[MartinMan1990]

Hey all, I'm hoping that some of you more knowledgeable folks can help answer a few questions that I have. To begin, I currently own a Gretsch Bobtail (Spider cone) which I honestly must say I really do enjoy playing-in fact I find myself playing this guitar more often then my way more expensive acoustics, partially due to the size and comfort of the smaller bodied resonator but also due to the swampy tone that you just can't get out of an acoustic guitar. Being said, from my research I have read that many people just swap out the cone and bridge and upgrade to something better. In fact, I have read many people that claim they would never buy an 'expensive' reso due to the fact that the majority of the sound is coming from the cone/bridge which can always be modified-do you agree?

I would also like to point out that I use my current Gretsch for fingerpicking with little to no slide (hopefully I will soon incorporate a bit more slide as I am beginning lessons) and play the majority in standard tuning-occasionally open tunings as well. The majority of my playing consist of fingerpicking blues. Being said, I do believe I want either another spider coned resonator or a single/biscuit coned resonator since I find the tricone more effective for longer sustain slide playing with more complexity and overtones which I do not desire at the moment. I also know that I want a wood body so that I do not completely separate myself from the woodiness of the acoustic world.

I have been primarily looking at both Paul Beards and National Resonators at the moment and I'm finding that many of Beards resonators are made of solid wood construction rather then laminate. Does this have any major tonal impact on tone? From what I've read is that laminate is often better for resonators because the wood is not as important to the tonality as the actual cone is. Is this true? Is it worth spending the extra money on a solid wood constructed piece?

I know that I ultimately need to play all different types to find out for myself what I prefer but I was just hoping to get some ideas and pick your brains. This hunt for the next resonator is not something I need this minute and I actually really do enjoy doing the extensive research and taking the trips to play as many as possible. Thanks in advance for any responses and feedback!