Gold Tone PBR Deluxe Paul Beard Signature

It's a 2006 model. The website details all you need to know:

http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/140/PBR-DLX-PBR-Deluxe

My instrument was supplied without a hard case, but a generic Pod canvas "hard" case was thrown in for the purchase price.

Sometimes I find it frustrating that the neck meets the body at the 12th fret, but reading around the subject indicates that a superior tone is obtained with a longer body, and most resonator guitars appear to adopt this approach. It just makes sliding up to the 12th fret a little more tricky as your hand meets the body just before the slide reaches the mid-point.. personally I find it hard to damp the strings behind the slide when sliding to the 12th. Still, it's not the end of the world.. limitation is the mother of invention!

It has a stunning tone, compared to other Far Eastern manufactured resonators. Before I bought it I was hoping that I could purchase a steel-bodied budget resonator, so sat in the Resonator Centre on Denmark Street and tried them all. It was immediately apparent that their top of the range Goldtone Dobro-style instrument was vastly superior. At the same time I was looking at a 1970s Dobro in a nearby store. After much hopping back and forth, I settled on the Goldtone for it's brighter and fuller sound. The 70s Dobro had some vintage-voodoo, but the PBRD was simply a finer instrument.

I use it mostly for slide-guitar and folk styles. It responds equally well to either.. the harder it is played, the better it sounds. Heavier strings are good.. it was supplied with relatively light strings. Changing to .13s was a transformation.

This is my only new-ish instrument, and to me it sounds like it needs another 10 years of playing before it properly beds in.. I'm looking forward to it! If it sounds this good now....

I can't really comment further on how it compares to a US-made instrument as I've only played one other comparable guitar, hence rating it at 9.. I have no complaints and would award a 10 otherwise.

Guitar set-up was spot on, once I'd replaced the .11 strings for .13s. The .11s were too light for bottleneck playing (but sounded great on another acoustic I have that was crying out for new strings!) so the addition of heavier strings transformed the instrument.

The finish of the guitar is flawless. One year on, it remains as such.

I'm no longer a gigging musician, but I have faith in this guitar to withstand the stress of touring and stage use. Quite simply, it's built like a tank.

After a year of use and abuse, it remains as new. So far so good.....

I've had no reason to contact Goldtone or the dealer where I bought it.

I love this guitar! Ok, it's my first and only resonator so maybe I don't have the widest experience of this type of instrument but even so.. I did an awful lot of research before I purchased it, and to this day have no regrets about my choice.

I would very much like to amplify this instrument, but have so far not managed to make time to research the best method by which to do this.

I've been playing for 20 years, mostly electric and more recently have developed an acoustic fixation. I've owned many guitars over the years, some memorable, others less so. Currently settled on a 1970 Fender Mustang, 1976 Fender Strat, 1970s Daion L999 (small bodied acoustic), and the Goldtone. Amplification provided by a Vox Cambridge Reverb, distortion from an array of fuzz units (Fuzzface, Fender Blender, Tonebender, Shin-ei Companion). I play an absurd variety of styles, from fuzz-soaked two chord garage to folk and blues.

Solid sapele Chinese factory-made body with Paul Beard cone, spider, nut &c. Since the Beard contribution is mainly what you're hearing, at ??750 inc. hard case. this guitar leaves other "budget" resos standing. It looks good - if a little shiny - and feels, plays and sounds superb. Put it this way - I own a National Tricone which I love dearly but, 4 times out of 5, I'll reach for the Gold Tone.

I play country, blues, old time and homemade and this one stomps, wails, sings & cries whatever. Soft flutey tones through to hard nasal whine - all covered. Enormous dynamic range. Louder than the National but capable of great subtlety. Early music? No problem. This is probably the best sounding guitar I've owned in 40 years.

I guess I was unlucky here. I think someone in China had the Friday afternoon blues. Finish is fine but the neck is very slightly out of true, necessitating an off-centre tailpiece. The Paul Beard set-up was also surprisingly casual. I could have swapped it for another example but everything else was so very right that I had it set up a second time - under warranty - by the mighty Dave King (www.daveking-acoustics.com). Then I dressed the frets and now it's my pride & joy. I also worked on another Gold Tone PBS which was fine in all respects - so unlucky is all.

A real workhorse. I've played it hard for hundreds of hours including gigs and it still looks brand new. Even the case is tougher than it looks. Utterly dependable.

Dave King set it up under the 12 month warranty. Additionally, Chet at Paul Beard is a real gentleman - answers emails right away and is a mine of helpful information.

I've been playing for 40 years and it's like falling in love all over again. I would buy another one tomorrow if need be. I looked at the Regal RD45 before buying the PBS - no contest. I don't think there's anything under ??1500 that truly compares.

As listed by others, maple side and back - looks solid but not sure if it really matters in a dobro that much; squareneck model. Surprisingly good tuners, and excellent finish quality. Came in a hardshell case - I wish the Instrument Alley would have done what I asked - that is, stuff bubblewrap between the headstock and case INSIDE..as the guitar does move a bit inside the case and this might hav been the reason why the bone nut had cracked in transit.

I play bluegrass, old time, blues, lapstyle with Stevens bar.

Simply amazing sound - I have not tried higher end resonator guitars but if you get this for 700 dollars I am not sure if I am interested.


Very rich, sustains for days, very balanced volume from string to another. Easy to get in tune and stays in tune very well.

Honest - hard to think of anything being wrong with this. Not until I get to try a REAL Beard handmade model, maybe? (they have to be absolutely amazing to beat this...)

Set up for lap playing, perfect action. Some minor gluemarks but only if you look with a magnifying glass. For the cost beats any instrument I have seen.

It is solid, will take any playing situation I can envision. Dependable as any instrument that I have seen.

The nut had cracked in transit but I ordered a new one from Beard, wont go into hassle of sending it back as it took - get this - one month and 14 days for this to arrive from Instrument Alley. On the whole I am not pleased at all with their handling of my order - nothing happened with my order for three weeks - "we were out of the office" was their explanation.

I have played resophonic guitars for 4 years. I have Johnson Tricone, have had Dobro Hounddog earlier.

This is the best dobro I have ever heard and is absolutely amazing value for money in all respects. If it was stolen I would get another, immediately.

Go to the website:

http://www.goldtone.com/products/pages/pbs_dlx.asp

This is my first dobro, so I cannot compare it to any of the many >$1000 products on the market. But, compared to the entry level models from Regal and Johnson, etc, this instrument is far superior in tone, intonation, and volume. They cost a few hundred more than the Regal class, but trust me, the extra money is more than worth it!

My instrument is flawless as far as I can tell. Intonation is spot on across the entire fretboard. Construction is very clean. No issues at all.

I rate 8 only because we all know that a $799 mass produced instrument simply cannot and will not match the workmanship of any hand made luthier grade axe.

So far, appears to be built like a tank.

I purchased it used, and warranty is not transferrable. Any repairs or adjustments I will handle with my local trusted luthier

I have been playing guitar for 41 years and own many high end acoustic and electric guitars along with an Emmons E9 pedal steel. I play professionally in a classic rock band and an "Acoustic Americana" group. It was for the latter that I purchased this after a lot research on "upper low end" dobros. If you want a good instrument without spending a fortune on hand crafted dobros, look no further than the Gold Tone Paul Beard Deluxe model. A mighty fine instrument for the bucks. Spend the extra $200-300 and skip the Regal class of instrument. There is no comparison! I am delighted with the guitar.

2005/2006 Laminated Mahogany body. Rosewood neck (round neck), dot fret markers. 12 frets clear. Spider bridge with an ebony on maple saddle. 1.75 nut width. Decent "Gold Tone" (made by TKL) hard case. Guitar is said to be manufactured over-seas, perhaps China. Understated looks which is classic. Paul Beard signature on the headstock looks nice and is an added touch.

The sound can only be described as UNBELIEVABLE! I own a National Tricone Style 1.5 and this guitar can run with the big dogs. I wanted a single cone for variety and did not expect what I got. I would reccomend usings 16-56 strings. I play open tunings only and would not try to take this up to full standard tuning with these heavy strings on it. For open tuning thay make the cone sing! Nice full range of tones from throaty, woody lows to bell like highs. Sustain for days! The tone is more than I could have ever expected.

I had my guitar tech do the set-up. He made a nice ebony on maple saddle and custon fit it to the spider bridge. Tuners are a little suspect. They feel a bit cheap and don't quite seem to hold tuning. I'm waiting for the guitar to settle in before I drop some cash on new ones. Bone nut needed to be filed but that's OK. Better than being cut too deep. While it was apart, I inspected the inside. Looked pretty clean; no excessive glue, etc. Looked to be assembled well.

Feels like it can take a beating.

N/A - Have not dealt with them.

If you are thinking about a nice single cone resonator, give these some serious consideration. This really is a nice guitar. I researched most every manufacturer and asked around. I played a Gibson Hound Dog at the local GC and for the price, I'd pass on it and get this again and again. Hands down, more smiles per dollar. I'd still put the National Tricone Style 1.5 ahead of this but I don't need to worry about this guitar at all. Go to a gig with the National and it's like the scene in Pulp Fiction when they open the briefcase. Shining lights and awestruck people who want to handle it. No worries with the Paul Beard Signature series. They all want to see it but I don't worry about near as much. If it were stolen I would get another one the next day. Then I'd hunt them down...

Made in China. Laminated maple. Gloss finish. Decent tuners.

Sounds great. No buzzes.

My only gripes: A couple of spots look like they were sanded too much and there are "dips" in the finish. too bad, because the rest of the finish looks really nice. Intonation is horrible and have been told nothing can be done about it - you get what you pay for. At fret five and twelve, you can plainly hear that the notes are sharp compared to the harmonics. Makes it very difficult to play anything in tune. Strings constantly hang-up in the nut, even though the slots were widened.

Guitar seems to be built solidly.

N/A

Been playing for about 40 years now - electric, acoustic. Own 2 Fender Strats ('57 reissue, '62 reissue), Fender American Standard Precision Bass, 3 Taylors (LKSM,555,615C), and my favorite - a National Style 1 tricone. Unless I can have the intonation problem corrected with this guitar, I think I'll save my pennies and buy an American made resonator (Beard, Scheerhorn, etc.). I took a chance with this guitar based on reviews I had read on the Internet, and the price. The guitar has great tone (it uses a Beard cone), but I am less than satisfied with the overall workmanship.

I bought this squareneck dobro+case in December 2005, it's made in Korea (?) but the setup is done in U.S. by Paul Beard. It has a Beard cone and laminated mahogany top. My dobro doesn't have any pickup.

My favourites are Jerry Douglas, David Lindley, Mike Auldridge etc. I'm not that much into bluegrass..more like a pop and country dobro player..but anyway, this instrument is really great!!! It sounds really good and it's LOUD!! (but only if you want!!)

Set-up is perfect, I have absolutely nothing to complain.

I love this instrument. I've been thinking of buying a deluxe model (with a laminated maple top) also...

This is the first review for the Gold Tone/Paul Beard Signature 'PBR Deluxe' roundneck resonator guitar. Purchased Dec., 2004 from Beard Guitars in Maryland, USA.

It has 19 frets and is joined at the body at the 12th fret. It has a stunningly gorgeous flamed maple everything, top, back, sides, binding and headstock. Body is laminate not solid. Who'd know? The sunburst finish is a rich reddish brown that looks like a million bucks over the flamed maple.

The guitar has the Beard/Fishman pickup installed and while I've not used it amplified yet, the pickup is very popular and used by the likes of Jerry Douglas and Cindy Cashdollar. In fact, Beard guitars are also used by these artists. The 9 volt battery cover and the output jack are located on the side of the guitar near the back strap button. No controls are included as an external pre-amp is needed.

The body is your typical Dobro style with a single large resonator cone under a spider bridge with two smaller screened sound holes in the upper bouts. It has a 25" scale, medium jumbo frets, sealed tuners with pearl buttons and a large bone nut. All hardware is chrome.

The fretboard is brown or 'Maccasar' ebony with light brown streaking through it, real pretty. The fretboard also sports wonderful inlay work accross it, some epoxy shows but very little.

The sound of this guitar, according to my guitar tech, is the best sounding resonator he's heard in his entire career. I'd have to agree. It has a very full range of tones from smooth and sparkly highs to rich woody lows. What words can one really use to describe beautiful sound? I've played Hound Dogs, Epi's, Fenders, Nationals, Johnson's, you name it...and this one is honestly the nicest I've played.

The neck is not like on my Ibanez AS120 Semi Acoustic, but that's not the kind of guitar this is. The neck has some size to it and my hands are small but it's still very easy to play. The cone buzzed quite badly when it arrived, (I imported it from the states and it must have shifted during transport) and the intonation was out. I loosened the strings, re-adjusted the spider and problem solved. The action is not too high for a roundneck as you still can still comfortably make chords and so forth.

The bodywork and finish on this guitar truly is a sight to behold. The only flaw I found is a small round finish flaw the size of a drop of sweat, hmmmm....? Otherwise, it stunning.

Here's the deal... this is the second one of these guitars I've received from Paul Beard. The first one was damaged in shipping (thanks UPS) and had to be returned. It loses a couple of points for that. This one is better than the first anyway so I'm happy! Don't drop them please!! It has fragile components and is not meant to get beat up like my Strat. The chrome finish is extremely nice and I can only hope it will last as I've only had posession of this one for a few days.

There is just one strap button on the bottom and none at the neck. The guitar doed strike me as being quite stable and woulkd take it to a gig with confidnece, I just wouldn't balance it on my nose or anything!

Throughout my shipping ordeal, the folks at Beard Guitars have been amazing. "Howard, you ROCK!!" Howard, Bobbi and Paul bent over backwards to make my transaction as smooth as possible under the stupid shipping circumstances. I wish I had more money to buy another guitar just to keep you on the phone!!

I'm 43 years old and have been playing since grade 7, a long time I know. This Resonator is a real jem and would be devastated if lost or destroyed. Isn't insurance wonderful? I'd be on the phone to Howard is a flash! "Say Howard, did I tell you that you ROCK?!!"

As I'm the first reviewer on this guitar, go buy one and keep me company, you won't regret it.