Steven Menasco wrote: After researching several builders of resophonic guitars, I recently asked Steve Smith, owner of Red Line Resophonics, to build me a custom made resophonic Peabody Pro solid maple large body guitar. The guitar was built to exacting standards well wi...thing the time frame promised at a fair and reasonable price for the product delivered. It really exceeded my expectations as did Mr. Smith and his crew of associates. The sound is rich, the tone is magnificent and sustain is long. The sound is somewhere between an old school and modern. The set up is superb. There is no buzzing, rattling or any other distracting noises; only crisp, clear tones. The frets are exact, notes are clear and in tune at every fret up the board.
This guitar is solid maple with maple neck. An added feature that I don't think any other builder does, is produce comfortable beveled neck edges, a nice finish touch. The beautiful wood grain shows through the finish, especially on the top and back. The back of the guitar sports the signature "Red Line" down the middle. The finish is a fairly dark pomegranate red with a black burst around the edges, which turned out beautiful. The ebony fret board is one of the blackest I have seen and the white inlaid frets and white/black/white body and neck binding significantly adds to the professional look. One of the best features are the inlaid diamond-shaped slotted square markers on the fret board, replacing standard inlaid dots used by most luthiers. These diamond squares add a plush look to the whole guitar. There are absolutely no flaws in the finish, joints or inlays. The finish has 21 coats of lacquer. If I had to describe the guitar in few words, it would have to be "magnificently rich." The tuning machines appear to be top of the line and all the hardward is U. S. made. I would take this guitar anywhere without a backup, but would keep it close. A thief could not resist this work of art .
Luthier Steve Smith and his crew were just a pleasure to deal with, always returned my calls and responded to requests for information as well as keeping me posted with photos as the build proceeded. I would recommend these people to anyone without hesitation. They are truly artists, certainly a cut above most instrument builders.
I have no negative comment on any one component. The entire unit is flawless, constructed with care and precision. Even the Red Line logo on the head stock is of a design that adds to the overall professional look of the piece. And to top that off, it was delivered with a high quality hard shell case. This guitar was constructed from scratch to delivery in approximately six weeks, with no unfulfilled expectations or promises. The Red Line group delivers what they say they will, when they say, at a professional level of craftsmanship that I doubt would be surpassed by any instrument builder, at a more than reasonable price for what is delivered.
I am not employed by, or associated with Red Line Resophonics in any way. I have received no renumeration for this recommendation, other than the priviledge to purchase a guitar of the highest quality, hundreds of dollars less than the recognized top tier equipment.
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