Resonator Ukes

Am I right in thinking resonators only come in concert size ? ie no tenor size.
Any reason for this ?
Tx....
 
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iirc,
Beltona make tenors, the Songster, and a Soprano body with either a soprano or concert scale neck, the blue uke.
I believe most of the soprano reso's you see are soprano bodies with concert necks.
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I bought a Recording King resonator for$100 on ebay.
It's beautiful to look at, it's a good strummer and for $100 I'm glad I have it.
But...the intonation is less then perfect when you pick it and I don't like the tuners.
Although a resonator is great to have in your collection even if I had a National it would never be my every day go to instrument.
 
Rob Uker said:
I bought a Recording King resonator for$100 on ebay.
It's beautiful to look at, it's a good strummer and for $100 I'm glad I have it.
But...the intonation is less then perfect when you pick it and I don't like the tuners.
Although a resonator is great to have in your collection even if I had a National it would never be my every day go to instrument.
Click to expand...

I figured that someone would have a playable Recording King...
 
Well, 4 years later, my interest in a resonator ukulele has reared its head again. LOL.
Does anyone have any more current input on the topic? Anything new in the market? Seems like the high end ones outshine the lower end ones, but, gulp, the price is high. Anything new in the market?
 
I had a Gold Tone for a while. Concert body --tenor scale neck. At times it sounded ok for the price. At times its sounded dull, almost dead. I sold it.

I have had the chance to handle/hear the Kala, several Nationals, have seen Del Ray in person. Prefer the wood resonators. The metal resonators have the bell tone which is nice.....to a point........I like the wood tone resonators better.

I bought a Pohaku Resonator. It's has a maple body and a bolt on neck. A little on the heavy side compared to other ukes. Some previous issues talked about with high action at 12th fret. I have not done anything about that, might never.

I really like the Pohaku overall, quality build, I like the sound--I can hear and feel it resonate.

I really could not see myself spending the money on the National even though I liked ones I did handle and play.

The Pohaku was a price I found affordable to me.

Baz had several reviews of Resonators,,,,check out Got A Ukulele.
 

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Thanks, mjh42. I thought I hadn't heard of Pohaku before, but a quick look reminded me that there is a used Pohaku Betty Boop at Elderly Instruments. :)

I'll have to find a sound sample and take a listen to their resonator ukulele, but I do like the looks of yours. I think I like the sound of the wood vs. metal as well.

Thanks for the input.
 
Sound Smith has an inexpensive decent laminate resonator that sounds pretty good and plays well. It's made in China.

The MyaMoe tenor and Bari resos are very impressive. Lil'Rev played both sizes for several years.
 
Kenn2018 said:
Sound Smith has an inexpensive decent laminate resonator that sounds pretty good and plays well. It's made in China.

The MyaMoe tenor and Bari resos are very impressive. Lil'Rev played both sizes for several years.
Click to expand...
I ran across a Got A Ukulele review of the Sound Smith, which does make it seem like it's probably one of the better lower end resonators.

My employer seems to have decided that they want me to work more hours. So, the good news is that there will be more money to spend on UAS. The bad news is there will be less time to indulge my desire to spend time playing. So, I can take my time seeing what all is out there for resonators, and maybe add a little to the amount I'm willing to spend. :)

Or maybe I'll get sidetracked, like I did 4 years ago. The idea of getting a resonator stuck with me, even if I'm moving very slowly on the idea.
 
Thanks, Bill1. I ran across Beltona in my virtual shopping, and loved both the looks and the sound of one in particular. Nut width and scale length met my hopes, too. So, I will definitely be keeping them in mind. Pricey, but hey, if my employer wants me to earn a bit more money than I expected for at least the summer, I can put that money aside for something fun.

I didn't run across any US dealers for Beltona, but maybe there are some. I'm not sure how it works to have one shipped from the UK, but I know it's done all the time. Anyone have any thoughts on that?
 
I looked long and hard at Beltona. Almost bought a used one but the bright yellow body and black lacquered neck would have been hard to live with. Also contacted the Beltona shop on ordering. At the time they were about 6 to 8 months out on building. Shipping to the US was not a problem other than the cost. Not really too bad considering shipping prices overall. Overall cost was going to be close to $1800-2000, if I remember correctly. A little more than I was thinking about spending. But if I had not found the Pohaku, I would have likely eventually ordered a Beltona or found a used National. One thing about waiting and taking ones time looking is that one can be putting away a little coinage each paycheck. The May Moe resonators are something to look at-listen to as well.
 

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Thanks, Patrick, for the additional suggestion on a resonator to look into. There are a lot more options that I had realized.

mjh42, I agree that a bright yellow ukulele might not be appealing. But I saw a blue one that looked nice - and I'm a fan of the color blue. :)

Looks like availability for many of the resonator ukuleles is limited, so that gives me time to enjoy investigating them, and we'll see if I reopen this thread in another 4 years, still considering my options. LOL.
 
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