Resonator Guitar

music · guitars · bluegrass

Metal cones instead of wood. Resonator guitars have spun metal cones inside that vibrate instead of a wooden sounding board like regular acoustic guitars. The strings' vibrations travel through the bridge and make the metal cones ring, which creates the guitar's bold, distinctive sound.

Designed to compete with orchestras. Back in the early 1900s, regular acoustic guitars were too quiet to be heard over loud horns and drums in dance orchestras. Musicians invented resonator guitars to be much louder and cut through all that noise.

Special twangy tone. Even after electric amplifiers were invented and solved the volume problem, resonator guitars stayed popular because musicians loved their unique, shimmering, metallic sound. They became especially famous in bluegrass and blues music.

Prized by musicians. The distinctive tone of a resonator guitar can't be exactly copied by regular acoustic guitars, so many professional musicians still choose them today for their special character and presence.