Set Up is the key
The one thing I would add to this discussion is that the playability/responsiveness and quality of sound coming out of a resonator guitar is incredibly dependent on the skill of the person doing the set up.
To be sure, parts matter, but I've seen and played guitars with high quality parts which still played and sounded like crap because the person doing the setup didn't know what they were doing.
What constitutes a good set up varies depending on who you ask, but the parts are a good quality cone, a bone nut and good quality saddle. In the case of squareneck resonator guitars, ebony or ebonex capped saddles sound significantly better than an all maple saddle.
In any event, just using HQ parts is no guarantee of a good set up. In the case of squareneck guitars one of the main objectives of a good set is to "load the cone," create maximum pressure on the cone by using a high nut and setting up the saddle so it sits high in the cone slot and creates a good break angle as the strings pass downward from the saddle. Raising the nut higher creates more string tension, but beyond a certain point diminishes the quality of tone. The nut on my squareneck resonator sits about 3/8" above the fingerboard.
The ability to cut a good string slot in both the nut and saddle is super critical in setting up a resonator guitar. Much more so, than commonly realized.
As an example, I know a world class studio musician who plays a fairly inexpensive metal bodied import resonator guitar which compares more than favorably with a vintage National resonator. In this specific case the difference is due to his guitar being set up by a top notch guitar builder who has done literally 1000 set ups on resonator guitars over the years.
This is not to say that the design and material used for the guitar body doesn't matter. It definitely does matter. But it's truly astonishing how sensitive resonator guitars are - in terms of playability/responsiveness and tone - to a good set up
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