Product: C Fouke Resolectra Slide
Price Paid: US $600
Submitted
10/06/2003
at
10:33am
by
Jason Lynn
Features
:
8
This guitar was built in 2003 and I understand mine is only the 3rd one built.
Construction is very solid. The top and back are thick aluminum sheets. The nut is a solid piece of polished brass. For the resonator he's using a spider bridge type. Tuners are Grover.
It's got a PAF style humbucker, volume and tone.
One nice little extra is he included Dunlop straplocks with it - a nice little touch in my humble opinion.
Sound
:
8
Acoustically I love the way this guitar sounds! I wasn't sure how well the essence of a resonator would be captured but it delivers in spades. I've sat and played this in a few acoustic settings with a couple other acoustic guitar players and the resolectra resonates a very nice upper mid frequency that allows it to cut right through a mix. If you have concerns of the volume of it you'll be more than surprised...at least I was.
Amplified using the humbucker serves it's purpose rather well too. I'm probably gonna swap the pickup in it though because it's a little boomy for my taste (Perhaps a p90). You'll also have to watch your low end when playing at higher volumes - if your resolectra catches the right frequencies the body will easily coerce some serious harmonic feedback. This can be controlled and I think a brighter pickup is gonna solve this for me.
I give the sound a 8 only because I'm not 100% on the humbucker. Acoustically it gets an easy 10.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
Compared to all the other laps on the market Chris's guitars far outshine them in build quality and price. The construction is very solid.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
Are you kidding me? You could submerge it in a lake, dry it off and it would still be playable. It could also substitute as a battle axe in case your gig turns into a bar fight (just kidding).
Customer Support
:
10
Chris was very prompt and accomodating when I emailed him about building me a resolectra. We exchanged emails regularly throughout the process of him building it and even worked in some addtional features to the design (access plate on the rear for easier wiring).
I haven't had a need to call him for additional support but from my conversations I think he's top notch and would take care you if you had issues but with such solid construction it's hard to see how anything could go wrong with it.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing for 15 years now - slide guitar for the last 7 and lap for about 2 years now. I also have a vintage magnatone and an old double neck supro that I really love but for pure satisfaction they just can't beat my resolectra. It's really nice having one guitar that can work as both a square neck dobra and an electric lap steel at the same time.
This guitar is probably the best bang for the buck purchase I've ever made on a guitar and it's one that I intend to keep for a lifetime.
