Kay KRS-301

Mahogany round neck is straight with truss rod (I assume adjustable). Body made of polished Bell Brass (chrome look) which does resonate better than steel. This has a 10.5 inch resonator which is what other more expensive resonator guitars use Has a a gold plated cover and maple biscuit bridge. Tuners aren't brand name i.e. Gotoh or Grover..but they are closed and seem tight so far. Time will tell.

This is a loud guitar and it has that metal ring that I was looking for...like a mellow banjoy sound. The resonator gives the notes a natural sustain....which I think make it more than just traditional slide or blues instrument. Played quietly with fingers it has a rich sound that has some possiblities.

I really like the action, but then I was not looking for just a slide guitar. It plays easy, which was surprised me. All is well except for what looks to be some handling blemishes at the top fo the neck. There is one scratch in the finish and some residued glue where the fingerboard glues to the neck. Does not affect the playing but it is "less than perfect" which is what I am used with Martin and Taylor. It's made in Korea which I understand has more quality control than the Chinese instruments.

The metal body feels indestructable. The only thing I wonder is due to the weight of the body I don't fell comfortable in picking it up by just the neck as I would with a wooden guitar. Not sure about the neck finish....or how well the fretboard hold up. Too early to tell. I would gig with it if I still played professionally.

Haven't dealt with them but I don't expect a lot of support. Their web page is under construction and it appears the company is in a rebuild mode. They don't have any dealers identified on the web page. Warranty cards must be sent in within 10 days which is longer than it took to ship. The President/owner of Kay (Tony Blair..not the Englsh guy) is quoted as being most interested in the first time buyers in the guitar world...although their banjos are higher end and I think their resonator guitars are too. Mandalay music offered to take this guitar back because of the flaws but I decided to live with them since it was an Ebay auction. This guitar looks pretty solid. Not sure what I would need support with.

I know guitars....or at least what I like. Played professionally years ago. No desire to perform..got burned out in clubs. Have a real job now. To me its about sound and playability. Been playing about 35 years. Have home computer studio with good condenser microphones and good equipment to write and record music ostensibly for my "children's children's children" (a reason to record.) Own Taylor 444, Martin D28, 63 Gibson Les Paul, 1966 Rickenbacker 12 string. I played a number of resonators. I think this one sounds as good as the much more expensive ones e.g. which interesting enough has a 10.5 inch resonator. Would buy it again. I feel like I lucked out. Would be all 10's if I would have picked it out with no flaws...not sure how to do that since no dealers seem to consistently have them. Would need to raise action for serious bottleneck.

This is a new model resonator guitar by Kay Guitars. It has a bell brass body (nickel/plated) with a biscuit bridge and 10" cone. It also has a gold-plated coverplate, something I haven't seen on metal resonators from other companies that make them.

This guitar has a better-than-expected tone. It's mellow and bluesy, just what I like. I own two metal resonators now and they definately are in a different class from the wood-body guitars. Not that one is better than another, just different. I like the warmth to the sound.

It is made VERY well. I have both a Johnson Style-O which has been around for a few years, and this new Kay guitar. The Johnson I'm sure id more popular, but I have to say the construction on my Kay is a little nicer, especially in the fretwork. It has solid tuning machines (no name brand though) a very straight neck and the finish was beautiful (especially the gold coverplate). It came set-up with pretty low action, but I had it set-up a little higher for slide use.

Just got this thing a few days ago, so I have no real track record. It seems rock solid though and I don't anticipate any problems with it. I wouldn't hesitate to use this at any gig.

I've bought both my metal resonators from MandalayMusic.com. They are top-notch in my book. They always seem to have the best deals, the shipping is fabulous, they answer questions quickly and are really there to please. This guitar has a 2-year warranty but I don't think I'll need it, it's a nice piece.

Nothing wrong with this guitar, especially for the money they want for it. I'd buy another.