Republic Nickel Tricone

I have worked in the music retail industry in Australia and in New Zealand and have sold both Nationals and Dobro guitars new and vintage.
I started searching online for a decent tricone resonator guitar and looked at most entry to mid level manufacturers that are of Asian origin. After much research I found Republic Tricone and Single cone resonators and ended up purchasing A Reso Relic Tricone.
The finish is unbeleiveably awesome for a guitar under $ 1,200 AUD the body style is a copy of a 30's National and is true to the original.
Tuners are a bit of a let down but I will replace them with Klusons.
The neck is made of Walnut painted Maple and is good, the frets are well placed and intonation is excellent.
The guitar came with a cheap fitted gigbag that protects the guitar in shipping and transit but durability is an issue.
The Reso Relic is a 12 freted instrument and is great.
Seriously apart from some minor paint and tuner issues anyone that wants to find fault with these instruments would not even be satisfied with an original national !

The sound is pure joy the tone deep but sharp rich full beautiful.
I have no real dislikes in fact will be purchasing a Resolian relic soon.
I play professionally and have jammed with Bob Brozman when he came to Australia and I love these guitars and HIGHLY recommend them to someone who is looking for a single/tricone resonator and that is looking for a real pure sound without shelling out over $5,000 AUD plus for the real deal.

The setup is brilliant I play Celtic and Blues styles and Bottleneck.

Seriously no real complaints.

There are some hardware issues like the tuners but apart from that this is a real players guitar that is built to play and last. Like I said I am a gigging muso and need a real instrument and not a cheap made toy.

I purchased the guitar from Rob at Lonesome Train Music here in Australia.
Brilliant.

I have been playing it now for a week and all my friends are desperate to have it for a day ! Fat chance go get your own !!
If it was lost or stolen I would be gutted and get another immediately without question.

Just go get one !!! or two !! or more ;)

This is a nickel finished brass tricone resonator guitar. 1 7/8 neck with rosewood fretboard/truss rod/slotted headstock/3 on a side tuners/12 fret. Not certain of neck material but would guess mahogany. Sticker says made in China. The 12 fret feature is what got me over the others like Regal/Johnson which I thought looked odd without it.

The guitar was ordered directly thru Frank at www.republicguitars.com and set up well for mostly fingerstyle/slide work.

No pun intended = this is where the guitar shines. I have been playing country blues/slide for a long time and I love the sound of this guitar. I was always jealous of my guitar teachers' old 1930's National Duolian sound which I could never achieve of the newer, better built Delphi model. This tricone, as well as the Republic Reso-Relic that I own, filled that tone void that was missing on my Delphi. Both have a clearer, louder, banjo-metallic quality that I could not get on the Delphi which always seemed somewhat mottled or subdued. I realize that the tricone is built differently so it differs in the respect that the guitar has a very open, long sustaining metal tone which sings in open tunings. Lots of overtones.

The guitar was rock solid, heavy with no loose or rattling parts. The neck is solidly attached to the body with no wiggle room which is great.
The finish work, upon close inspection, is not nearly as good as a National. There are subtle flaws in the finish as well as on the fretboard. But considering that this guitar is about $2,000 less expensive than a comparable instrument I consider any complaints about minor flaws in the finish a trivial issue. In addition, if I ding the guitar I don't have to worry about losing thousands in trade-in/up or market value. It is a players guitar. The guitar was set up very well upon my request and I find that it plays smoothly.

As I wrote earlier, the guitar feels rock solid and I would play live with it. In fact, you might prefer to play live with it because if it gets scratched, damaged or stolen you are not out thousands of dollars.

I cannot comment on the longevity of the finish. I haven't owned it long enough.

Frank at Republic Guitars (Owner) was good to deal with. He responded all of my calls/emails, provided all the shipping info, and the guitar got here quickly. He also provided some assistance on electronics and other recommendations on set up and maintenance. I do not know about a warranty, or even a need for one, at this price. If I needed it I am sure Frank would back up the product. More likely I would take the guitar to my local tech.

I think this guitar, as well as my reso-relic, is an outstanding value.
If I had not done some internet homework and had seen this guitar in a shop with a price tag for 2X this price I would not think twice. I would definitely buy another and I am considering the Miniolian. The thing I like the most is the sound, and the least the - minor finish flaws.

Overall, if you can tolerate some minor finish flaws, and want a great sounding guitar for 1/6th the money, I would definitely recommend this guitar.