Mule Resonator vs National

[cu4life7]

For all you reso players, I was wondering if any of you have had a chance to play a mule. I love the look and ethos of what Matt is doing at Mule Resophonic and have almost pulled the trigger on a deposit a few times, but I am curious how those with Nationals (new, not vintage) would compare the Mule to National. Thanks in advance.
-Jake

[rockabilly69]

A big part of the sound is the cone. It took Don at National awhile to get the right material/technique to get to the Hot Rod cone. Looks like Mule is offering a National cone at a $45 upcharge, go for it! So for a Mule that would be $1645 + shipping to get into the club. That's a reasonable price for a USA made reso, although you can get into a used National for that price. And I LOVE Nationals! New Nationals are great (I own 4 of them, with 2 being custom artist models), and I have owned vintage Nationals and the new ones are as good. Good luck, and happy sliding no matter what you decide! I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[Cone Head]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

New Nationals are great (I own 4 of them, with 2 being custom artist models), and I have owned vintage Nationals and the new ones are as good.

And yet so vastly different from the old ones.

Are they well made? Sure...but if I had ever met a new National that sounded as good as my '29, '31, or '36 do, I would have taken it home with me. It hasn't happened so far.

I prefer the newer ones as I think they sound as good as the best of the old ones, and way better than most of the old ones. Also, I like the adjustable truss rod (better playability and intonation) and neck profiles of the new ones better. I have never played a Mule, so I can't comment on that.

[Cone Head]

Originally Posted by m-thirty-great

they sound as good as the best of the old ones, and way better than most of the old ones

This makes me wonder, how many old Nationals in good playing condition have you had the opportunity to compare to new Nationals?

New Nationals are consistent, well made, solid, reliable, stable...all that good stuff...but if you put me in a room with ten of them and blindfold me, I'd have a very hard time telling them apart. They may be equal to an "average" vintage National, but there is simply no comparison to one of the good ones. They're not that rare, either, I have three at the moment and many more have passed through my hands over the years.

New NRPs have a more severe neck angle than the old ones, which translates to more volume, but less sustain and fewer overtones.

Most luthiers don't know how to set them up, and most players actually believe that they're "meant for slide" and therefore tall action/too much relief is somehow "acceptable" - so many of the ones you see "in the wild" are NOT a fair basis for comparison.

[brian a.]

I'll have to look for one of those Mule Resos to try out. I have played the Ron Phillips resonators and the Paul Beard wood bodied resonator guitars and like both as modern interpretations of the vintage 1930's Nationals and Dobros.

http://metalgitar.com/

https://www.beardguitars.com/

[donh]

I have played a couple old Nationals, but I dunno how old they were. They were in no way comparable to the Mule. They had the nut set way too high, the action a bit too high, and you had to whup 'em to get them to bark and they had nothing gentle going on at all.

My Mule works for gentle fingerstyle and raucous slide equally well. I had to rework the neck to get it to where I like it, but the action has always been JustFine.

Based on my admittedly small sample of two I'd go Mule every time.
.

[drplayer]

I just recently purchased a Mule (#39), and did so after looking at Nationals and some of the higher-quality imports.



I took a leap of faith after some correspondence with Matt Eich, looking at his instruments on his site, listening to the clips he has posted, and reading some objective reviews. Only you can make the right decision for you, but I will tell you that my Mule exceeded my expectations on every level. It really is a work of art and has a very cool old-school vibe, but more importantly, its tone is just killer! It has the rawness of a resonator, but with a beautifully warm tone. It sounds fantastic played fingerstyle in standard tuning, or in open tunings with a slide, and when you dig in, it is loud and can really growl. I personally like the tone better than the National single cones I played...mostly because of the warmth it has.

Matt honed his skills carving necks at Huss & Dalton and it is VERY apparent, as the neck on this guitar is quite possibly the best neck of any guitar I've ever played! Mine has a Continental cone and I wouldn't think of changing it. Matt used to use Beard cones, but actually likes the Continental cones better (at least in his brass-bodied resonators), as he feels they have, "...a much better tone--bigger and focused."

Anyway, good luck in your decision. National certainly has a strong following and is iconic; but, I wanted to share my experience with my Mule and let you know that they are absolutely worth your consideration...

-Dale

[Cone Head]

Originally Posted by donh

They had the nut set way too high, the action a bit too high, and you had to whup 'em to get them to bark and they had nothing gentle going on at all.

Not a much basis for any kind of objective comparison, is it?

How is that any different than saying the two Martins I have played were missing their back braces, had cracked tops, and were strung with .09s. Therefore Martins are inferior to [insert brand name here]?

My guitars don't have that problem.

[kerrinsdad]

Love my Mule!! (#20)

Originally Posted by Cone Head

Not a much basis for any kind of objective comparison, is it?

How is that any different than saying the two Martins I have played were missing their back braces, had cracked tops, and were strung with .09s. Therefore Martins are inferior to [insert brand name here]?

Jeez. He didn't say they were broken, he said the action was high. Big difference. Plus, he acknowledged that it was an "admittedly small sample of two."

How many Mules have you played?

[Cone Head]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

How many Mules have you played?

None, which is exactly why I have refrained from making any kind of comment about them.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Cone Head

And yet so vastly different from the old ones.

Are they well made? Sure...but if I had ever met a new National that sounded as good as my '29, '31, or '36 do, I would have taken it home with me. It hasn't happened so far.

I've owned two late 20's models, played more than I can count, and my new Artist models sound as good, and are made better I gig 6 to 7 times a week, and a reso
is a big part of what I do.

[29er]

I own Mule #11. I dig it beyond my ability to explain. I've owned 2 National single cones, a Radiotone Bendaway and a Delphi but that was years ago and obviously I can't do a side by side comparison. That said, the tone of my Mule is just fantastic. The bluesy growl you hear in a great National is there. As others have mentioned here and elsewhere, the neck profile of the Mule is something special, it just feels right. Works for chording and slide playing as well.

I love National guitars and I will likely own another one someday, but the fact that the Mule was built in the US by one set of hands really speaks to me. Matt builds a great guitar and it's amazing that they cost what they do. He could charge much more and it would be justified. This is the first luthier built guitar I've owned and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I've owned two late 20's models, played more than I can count, and my new Artist models sound as good, and are made better I gig 6 to 7 times a week, and a reso
is a big part of what I do.

I too have generally preferred the tones of the new ones I have played to the old ones I have played. Adjustable truss rods and good intonation are also major advantages of new ones IMO.