Resonator Ukes

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Joyful Uke

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I was listening to Del Rey the other day, and thought that a resonator uke might be fun to try. And then I looked at the price at the one for sale on the Elderly site, and figured it was only fun to listen to. :D

But, I know that there are less expensive versions, so tell me about resonator ukes.

I tried reading through some old threads on UU, and saw mention of needing to know how to care for them, (for the cones?), but no explanation given.

I would guess that there are probably some poor quality reso ukes on the market, so how do you know which to avoid and which is worth a try?

What is string tension like compared to a standard ukulele?

Anything else one should know if interested in a reso uke?
 
I only have experience with the National brand for guitars and Ukes. These are not cheap because they are quality instruments. Bodies on resonators are not as important as solid body Ukes because it is the spun aluminium cone that projects the sound, not the sound board like on a solid wood/laminate Uke. You will find National spun Aluminium cones being used in other brands. Re string tension I would recommend medium-heavy, high tension strings in order to drive the cone. Maybe some other UUers that play Reso’s frequently can pipe in with some thoughts.
 
Gold Tone makes a good quality Resonator uke for a very reasonable price point. I believe it is a concert scale.
 
I personally do not like the sound of inexpensive resonators such as Luna. They look cute but not worth it to me. Love my Mya Moe concert resonator.
 
I am picky about sound quality and intonation, but if I'm not sure if I'd play resonator much, it seems a bit pricey to go with the 2 that people seem to like best, (National - still available, and Mya Moe who won't be making more ukuleles.) Unless, of course, someone has one that they'd like to sell for a great price. :)

Gold Tone sounds like a possible runner-up, though. (I've been reading past posts here, and listening to some YouTubes.) How is the intonation? Playability? Concert scale is good for me, so that part is good.

What care and feeding does one need to know about for the resonators?

Can you install a strap button? How much heavier are the resonator ukuleles than the standard ukuleles?

This is what I get for wandering around YouTube. LOL.
 
Joyful Uke said:
I was listening to Del Rey the other day, and thought that a resonator uke might be fun to try. And then I looked at the price at the one for sale on the Elderly site, and figured it was only fun to listen to. :D

But, I know that there are less expensive versions, so tell me about resonator ukes.

I tried reading through some old threads on UU, and saw mention of needing to know how to care for them, (for the cones?), but no explanation given.

I would guess that there are probably some poor quality reso ukes on the market, so how do you know which to avoid and which is worth a try?

What is string tension like compared to a standard ukulele?

Anything else one should know if interested in a reso uke?
Click to expand...

I have a Gold Tone ResoUke, and I like it. It's all metal, and the price is reasonable. I also converted an Enya tenor to a resonator. Interesting project. As Barry Maz said, There are cheap resonators and very expensive ones - not much in between.
 
I realize this thread is about less-expensive resonator ukuleles, but I recently got a newer National Reso-Phonic steel-bodied uke and can testify to their quality. Beautifully made, plays great, sounds excellent (especially tuned up to D) and is the loudest uke I have ever played. Recommended, for those who can find one at a reasonable price.
 
Tim Mullins said:
I realize this thread is about less-expensive resonator ukuleles, but I recently got a newer National Reso-Phonic steel-bodied uke and can testify to their quality. Beautifully made, plays great, sounds excellent (especially tuned up to D) and is the loudest uke I have ever played. Recommended, for those who can find one at a reasonable price.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily just about less-expensive resonator ukuleles. It sounds like the high end models are well liked, so maybe saving up while learning about them is reasonable. :)

Any input on care of the resonator ukuleles?
 
Tim Mullins said:
I realize this thread is about less-expensive resonator ukuleles, but I recently got a newer National Reso-Phonic steel-bodied uke and can testify to their quality. Beautifully made, plays great, sounds excellent (especially tuned up to D) and is the loudest uke I have ever played. Recommended, for those who can find one at a reasonable price.
Click to expand...

The National and the Beltona sit at the top of the hill. They're the best but pricey. For my purposes, the Gold Tone and my converted Enya fill the bill.
 
Tim Mullins said:
I realize this thread is about less-expensive resonator ukuleles, but I recently got a newer National Reso-Phonic steel-bodied uke and can testify to their quality. Beautifully made, plays great, sounds excellent (especially tuned up to D) and is the loudest uke I have ever played. Recommended, for those who can find one at a reasonable price.
Click to expand...

For those who might be interested based on Tim's comment, I have a very unique National Resonator I'm considering selling. It's this very uke (I updated it after I acquired it to gold UPT's to stick with the theme):

https://www.theukulelesite.com/ukulele-market/national-concert-resonator-ukulele-mint-condition.html

PM me if seriously interested.
 
I have a kala resonator tenor uke , not too expensive. Ditch the strings and put on living water fluorocarbon strings.

Sounds great to me
 
I'd love to try out a Beltona or a National. Never see either one in the local stores. Both seem to have the stellar reputation that eludes the low priced resonators.
 
I love resonators and have owned resonators made by Gold Tone and Kala.

I presently am fortunate to have three resonators, all concert size. A Mya Moe, a nickel over brass Stuart Wailing and a wooden (utiel) Stuart Wailing. All three of these are wonderful instruments and unique in their feel and sound. Mya Moe recently retired, so you can no longer buy a resonator from them. Stuart still makes them for a very reasonable price, and he is a pleasure to deal with. Also, he'll do a radius fretboard, which I prefer, and the necks are spot on for intonation.

One thing to know with resonators is that you make your life easier if you change one string at a time because doing it that way keeps the strings in place.

Also, there does seem to be a significant difference in sound quality/tone with the resonators that exceed $500 USD.

I hope that helps.
 
Thanks for all the input and advice.

Glad to know that caring for a resonator ukulele isn't a big deal. I thought I had seen a comment elsewhere that you needed to know what you were doing, but maybe that was for people who like to tinker with the innards?

Given the expense of the higher quality versions, I'll have to make sure I'm really serious about this before I spring for one, but I'm sure enjoying YouTubes of people playing them.
 
I have played Kala, National, Mya-Moe, Beltona, and Recording King resonator ukuleles. I own a National Triolian, that I got used from Mountain Goat, back when Jon used a different name (g).

The Kala was the property of Stu Fuchs, so it had optimal setup. The Mya-Moe belongs to TCK, so it is likewise perfect. The Recording King was at a music store, and... After trying for over 30 minutes, I just gave up. Nothing I could do would get it in tune, the intonation was horrendous, and the sound was... meh.

There might be a playable Recording King out there, but it isn't worth my time to go look for it. The others are worth looking for.

-Kurt​

I forgot that the Beltona was Stu Fuchs' instrument, also. Again, the intonation was spot on, and the sound was very nice.
 
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