Johnson AXL-998

Made in Shanghai, 1996. Bought used (and abused) last year for $100. Nickel-plated brass body -- pretty good metalwork.

Woodwork very sloppy -- particularly inside the body. Mahogany (nato?) neck is better than the thick, dark finish would lead you to believe, although the heel is of inexcusably poor design, causing splits at the heel. (More on that later.) Rosewood fretboard is thick, Gotoh tuners are quite good ... if you're reading this, you already know what it is: a cheap Chinese copy of a National Style O.

I bought the AXL-998 as a project and, unexpectedly, pretty much had to rebuild it.

At first, barely adequate for Delta slide blues. Loud, but with the shudder-inducing quality of a dental drill punching through a pie plate. A Quarterman cone helped tremendously: richer, fuller tone with singing sustain. A brass slide, preferably thick, sounds best. Glass works in a pinch, but stainless is out of the question. Save it for your electric.

Played without slide, fingerpicking sounds pretty good -- powerful, if not exactly subtle. It's a good technique reinforcer, as the ringing metallic whine exaggerates the slightest hint of slop in your note definition and separation. Strumming can sound harsh, at least on this particular instrument. Besides, that's not what I bought it for.

My 3 rating is for the original sound, before I ripped out the guts and rebuilt it.

Two major problems, one huge the other middling. Middling first: The biscuit bridge was a plywood disk (painted black) with a thin saddle. How thin? I showed it to my wife, who doesn't play guitar, and she remarked, "That looks like a popsicle stick." New bridge, real maple, with a heftier saddle was the first item in my shopping cart at Stewart-McDonald.

Now huge: When I bought it, the neck was cracked along the grain, from the neck/body joint to about the 10th fret on one side and the 9th fret on the other. I thought it would be an easy Super Glue fix. (Sigh!)

After taking off the coverplate and cone, I realized what made the heel crack. The combination of heavy body, light heel and stupid gluing (probably epoxy) of neck's end to internal lateral brace created excessive stress at the heel. There was no head block and no tail block.

Picture all that in your mind. You've got a long maple brace inside the guitar, running laterally from tail to head. The brace butts against the tail end (actually against a shim), where the tailpiece and strap button are screwed in. This brace runs the length of the body to a square hole at the neck end, where it is glued to the heel. This brace also holds up the cone by supporting the lipped soundwell. Get the picture? Now, imagine any stresses whatsoever on the body -- a jolt to top, back or end, hard playing, even gravity. Where will all those forces act? The neck!

Compounding this awful design was a poor fit of the fingerboard support. It was not tight to the body, allowing the entire neck to wiggle up and down. Not even a well-designed support structure and neck joint could prevent a heel crack when the neck has room to maneuver on its own. That neck was doomed from the time it left Shanghai.

I considered replacing the neck, but I opted for Super Glue, as I'd originally intended. So far (about a year), it's held up. The neck now bolts into a block, which I made (along with a tail block) from some scrap cherry. I also sawed the lateral brace off the neck and reworked it to butt against head and tail blocks. The poorly cut fingerboard support was also replaced.

Otherwise, I can't complain. Well, OK, let me also rant about two stripped screwheads that made taking the fingerbaord overlay apart from the internal support a real pleasure. Imagine removing those position markers that hide the screws, only to find two stripped Phillips heads -- one of which, naturally, resisted extraction and had to be drilled out. Aaaaarrgh!

I did replace the plastic nut with bone, but I do that with all my guitars, so I guess I won't be lowering the rating to absolute zero.

Good metal, bad design. The body is tank-like. I have complete confidence in it. But I still have this haunting feeling that the neck is going to split again any day now.

I haven't played out, other than jamming with friends, in years. This nickel-plated problem child might sound OK with a decent pickup, but I sure wouldn't gig without a backup.

The Gotoh tuners are excellent, by the way.

Yeah. Right. Made in China in 1996, bought used in 2004, completely reworked as to be unrecognizable except for the Johnson decal on the headstock overlay.

Been playing 25-plus years. Took a hiatus after college -- job, family, etc. Started playing again about 5 years ago. Got rid of crappy Alvarez stored in back closet and purchased a Taylor 310, then a Carvin AE-185, sold both to buy a Gibson Nick Lucas (dream guitar). Have also acquired an '80s Ibanez Roadstar (excellent Strat copy), a Tech 21 amp (brilliant) and this metal-bodied beast.

I bought it because I wanted to play slide on a real shiny reso, and I thought it would be fun to fix up a neglectecd guitar. Like a fixer-upper house, This Old Guitar project grew and grew as I encountered each design flaw. I'm not a luthier by training or profession, and my woodworking skills are perhaps a half-step above minimal. I bought a resonator setup book and a repair DVD from Stew-Mac, which were somewhat helpful, but apparently the AXL-998, um, how should I put this ... deviates a bit from standard resonator design. Fortunately, what I lack in skill, I make up for in sheer stubbornness. I refused to let this shiny hunk of scrap-metal reject beat me.

And to think -- for only $100 plus another $200 in parts and repair instruction materials, I have a shiny resonator guitar that may not rank with a National (and maybe not even a Regal or Rogue), but I feel like its father now -- or maybe its stepfather. And in its own feeble-minded, bastard-child way, it's taught me more than I ever figured on learning about instrument building and repair. That should should come in handy when I ultimately buy a real one.

Made late 90s...that is, I acquired it last year and it had been in the shop for five years unsold...

The features are as everyone above has reported. It has all the bits it's meant to, so a 10.

I use it for playing Delta/ chicago style blues.

The sound was awful. Thin, dull, no sustain. I got it because I believed that if I replaced the ghastly pressed cone and bridge with National parts, I might get a reasonable sound.

I did. The sound is now full, vibrant and has all the dynamic range a reso should have. I gave a 3 for sound. After my mods it became a 7 or 8...coz it still ain't a National.

The bell brass body is well cast and solidy welded/brazed/soldered or whatever it is they do to get it to stay in one piece.

The set up was reasonable, but the internal architecture was appalling. When I opened it up I saw that the rim of the soundwell was wonky, screws put in any old how and the sound posts were put wherever they fit, not where they should be.

I rebuilt it completely. I put the soundposts under the well edges as they should be, using new dowel or shims as necessary and used good quality screws both for the neck stick and to hold the grill on the guitar.

Resonators need care in building to work properly. This one had just been slapped together. After I rebuilt it, it worked fine and has grooved along happily for the past 8 months.

The nickel finish is wearing off. The rest looks OK. With the new parts and bits, it is a fine instrument.

I don't speak Chinese.....

In short, a sloppily built guitar with great potential. Carefully rebuilt, and with 50 dollars worth of real National parts, it became an instrument I am proud to play. The score I have given it affects the potential rather than the reality of its original condition.

This guitar was produced in late 99, made in shangai, china 14 frets clear of the body. Nickel plated brass body with dull finish mahogany neck, grover tuners. The fretboard is flat and the resonator cone is a 9 1/2 " buscuit type.

I basically bought this guitar to build a custom guitar from and have modified it extensively. My comments are for the out of the box version. It's used mostly to play delta style slide blues and a little fingerpickin'. Pretty loud but not as much as my new Dean Chrome "S". The sound as it came out of the box was just not there. It did not sound nearly like a National but i knew that before i bought it. After a number of mods the sound is good but due to many small defects in the basic design and construction still not like it should be.

This guitar had numerous design flaws and defects. The headstock is poorly designed and too narrow, causing the string angles to the tuner pegs to be somewhat screwy looking. They should be as straight as possible. As delivered the truss rod adjusting nut was completely loose, preventing any adjustment to raise the strings for slide playing. Frets were left basically unfinished requiring file work to avoid cut hand. The heel of the neck is in my opionion not thick enough for a guitar of this weight. I have had to return an earlier Johnson for a cracked neck in this very same place. The fretboard had a pronounced hump in it on the body which would have ever prevented the guitar from being set up with very low action. The interior woodwork inside the body was very poor, with the neckstick installed crooked with a large crack in it and the cone not seating flat. This guitar had no tailpiece installed at all!! The body though is perfect and beautiful but the neck looks like it belongs on a $75 guitar.

The body is built like a tank, but due to the poor woodwork and flimsy heel on the neck, it woudn't really be a good idea to swing this baby around. Other than that the long term durability should be excellent.

As far as i know there is no customer support. These are made overseas to sell cheaply in the US. You would have to deal with the place you got the guitar, in my case Musicians Friend and they were very helpful.

This guitar is an anachronism. On the one hand the body is perfect but the neck is terrible. How much more would it have added to the purchase price to have put a good one on it to begin with? I have corrected a good many design flaws but will install a good neck on it this winter and re-do the interior woodwork. Regardless of its flaws it still is the only cheap brass model resonator being produced. Compared to a National it will never sound like one due to the difference in the body styles but then again it puts steel body guitars in the hands of regular people who could never afford an expensive National. With a quarterman cone it sounds Ok and does well for slide playing with high action and if were gone i would not buy another one, but a real National.

Brass-bodied, nickel plated single- cone resoanter guitar. Mother-of-pearl postion markers, rosewood fretboard, Honduras mahogany neck, enclosed Grotoh tuners, maple biscuit, rolled f-holes. Made overseas under the Johnson logo.

This is a beautiful rendition of a National 'Style-O" resonater guitar. I've been playing Delta Blues slide for several years now and was needing a suitable, quality guitar at a reasonable price, and I struck gold when I found the AXL-998. It's a gem!

It's well built, solid, feels great, and more importantly, it sounds excellent. Loud, bright, and warm. I'm very impressed with the neck.
A nice piece of choice mahogany. Looking it over, I found no visible flaws. The finish is excellent. The action from the factory was a little low for slide, but a small adjustment fixed that. For $599.00, it's an bargain. Before you break the bank and get a National, give the Johnson a try.

As stated, I found no visible flaws with this guitar. Great workmanship.

Very solidly built.

I have no experience with Johnson in this regard. Their website seems to be under construction.

I would definitetly buy it again!

This a new 1999 Chinese copy of a National Style N. Chromed brass body, no art work, f-holes, satin finish mahogany neck with adjustable truss rod, rosewood fretboard, joined at the 14th fret, retro hard tweed case, Grotoh tuners, biscuit bridge, 9 1/2" resonator cone. It is marketed under the Johnson or Sterling name.

This guitar is LOUD and has a great honking sound. I got it thinking I would just play slide on it but it is extremely versatile. I love it for gypsy jazz and swing. I changed the cone to a Quarterman and it now sounds perfect.

The action was too high to play past the 7th fret comfortably. I reduced some of the relief with the truss rod and then filed the grooves deeper in the bridge. I found that the biscuit bridge was warped and only contacting the cone in two spots. 5 minutes with sand paper fixed that.
I also found that the cone had a few minor dents and had an edge that was crimped.
The fit and finish of the body and neck are superb. Not what I was expecting from China.

The chrome hasn't worn off. It looks like it will last forever.

After replacing the cone with a Quarterman, the bridge with a maple one, and the nut with bone (all from Resonator Outfitters for $63), I have a guitar that plays and sounds exactly like a Nationl worth 3 times as much.

This is an additional comment to the my previous review of the Johnson "National Style O" replica. I still love playing the guitar and have installed an LR Baggs "Dual source" pickup/mike combo w/preamp, however, the guitar still sounds better miked in front with a shure sm-57 microphone if you intend to amplify. I paid $550 for the guitar shipped in a styrofoam box from www.juniorsmusic.com almost 2 years ago. I purchased the case from the same dealer later. The current price for the Johnson AXL-998 from this dealer is $595. Paul of Junior's Music tells me that he gets many customers from my review. Many of these customers try to pay the old price of $550. This thing has only gone up by $45 since I bought mine and in addition, the finish and plating(my only complaint in my previous review) has improved dramatically. NO dealer (that I can find) is selling this for under $675. $595 is a steal for so much guitar! People are actually walking away from these because Paul won't match his "old" price. RIDICULOUS! Coming soon: My review of the Johnson Style-1 Tricone. I'm getting it tomorrow from www.juniorsmusic.com for the current price listed on their website. Check it out.

Made 1997 in China by German Company AXL. This is a 95% faithful replica of a 1936-1938 National Style "O" resonator guitar(sans hawiian etching). Nickel-Plated Brass body, Honduras Mahogany neck w/Rosewood fingerboard. Gotoh machines. Bone nut. Spun Aluminum resonator. Solid, non-slotted headstock. "14-fret" body.

I put this thing to the test. Compared it to old Nationals and New Nationals. The Johnson equaled or surpassed the Nationals in both sound and playability. I'm playing Delta blues style in open tunings and using a "mudslide" porcelin slide in addition to fretting. The Johnson is bright, warm, full, and LOUD. Very authentic sounding. Just amazing!

Action from the factory was perfect. Low enough for fretting. High enough to negotiate slide. Fit and finish are superb. However, the only corner cut IMHO was the finishing of the brass body prior to the Nickel plating. The finish should've been smoother before plating. I'm being critical, the guitar still looks stunning and the nickel-plating seems quite thick.

Looks good

Love it! Playing it becomes an addiction quickly. A ridiculous steal for the money.