Resonator Guitar Question?

By all means. They are more often played that way.

Instead of asking such question you could have just typed "resonator guitar" in YouTube, as you can find hundreds of videos showing how it can be played. And you can also hear there what kind of sound they produce.

Of course it can be played in a normal way too, unless it has extremely high action of strings (what is a characteristic of some guitars prepared for lap style only, usually square necks; but it's rare to see it in a shop and those by Fender for sure have normal action of strings). However, resonator guitars usually sound best when they have very heavy strings and are plucked in an aggressive way (that's way many people play them using fingerpicks), so usually (not always) the style of playing is a little bit different than on a standard acoustic guitar, just to achieve the characteristic sound that resonator guitars are praised form.

By the way, why are you thinking about Fender's only? There are a lot of resonator guitars in this price range and Fender's have the ugliest "f" holes among all!

Contrary to one of the answers, not all resonator guitars can be played either way. Dave gave you a nice answer concerning square vs. round necks. How they sound varies a bit from one type of resonator to another. single cone "Dobro" styled resonators sound different than tri-cone and biscuit "National" guitars.

I wouldn't describe any of them as sounding "tinny", but to each his own I guess. Harsh? Metallic? Brash? definitely. Then again, that's exactly what made/makes them attractive to Blues, Country, and Bluegrass players and fans.

Couldn't get the info I was looking for from your Fender link-shame on you Fender for not detailing what type of resonator is in your RESONATOR guitar! However, it seems that they are both single cone "Dobro" styled instruments. Those are used primarily for Bluegrass and Country. Since you posted in blues, I assume that's what you plan to play? You would be better served by a National or National styled tri-cone.

No, it wouldn't be pointless to have a resonator and an acoustic. Go to Youtube and watch some John Hammond videos. He's one of the greatest living exponents of the blues and always uses both on stage. A few views will tell you more than I can about why one would want both.

There are two kinds of resonator guitars, square neck and round neck. A round neck can be played either by fretting with fingers or with a slide. A square neck is for slide only.

Resonators have a whine to their sound, the dobro type thing. They are a lot heavier so you would want the tone difference. You can play slide either lap style or regular, the difference it the angle you hold the slide. Almost nobody frets with fingers on a guitar held on their lap.

if you cant afford to buy one at a brick and mortar you really ought to at least play one before you buy one.

but a resonator, it is the system of cones that amplifies the sound, it doesnt dictate the style of the rest of the guitar. they make lap steal style resonators and regular guitar style resonators. the 2 that you are looking at are meant to be played like a regular guitar.

Yes!

It most definitely can be played in Any position. Now a "Lap Steel Guitar" is a different question. That must be played on a base or on your lap.

"Tinny". That's what it sounds like.