice smooth-working Kluson-knockoff tuners. I was very happy to see that it has a removable bridge guard (which none of the online pictures of this model showed), and even happier that I haven't wanted to remove it yet. Oh, and it's good-looking, too. RK does a very nice job of design in the style of the mail-order instruments that came out of Kalamazoo back when, without making them literal copies. Mine's a lot darker than the pictures– In strong light, you can see the "Tobacco Sunburst" a bit, but it's pretty close to just black, which is fine with me. The fingerboard was sort of greyish and ashy-looking, which I didn't like so well, but Old English oil and 0000 steel wool darkened it up a bit and brought out the grain of the wood very nicely.Dan

Sono rimasto molto soddisfatto dell’acquisto, anche se fa parte della fascia di prezzo economica è rifinita molto bene, l’action delle corde ( ovviamente è soggettivo) non ha bisogno di altre regolazioni e il suono sorprendentemente bello. Non sono un esperto l’ho presa più per divertirmi ma nulla da criticare.Angelo Di Nunzio

This model of Goldtone squareneck resonator is absolutely best in class. I own two (tuned differently). Incredible bell like tone, sweet wailing and LOUD. I have been playing lapsteel for 40+ years. The color of the front of the guitar on this MF site is horrible. You can get some idea of color by the photo of the back of the guitar on this site. Best photos are on Paul Beard's store site. I ordered my first Gold Tone PBSDeluxe blind. The second one I ordered a year later through Paul Beard's shop because he goes through them and sets them up and changes anything that is not perfect. Once the second one arrived and I heard it, I shipped my first one to across country to have them do a set-up and also install a Fishman Aura pick up like I did with the other. Well worth it, even if you buy it through MF.Bugs

Great guitar. My first resonator. Difficult to know whether to take the plunge or not, but I'm glad I did and I'm very happy with it. Nicely set up by the team at Project Music.Reviewed by Project Music custom

This model of Goldtone squareneck resonator is absolutely best in class. I own two (tuned differently). Incredible bell like tone, sweet wailing and LOUD. I have been playing lapsteel for 40+ years. The color of the front of the guitar on this MF site is horrible. You can get some idea of color by the photo of the back of the guitar on this site. Best photos are on Paul Beard's store site. I ordered my first Gold Tone PBSDeluxe blind. The second one I ordered a year later through Paul Beard's shop because he goes through them and sets them up and changes anything that is not perfect. Once the second one arrived and I heard it, I shipped my first one to across country to have them do a set-up and also install a Fishman Aura pick up like I did with the other. Well worth it, even if you buy it through MF.Bugs