I'm sort of an odd example because, even though I play a Resonator, I've had extensive work done on mine and I definitely do not play traditional music on it. That said, I think after 20+ years of playing I can recognize a good guitar. My Republic tricone is a good guitar and gets me tons of compliments every time I play it. Now, as I mentioned above you won't find a Republic like mine in any store. However I did have the guitar with me for about six months before the mods and it was still good—great tone, decent fit/finish, good playability.
As others have said, the trick is play before you buy, or buy one you can return if you don't like it.
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