Epiphone Biscuit

williams update.
I purchased a new cone from molonator guitars in tasmania.Great friendly service. It simply slipped into the sound well. All was ok for a few days tuned to concert pitch, but when the cone settled, it was about 1\8" too low. I got a piece of masonite and stuck it on the bottom of the biscuit with craft glue, then shaped it round with a file.This brought the saddle back up to correct height. Now it sings. The cone is every bit as good as american made ones from national. Google the site to see the outrageously funky electrics that this man makes.My epi biscuit gets a lot of work now.If you find a good one first off, great. But mine responded well to a bit of work......and I learnt a lot in the process!

Came in a cardboard box....no extras. Looked good on the wall and I was comparing it to a Fender reso. It's a reso, so heavy duty laminated constructin in a nice satin mahogany wood look. Grover tuners. Small body. Nice neck, low frets.....and that shiny hubcap. Nicely understated pattern of holes.AND .....It had the look. This guitar begs attention!

Before: Quiet, banjo plonk and twang. Rude strummed sound.Little sustain. I only bought it because another reviewer suggested some changes could be made and it had potental.
After: See below. Rich warm sound with sustain. Good strummed sound, but a banjo like 'quack and'throng'if hit hard for rythym comping....if you like that sort of thing. Bell like notes at the dusty end of the fretboard. Rich slide sound.A capo on the first fret gets a lovely bare finger picking tone.I wanted a melody, single note finger picking instrument. I considered a banjo , but find this instrument more versatile. Suits Celtic, English Folk, Country Blues.

The out side looked great!. Made in Korea on a bad day. Action was a bit high for picking but OK for slide. I took the coverplate off. Two of the plate mounting screws were held in place with glue because the holes they were in were too close to the edge of the sound well and had broken open.The glue had run down to the cone. Hmmmmmmm. WARNING:This could change your opinion. Rough, very crude laminate construction of the sound well. Obvious glue and gaps. The cone was screwed to the well ridge.Worst of all, the cone mounting well was not round. It had a flat spot. The cone rim was bent to make it fit. Since I had pulled it apart, I couldn't take it back. So...I removed the 4 screws holding the cone and disposed of them. I sanded the well where it contacted the cone.I straghtened the cone rim on a flat board and then sanded it to fit without bending,into the sound well.I tightened the two biscuit retaining screws. The cone now fitted into the sound well and had an even cotact surface. The cone was now smaller than the well and could self centre on the biscuit locating hole on the coverplate. I hade to rotate the coverplate 180 degrees to reposition the coverplate screw holes so the plate would screw down right. I put a coin under the tail piece to raise it and reduce the string angle over the bridge. Now it sings like the designer intended. I wished I had done it in stages to see what made the most improvement.

Solid. This is not a guitar in the normal sense. This is the HUMMER of guitars.The body only holds the cone. Take a peak inside. This is laminated heavy duty construction. It's the cone that makes the tone. With this style of guitar, a few dings and metal corrosion will just add to it.Once set up, the Grover tuners seem to hold it in tune well. The strap buttons are a little on the small side, but you would replace them wouldn't you? This guitar could play live. It's tough. Then again you would expect that from the style of construction. Backup? Come on...Who has TWO reso's on stage?

Have not used service. It says I have a warrenty on a sticker INSIDE the guitar.

Played for thirty years. Played a lot of guitars. Brag, Brag, name drop etc...Tweaked and fiddled with setup with every guitar I have owned. Compared it with Fender wood body reso. Fender sounded lighter and prettier, more like a jangly regular guitar. Fender construction is very different design. The original design of this style guitar was cheap, tough and loud. It's all of those.But it can sing and sound dark and evocative. I like the sound of it. I enjoyed the challenge of setting it up. Try one. It's a like it or loathe it sound. [Sort of like banjo really]. I don't play slide, but it does sound nice played that way.[ D A D F# A D ]This is a mechanical insrument. It's tone comes from a metal cone,not tone woods, so it responds to adjustment and setup to get your sound. Would I buy another Epi Biscuit? Would the salesman think I was rude if I asked him to take the cover plate off?

This was a second I got with an old case I eventually replaced with
a nice used classical guitar case that fit it like a glove. I won't
go too much into the technicals, that's well covered in the early
reviews. It essentially a mohogany type dobro, with f-hole type
holes with no metal edges, giving it a sort of antique look. Finish
is natural, not sheened or real shiny, with biscuit bridge. Tuners
are great, stay in tune, accurate, and tunes quickly. Neck is
like a Gibson, very fast and easy to play on. It responds to a good
transducer pickup well.

I like to pick without fingerpicks, so the sharper sound comphensates
for the attack, giving me a great sound that I love. It's bright,
but lots of resonance, it can sound great like an old time guitar
or like a harder edged English folk type. As you can guess, I don't
do much slide on it, in fact, I've got it set up to fingerpick in
terms of action. This is one of my favorite guitars. However, a
friend who uses it occasionally when I let him gets a great slide
sound out of it so it can do the dobro if need be.

Workmanship is OK, fit is good although not outstanding, but it
has a great look and feel.

I've been playing this constantly for over a year, no scratch
yet even, although the metal parts have some tarnish. It's
a solid guitar.

The customer support is good, I dealt with them on another
guitar I had once.

Been playing since early 70s. Own an Ovation 12 elec/acous, Wasburn
B-16 banjo, sitar, and a Variax 500. This is my favorite acoustic,
and I do all my prelimary work on it before moving an arrangement
to another guitar, it's just a great guitar for the money, and an
underrated fingerpicking guitar.

I bought this new from a shop in Shreveport LA, with a Gator case. It is a biscuit bridge (surprise!) resonator guitar that looks a lot like the old Nationals, with a small body, round shoulders and a big butt (lower bout). It has the early National-style cone, colander cover, and tailpiece, and a biscuit bridge. It was neatly made in Korea, like I think all of Epiphone's gits these days. 21 frets on a mahogany neck (one piece except for the spliced-in headstock), rosewood fingerboard, Grover branded tuners and a laminated mahogany body. The body and neck are stained a walnut brown, and everything but the resonator cover, tailpiece and tuners are finished in satin. No controls, no pickup: all resonator. It has a 24-3/4" scale, slightly shorter than the standard Dobro 25". It's a very attractive little beast, and as someone pointed out, it has the look of an old-time National. No flaws in the finish; bound fingerboard & body. The stain didn't get all the way into the "f"-holes, but that's no big deal. Straight neck, good intonation, relatively low action (see below).

Nicely made: not fancy, but it's all guitar. No bells or whistles.

Biscuit bridge resos fall into two categories: awesome and pitiful. Most of the b-bridges I have played have been on the pitiful side. Unless the fit is just right, all the sound that ought to be coming out of the cone gets lost inside the guitar. When the fit IS just right, then you end up with either a large banjo or a great-sounding reso. While it is possible to buy a $200 reso and tweak it until you're happy, you can't be sure that such a beast will ever be what you want. It's like buying an electric that doesn't sound very good and expecting to put the killer pickup on it and making it magic. Well, as old Lodge Skins said, sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't. It's a far better strategy to start with a good axe and go from there.

In other words, try before you buy. We have developed a huge culture of mail-order and internet shopping for guitars, and I guess either most players' standards are just not very high or they are easily satisfied. If at all possible, you must play an instrument before you buy it. This is true especially of low-rent resos. There are hundreds out there, and one in fifty is a good 'un. Even with my Dobro, which is the higher-price spread these days, I spent a couple of years playing every Dobro that came through town -- round necks, square necks, metal, wood -- until I found the one with THE sound, which I immediately bought.

This is a good 'un. Great sound, fast neck, lightweight, looks good, like an old sepia photograph. The sound is loud and in-your-face, and has that National twang. As an aside, I had the opportunity recently to spend some time with a '30's metal-body National, and it sounded wonderful. This one has the same sort on quack and bite to it. The National's the better guitar, but you can't touch one for what I paid for this.

It sounds terrific on blues and country (both trad and Nashville). It has a lot of personality and presence. It is not versatile, any more than any resonator is, but if you want the reso sound, you gotta have the reso.

I also have a Dobro with a spider bridge, and it has a sweet, sustaining sound that is really good for bluegrassy stuff and modern folkie, but it doesn't have the attitude that this little guy does.

Very nicely put together: no overt flaws, other than the stain not penetrating the holes in the top. Very pretty bookmatched mahogany back with strong grain, also on the top. As noted above, it's plywood. That is no problem with a reso, however, since they are like electric guitars in that the sound doesn't come from the body. In fact, I think a live body will kill some of the sound of the reso. Everything was as it should be. I have seen several low-end gits lately with misaligned tuners, but this one doesn't share that.

I plan to gig with it. It's solid like my Dobro, and the satin finish doesn't look likely to suffer. I treat my axes pretty well, and they all go in their cases when not being used. I have gigged with my Dobro for 20 years without a single problem, so I don't think I would need a backup...although, in effect, this one and the Dobro will back each other up. I haven't decided on how to tune it yet, either: right now it's in G, but it may like D better. I think A or E would not suit it because it would start to get clangy and banjo-y/

No opinion.

I have been playing bottleneck and steel slide styles for 30 years now. I play electric, pedal steel, bass, harp and Dobro. I am obsessive about my sound, which I guess every Dobro player is. The Epi won't replace the Dobro, but it'll sure add a whole new dimension to the material I can do. It appears to be rock-solid, is well put together, and it has a look that I like. If it were lost or stolen I'd look long and hard for a proper replacement. For the price, it's a stone killer deal. Again, the only caveat is that with the Epi, just as with all guitars but especially resos, try before you buy. That's the difference between winner and also-ran.

Epiphone Biscuit resonator. Mahogany body, aluminum cone. I think it's a 2000 model. The specs are covered by other reviewers so i won't bore you...

I'm writing to add to the other reviews regarding the sound of these things. These are supposed to sound pretty thin. That's just the nature of the beast. They were invented before amplifiers to be loud. The resonator is basically an aluminum speaker imbedded in the body. And loud it is. Before you try replacing the cone, i think first you should make sure the drop in height between the bridge and the tailpiece should not be too great. Too much of a difference in height will put too much pressure on the cone (the strings are being pulled really tight downward onto the cone) and kill the sustain and take what little bass is there with it. A new cone may make a difference, but it could just be that a quarterman or national cone is a bit lower (the biscuit bridge height matters too) and therefore the tension on the cone is reduced and the sound is improved. I jacked up the tailpiece with a three slivers from an old credit card (don't go too high or you'll get buzz). This made less of a drop and i'm getting more sustain, a bit more bass and a little less banjo-like sound. The cone is being allowed to vibrate more now since the pressure is reduced a bit. I like it better after the modification. I also removed the screws that were holding the cone in place on the inside. I don't know if that made a difference. I bet dropping down a gauge in strings would make a difference, too, but i have used only lights so far. Next I will put on a set of .12s made for an electric guitar, just to experiment. I play it in open G with a slide most of the time. I love the sound. But be prepared--it's thin (three friends on different occasions have described it as the "lonely blues" sound). Check out some old Son House tunes. He played a metal bodied resonator--more brash and cold sounding than mahogany--but the sound of the single cone resonator is unmistakable. If you want a strum machine, a resonator is definitely not for you, no matter what type, brand or price.

I think the action was perfect. Since it's got 14 frets to the body and it's a 24.75" scale the strings have a pretty stiff feel which is good for playing slide. But the action itself is not so low that fretting is a problem. The finish is pretty cool as others have commented. Kind of looks older than it is. I think it's not very tough, though, so be careful not to ding it up unless you want to "relicize" it quickly. I gotta say, it's well built. All the seams are good, the neck is nice and straight, even the frets are pretty good. The frets above the body are kind of rough but who cares? The tuners are good. Overall, i'm impressed with the quality. And keep in mind, National uses laminated woods for their wood-bodied guitars.

Except that the wood seems to mark up easily, it feels like a tank to me. No problem gigging live without a backup.

Been playing 20+ years. Owned everything from Squiers to Taylors to a Chapman Stick. This was my first resonator. It was well worth the $200 I paid. My only complaint is that the neck is a bit narrow but since i'm mostly sliding on this, it doesn't really matter. If this were lost or stolen, I'd probably spend the extra $150 and get a metal-bodied version to go all out for the brash, in-your-face delta blues sound. But i doubt i'd like the steel one that much better than this mahogany model (plus, we'll see how it goes with the electric strings on this one). One more trick--if you want to brighten the sound, line the inside of the body with aluminum foil. I have NOT done this but I read about it in "The Dobroist's Scrapbook" where i learned about the bridge height issue. I suggest using tape rather than glue to hold the foil in place in case you don't like the new sound. I would love it if someone would check out the modification i suggest in the "Sound" section (jack up the bridge) then change their cone and write a review on all the differences.

O kay, i am not often guilty of this, but I had to go back to the scene of the crime & add something to my review posted some 2-1/2 yrs ago. I noticed many of the other reviewers had the same opinion about the sound from the cone being a little thin, particularly at the low end. Me too. I am a famous procrastinator. For years, when buying little bits of hardware & electrical guit stuff from Stew-Mac I'd noticed they had hand-spun John Quarterman replacement cones for like, $54 or so. Friend, if you're lucky enough to have stumbled on one of these cheap little Epi resonators (I don't think they're still in production, I haven't seen one in the usual catalogues for a couple of years) don't do like I did and put it off, GET THE QUARTERMAN CONE!!! I finally got one, and it's like night & day. Got that really bossy biscuit "CLUCK" like a wood-bodied National. Tone is way more balanced and less Banjo-like. Also abt 50% louder. One nice side benefit is Quarterman sizes the cone so you've got about 1/4" wiggle room all around the edge when you drop it in the soundwell
so you can slap on the tailpiece & a few of the strings, then experiment with the fore-aft placement as well as the slant of the saddle before you put a few screws around the edge. Suddenly my intonation is right close. Who Knew? Wish I'd obeyed my 1st impulse and upgraded the durned thing when I first got it. Well worth the money and an hour's work on the kitchen table.

Well, all I can say is some of the posters have issues, and they're not about their guitars. Get a life.

Pretty straight-forward resonator, use a Feather to mike it. Mine's a round neck, blues machine. Very nice finish and materials, though it's not the Gibson "Hound Dog" that lists for $1000. If you want to whine about hi-end materials then you should be prepared to spend the money. Frankly, I think this is a fairly nice knock-off. Had it for a few years, with hardshell custom case..

Great bluesy "gin joint" sound. Nice ring and sustain, but weak bottom end. Cedar-like, earthy sound from the mah. You either like it or you don't.

Mine's perfect, outstanding nat mah finish. The coloration of binding and all around craftmanship are very nice. Only the F holes are a little ragged and give away the mass production nature of the guitar.

Action's great, any ele guitar player will have no issues with the action, general speed of the neck. It is a little wider, as you'd expect. I'd prefer vintage tall frets, but these are OK.

It's a tank. I've banged it for two years, still seems new. The nat mah finish just doesn't show scratches.

I guess I'd admit to at a few+ decades of playing, vintage and modern gear. I've never regretting buying this Biscuit, but if you have lots of guitars to choose from...others get used more often. The novelty wears off over time. The resonator-woody sound is OK, but it's limiting.

That said, it's a great value. Don't believe these reviews, go try one, it's pretty obvious.

I bought a factory second Epiphone Biscuit. I hate it because the body is laminate. Which it means the body is not even real wood. I tried raising the action but an action nut will not even fit right. Because the neck is low profile. You can't even get a good sound out of it because F-holes do not work on a laminate top. Several finnish flaws mine is an imation mahongny. If you look at it on your lap the laminate looks like painted cardboard.This is the second epiphone instrument that I recently bought with poor craftmanship.The other one is a epiphone les paul standard what junk for the prices I paid. I am tired of big companies ripping off musicians. With the ecomonic decline now we are seeing the Gibson's,Martin's,Fender's,and Epiphone's feel the hurt of everyone buying guitars from cheaper priced companies.

It is a very muffled sound,I advise anyone who is purchasing a dobro/resonator guitar stay away from F-holes and buy one with the fans especially for bluegrass music. It sounds terrible and epiphone is reintroducing them in the 2003 bluegrass line.

Very poorly made,tons of flaws and I also had to pay an additional fee to replace the cone which was not set up at the factory properly.Finish and paint flaws,and the binding does not connect.

No it would not withstand a live performance. For the money I wish I would have bought a regal,or flinthill resonator guitar with the fans.

Yes,I dealt with the customer service from Gibson/Epiphone what a joke. Inside the f-hole it is stamped 2year warranty. However Gibson/Epiphone will not honor it. Finding the right case to fit it is also a nightmare because it is an odd size,and is also smaller than most resophonic guitars.

When I purchased from worldmusicsupply.com they told me that it was brand new however they sent me a factory second. I would like to sell it but nobody would buy it.

Flat black finish and slightly yellow faux ivoroid binding + case

Strong mids - original strings bought it after previous owner played it for 10 hours.
Moans nicely. I used a brass slide rather than chrome or steel, with no finger damping, and the overtones are minimal.
Much warmer sound than all-metal units.

matte finish on neck was irritating-4 coats of carnuba wax solved this.
Action is a tad low for slide.

I'm having a pickguard custom-fit for it to protect the top from my fingernails. I'm nervous that the laminate will scar easily.

Tuners are ample.

I'm nervous about scratching the shiny chrome resonator cover.

been playing 35 years
own Gibson J 50
Valpro/National Glenwood 98
K Yairi AR 300
Menard/Degas MT 12
Roland Bolt 60 Amp
Have owned 64 Strat, Dobro 33d, 72 Les Paul, Sigma (Shannendoah copy)
Harmony, Hofner 455S, Rickenbacher, 64 Fender Deluxe reverb.

I am beating the streets for a good pickup/mike solution.

I have been playing guitar for 15 years,I had an Oscar Schmidt banjo I just bought new four months ago. I called a guitar shop yesterday and they told me that this guy was bringing an Epiphone Biscuit in on a trade. I told him what I had he ask what I paid for it. I told him $300.00 and a chipboard case. The banjo had been owned previously and I only paid $200.00 including the chipboard. But I bought the banjo off of his competer. So the Fender dealer jump on a chance to get this banjo. I also found out that the biscuit was purchased from his competer and the poor guy only got $150.00 in credit.

Yes, I play rock,blues,and bluegrass. I bought this to play bluegrass on. My father plays an older kay dobro,and he is going to teach me. I am planning on raising the action,and buying a stevens bar. Tunning G,B,D,G,B,D. I tuned down last night and was bottle necking with an old delta 88 and the sound was incredable.

The sales clerk at the store told me that the other guy thought was getting a brand new dobro for $300.00 when it was a factory second. The other store refused to give him his money back. The only blimish is under the F holes the finnish is streeked real bad. The clerk threw in a gig bag with the stores logo on it. He told me joking why don't you take it back over to that store and have him put some new strings on.

I would use this to gig with I was shocked by the weight it felt like I was playing an electric guitar. After this I think I am going to get ride of my dreadnoughts and start playing thin bodied guitars. It is so much more comfortable to play and not near as heavy.

Very helpful I am friend with the clerk, yes I even have a warranty card which I have yet to look at. It also says something about a warrenty inside the F hole.

I have always wanted one of these but these style guitars are always so expensive. I have the Biscuit,an Alverez Regent, Washburn 12 string and a violin. Yes as the clerk stated to me be careful who you do business with as a guitarist I have seen some shady guitar store tactics. Such as in certain shops look that the headstock and sometimes they will be stamped used and sold new.

The reviews in this catagory are excellent, so this review will be short. I'm a 30 yeer electric and acoustic player who bought this as his first resonator to extend my blues sounds. Based on my prior experience, the guitar is small and a little basic looking - but very pleasing to look at. As someone said, could pass for an old-time resonator.

It's damn loud and gets very banjo-like bright with you pluck the strings. The bottom end is weak though. Playing on the upper frets the notes ring out brilliantly. Very satisfying.

This is as close to perfect as I could imagine for guitar at this price. OK, the chromed material could be a little heavier, and the cut-outs could be a little cleaner, and more intricate. And, other than the truss rod, not too many adjustments are available.

Realistically, the quality of the components, binding, unfinished mahogany and the whole package are exceptional.

I have a lot of pro equipment, pretty good knowledge about guitars generally. Considering you could spend $1.5 - 2k on a similar guitar you'd have to say the value of this thing is truly incredible. Maybe those National or Dobro owners could educate me on why their guitar are worth $2k more, but for the casual resonator player this has got to be the best deal going.

Epiphone "The Biscuit" Squareneck Resonator Guitar
The body is a quarter inch think three ply laminate, just slightly arched, with f-holes. The top ply is a wonderful red mahogany that looks like it's straight from Honduras, but that's impossible. The inner plys are probably endangered hardwoods from Borneo (I've been there), but they'll grow back in a couple centuries. Did I mention that this mahogany body is beautiful, dark, pretty shiny (not a satin finish, but also not the sort of French Polish finish you find on top end Martins), but with unfilled pores. The result is that this guitar has an utterly authentic look to it. It looks fifty years old. It looks like it should be in a black and white photo of some long-dead blues guitarist. As this is a squareneck, it also has a slothead, which I prefer, and the tuning heads face up. Much easier to tune when you have the guitar on your lap. The nickel-plated cover over the cone is very heavy, like an old chrome bumper. The cone is spun, not stamped. It's set into a ring of about an inch and a half of plywood. That makes me nervous, but I guess it must work. I read what another person wrote about unscrewing the cone, and wanted to do that. However, I bought this used from somewhat of an expert, a guy who has been a roadie for 20 years for people like James Taylor and Clint Black and says he has to change a dozen sets of guitar strings every night. He said unscrewing the cone wasn't necessary with the biscuit, and that it might lead to buzzes. He said it's a good idea with a spider type cone. So I left it. However, I did take off the tailpiece and glue on a thin strip of leather at the top end. This brings the tailpiece into contact with the cone cover, and it does wonders for the sound--really increases the sustain. The seller said that what works even better than leather is a little wedge of a hard wood such as rock maple or ebony, as the vibrations carry better. I'm not sure why these vibrations, transferred to the cover rather than the cone, add so much to the tone, but it really works. If you already have a decent spun cone but you want better sound for under ten cents, give it a try.

This is my first resonator guitar. My sense is that the trebles are amazing, but the basses are weak. That may be the way they all are, for all I know. However, I bought some great squareneck dobro videos from www.homespuntapes.com, and I find that I can exactly match any tone these experts are getting from their $3,000 resonator guitars. (Perhaps the best of them is Cindy Cashdollar, and she gets some of her best tones from a little Stella with a stencilled and spraypainted name on the head.) The difference between playing near the neck and near the bridge is even wider than with a regular guitar. Despite the relative weakness of the bass strings, I love the tone of this guitar. It can be sweet as honey, or it can growl and whine. Friends, don't waste your time with a bottleneck slide. Buy a good steel, raise those strings, lay that guitar on your lap, and go. You'll have MUCH better control, your speed will increase, you'll get a better vibrato, and it's easier to dampen the strings. I use a heavy, bullet-shaped Ernie Ball chrome-plated steel customized by the Smith Melobar with shaped plastic wings screwed in. This lets me keep my wrist and finger more relaxed, which any mandolin player can tell you increases your speed. And, of course, finger and thumb picks are as crucial for squareneck dobro as for Scruggs-style banjo picking. One thing I've learned is that with this resonator guitar, I can easily play guitar solos which don't sound right on a regular guitar unless it's highly amplified. Thus, that sort of Clapton/Hendrix wail that came from overdriving the amps is easily available acoustically with a dobro. I picked up Clapton's riffs from his version of "Motherless Children," for example, in about five minutes. I was shocked by how easy it was. But if you haven't played dobro before, do invest in some videos, and get some from several teachers. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Everything seems well made. This guitar belonged to some professional who gave it to the guy I bought it from because it wasn't what he wanted. The seller thought he was a fool, and so do I. However, though it hadn't been played much, the guitar has a couple of actual chips in the finish, in the 1/8" to 1/4" category. This suggests to me that the outer finish isn't too well attached to the wood. However, this doesn't affect the tone at all, of course, and as the guitar already looks 50 years old, it's not a problem. Just say "This was caused by a beer bottle thrown at me in a bar in Spit Hollow, Alabama, in 1934." But everything seems very sturdy and well-made, apart from that.

See above

Got some interesting e-mails from this roadie, but he's not a company.

Bought my first guitar, a $27 f-hole archtop, from a pawnshop in California in 1967. My best guitar ever was a Martin 000-28 slothead that had been run over by a car, but what a wonderful tone it had. I had to sell it so I could pay my school bill and take my final exams in college. If this Epiphone Biscuit were stolen, I'd happily buy another. It's a great little instrument and looks completely "authentic." (It doesn't look gaudy, like these nickel plated jobs, and it doesn't have little round screens that look like they were designed to keep birds out of the attic. And I've always disliked sunbursts on instruments.) Also, the price is great. If you wonder why I'm not giving this tens, yet I'm praising it this way, bear in mind that I'm trying to be honest.

1999 Epiphone "Biscuit" resonator guitar. Nice, stable, good looking mahogany laminate in a satin finish. (Let the doctors & lawyers playing bluegrass on the weekends buy the $3000 "tonewood" eye-candy machines, I'm here ta tell ya, kids, the sound comes from the pan on a dobro, and like on the original '30s models, this is cheap, punchy, and loud. Indestructible, too. Neck is 2 pc. mahog, spliced at headstock. (It's OK, kids, Taylor does it too) Single cone, spun, not stamped, Biscuit bridge (duh, really?) Yellowed binding on body, black binding on slim neck.

Blues & country. Good biscuit-dobro sound, super punchy and nasal. Compared to other cheap spider-bridge models, a little weak on the low string, but MIDRANGE!! good gawd, this thing will cut through. Added a McIntire pan transducer, run thru a tech 21 acoustic DI for EQ into PA. Plus Mike. Sound is accurate if trebs are cut. Might try Baggs Para Acoustic for the 2 bands of sweepable mids, this thing has 2 (count 'em) distinct regions of feedback. Volume pedal can save you momentarily. Overall, pleasantly surprised by the bang-for-buck ratio, whether on the couch, stage, or especially getting this little sucker on tape. Way good funky delta vibes for cheap, I.M.O.

This was set up from the factory as well as any Korean made electric guitar, which is to say, pretty good or good enough for a dobro. As has been said elsewhere, a little low for slide. So get an extension nut for $3 and lay this thing on your lap and get out your Craftsman 11/16" deep socket & have at it, you'll be real glad you did. Those square-neck spider-bridged Bluegrass Nazis have NO IDEA the sound and fun they're missing, and for cheap at that. Their loss. But I digress. I'm editorializing about sound & tastes & values in the Fit & Finish box. I like the satin. The fret edges are a bit rough, but it plays well fretwise w/o buzzes. (For $350 or whatever I paid I would begrudge this little wonder a buzz or two) The tuners are regular issue closed gear Epiphone (Gotoh, I think) and work really well. It tunes easily (and I change tunings a LOT) although something that looked more "vintage" would have completed the vibe a bit better. Just a wish. The intonation is pretty gosh-darned good for a cheap (did I mention this here thing doesn't cost a bunch?) instrument, let alone any dobro.

I'm not gonna mince words here. This thing's as tough as a '57 Chevy pickup, and maybe as aesthetically pleasing to some. It is consistent, utterly reliable, and the finish is cheap and will gain lots of character with hard use. To bring a backup would be an insult to the 1st, as well as cowardly.

Never had to deal with the Korean Sweatshop Division of Gibson, so I don't know.

Been playing 35 yrs, Own a Martin J40, Taylor 314, Old Tele, Old Strat, Epi fake 335 w/PAF's, numerous ancient worthless lap steels, numerous cantankerous tube amps, a Tech 21 #60, as well as some wholly unreliable lo-fi recording equipment. I play anything I can and quite a bit I can't, for my own pleasure as well as the annoyance of others. It's a great life. If this were stolen I'd have real respect for the theif. He'd either have done his research or is just stupid lucky.

Great looking with the F holes and dark colored (reddish brown mahogany) satin finish (no cheap glossy finish). The whole look of this guitar says "vintage". I have even considered "antiquing" the shiny chrome coverplate and tailpiece to give it an even more old look.

The neck is a just a tad too narrow for my taste in fingerpicking and slide. I was concerned by others reviews that it would be much worse than it is. It is not nearly as narrow as typical acoustic guitars these days.

I love this guitar. I use it for slide guitar as well as standard tuning blues and folk music. It makes almost any music sound primitive and back-woodsy. I previously owned a Regal round neck dobro which was also nice but this guitar looks better, was cheaper, and plays better. The sound is that great Dobro high lonesome sound.

The action was set up really nice for standard playing and is not bad for slide. I have considered raising it for better slide action but it would make it harder to play in standard. It seems a real good compromise.

The only thing I see is that the D string tuning peg is turned a little in the headstock. If you look at the face of the headstock it is a little asymetrical. The peg doesn't seem loose or compromised in durability

Everything seems very well made and durable. It has a real solid feel and look to it.

I own/have owned Ibanez AS semi hollow 335 style electric (great guitar). Peavey backstage amp. Sigma D2 acoustic. I did have a Regal Dobro resonator round neck. Misc. harmonicas. Harmony Banjo. Kentuckey KM150S mandolin, Grandpa's old fiddle.

I had trouble finding a store with the Biscuit in stock. If you are looking for a resonator guitar for under $1000 I don't think there is a better value.

Nice looking Mahogany that gets prettier with age. The body is smaller than a Dreadnaught and is equipped with one cone and a bridge that sets right on top of the cone. This type of resonator is for punchy bottleneck slide styles. There is not much sustain, but the volume is plenty.
The neck is a bit too narrow for my taste. A wider neck would make slide playing better.
The binding on the body is a vintage looking off white and really trims out the guitar well.
I have had many people approach me at gigs just to look at the guitar closer. Its good to have hanging around the stage, even if I don't play it much.

First thing anybody should do with this guitar is take the cover off it, and take the wood screws out of the cone. Cones are not supposed to be screwed down. Chances are that most imports come this way. They are probably screwed down so they don't fall out in the assembly line. The sound is good. I like the wood tone mixed with steel far better than an all steel guitar. The best place to play this guitar is on a bar stool un-miked and in open A or G tuning. It is essential to have bar room background noise mixed in with the sound.
I don't like it in standard tuning very much, however with a set of thumb and finger picks I can make it work.

Action comes very low which is not good for slide players, so I got a new bridge. The nut is cut for light gauge strings, so I had to cut them out a little more for mediums.
The finish is great. I like to let others play the guitar so I can sit back and look at it. It also sounds much better from a lsteners vantage point compared to the players. When playing a resonator it is like having your ear right next to a horn.

Super dooper durable. The neck has bowed a little more than it should, but it is probably because I raised the action. I am in the process of small periodic truss rod adjustments to straighten it.

Who cares--I got it from a typical modern day store with tons of BS but very little knowledge. Model year 1998, and purchased in the same year.

Been at it for 16 years. I own an EPIphone jumbo acoustic, which is my number 1 solo gigging machine these days. My Biscuit is used for my renditions of Delta songs that I end sets with. I also own 2 telecasters, one jazz bass, and one SG. Harmonica is my other main instrument.
If it were ripped off, I would not replace it. I would look for a model with a fatter neck, or just use my tele for slide.
Compared to othe imports that I have played it stacks up very well.

2000 model made in korea..spruce/mahogany top,mahogany back,sides and neck..ROSEWOOD fingerboard w/19 frets,dot inlays..24.75" scale. no poly finish{cool} medium frets..cone is spun NOT stamped..biscuit bridge..

bought it for blues/slide.louder than the fender fr50 and plays much better...nice even sound

guitar is set up nicely for finger pickin' and slide. no flaws that i can see..

seems to be built rather solid..really decent hardware..stays in tune

comes with a lifetime warranty..hope i never need it

been playing for 14 years or so,i own just about everything{too much to list}and really enjoy playing it all..this guitar is everything i expected it to be..and compared to 1500.00 for a dobro its a great value. i plan to add a pickup to the cone later on for distortion,but for now i will enjoy the downhome sound that this guitar creates so easily..maybe i'll purchase a dean chrome s later on,but i like the woody sound that the biscuit has for different reasons..