Review: 2024 Cozart Electric-Acoustic Single Cutaway Resonator

Cozart Electric-Acoustic Single Cutaway Resonator 6 string Guitar (Resonator-0917-U)

Resonator guitars with pickup(s) have always existed, though when researching on Google, it's not really clear when those first appeared. For the purposes of this particular review, it doesn't really matter anyway.

I believe in the '80s, or so, one of the things that came later was electric solid-body guitars with a resonator cone like the National Resophonic model, which became a cult item after famous musicians like Joe Perry (Aerosmith) started using one.

It isn't a complicated design. It is basically a solid-body electric that is routed out to hold a cone with some sort of a resophonic/acoustic scale neck. As you can see from the picture, the Cozart guitar is a single cutaway solid body with a resonator cone, a mini-humbucker at the neck, and a piezo in the bridge. It's similar in feel and weight to a Squier Sonic Telecaster (though the neck scale is shorter).

The guitar is technically a resonator due to the use of the cone and Biscuit Bridge. Still, its sound characteristics are noticeably different from those of a traditional hollow-body guitar. The classic resophonic design's original intent was to increase the volume so a guitar could play in ensembles or two filler rooms or tents before the advent of amplifiers and PA systems. This also gave the instrument a sound that was very different from a traditional acoustic guitar.

In the case of the Cozart, you'll get the resonant tone from the cone but not the volume, which does change the characteristics of the sound. The acoustic sound is about as loud as a semi-solid electric guitar.

This type of electric generally has volume and tone controls but also a "blend" knob. In this case, the tone from the front pickup, a mini-humbucker, and the piezo at the bridge, which will be a more accurate amplifier of the sound, are noticeably different in sound. The ability to blend the sounds of both pickups will give you a wide range of tonal possibilities.

If you only use the mini humbucker, roughly speaking, it will sound like a kinda-sorta semi-solid electric. The cone's acoustic characteristics are detectable at clean and lower volumes but pretty much disappear once the volume and gain increase. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as this particular mini-humbucker has a nice retro tone that sounds great at any volume.

As I said earlier, the piezo pickup will be more accurate in amplifying this instrument's acoustic sound. That type of pickup is common with traditional acoustic guitars.

The piezo on this particular guitar isn't as effective because to prevent the biscuit Bridge from buzzing in a drop tuning, you'll have to add shims, which, depending on how you do that, will cut the volume a bit. On the whole, the electrified acoustic sound on this guitar is pretty good, although not as obviously resophonic as a traditional design.

The hardware is pretty good. It stays in tune, and the neck feels like a traditional dobro or resophonic neck and is quite easy to play. As far as "fit and finish," it looks pretty good for a $279 guitar, but as a matter of disclosure, I don't personally pay really close attention to anything that doesn't affect playability or tone. I might if the guitar costs a couple thousand dollars or something.

Unless you intend to play slide on it, it's not really a good guitar for beginners. The action will be quite high if you want to also use it as a finger-style instrument. It's relatively easy to sand the bottom of the Biscuit Bridge to lower the action. However, a beginner might find it daunting to remove the cone cover to work with the Biscuit Bridge assembly, which doesn't have a perfect tolerance. This will almost certainly require shimming the biscuit Bridge to keep it from buzzing. You also have to bring the action down at the nut, and that's not something a novice should be messing with.

When I say that the sound doesn't have all the qualities of a traditional resonator, you do have to know what one sounds like and why. However, it's not easy to find sound examples of this guitar on YouTube, though demos of an earlier version of this model by Jay Turser can be found.

If you're looking for a dobro or traditional resophonic guitar with pickups, this may not be ideal. The classic resophonic sound requires a hollow body, which is almost certainly the sound that will be in your head when you're shopping for an electric version. 

If you buy this particular model without playing it first, you might find it disappointing or the sound much different than you had imagined. In many ways, you're actually buying a semi-solid electric guitar with some amplified acoustic capabilities.

I have owned National Resophonics, both vintage and modern, old Regals, Deans, and various Dobros in the past, so I was familiar with what a solid body type would sound like. In other words, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting. However, if you do a lot of research on models that had pickups, you'll find that this guitar doesn't really sound like those.

By the same token, it doesn't sound like an ES or Dot semi-solid type. It'll be something between that and a traditional resonator, which might be perfect for someone looking for something different. 

There is no doubt about one thing: If you're looking for a guitar that can do Rockabilly, Blues, or Rock and roll, this is as good as any. The mini-humbucker on this guitar can do the job.

As far as mojo goes, it definitely has looks that kill, and as we all know, that always magically improves the sound.

- Al Handa 

  March 2, 2025

Cozart Electric-Acoustic Single Cutaway Resonator 6 string Guitar (Resonator-0917-U)

White Finish

Set-Neck Construction Basswood Body

Hard Maple Neck

Poplar Laminated Fingerboard

Abalone Inlay

Grover Style Tuning Machines

648mm/25.5"

21 Frets

Knobs: Volume, Balance, Tone

Mini Humbucker Pickup

Piezo Bridge Pickup

Chrome Hardware

Biscuit Style Bridge

Approx. 6.3 lbs

Review: 2024 Harley Benton RB-600CS

Review: 2024 Harley Benton RB-600CS

I believe most guitar players have already seen this guitar on YouTube, either in reviews or infomercial-type videos. What caught my eye was that it was one of those rare guitars with Rickenbacker-type styling that hadn't been forced off the market by that company, which is well-known for defending its trademark and design.

The Harley Benton is one of two that I've seen; there is an even cheaper model by another company with the same Rickenbacker-type sunburst and pickguard and a similar headstock.

I hesitate to call this new wave of guitars in the 100-300 dollar bracket purely cheap; most are probably from Chinese companies left by the major guitar makers moving on to Indonesia or Vietnam. 

There was certainly a lot of attention on the inexpensive ones in the $100 range because a lot of guitar knowledge is actually word of mouth and not actual experience, but the generally rough fit and finish of those models are often seen as standard for even those guitars that are up in the  $300-400 range.

The 2024 Harley Benton RB-600CS is closer to the lower-line Gretsch or Squier entry-level guitar range. It is probably made by the same factory in some cases. 

One other feature common to the two Rickenbacker-influenced guitars, as they're not truly clones, is the use of mini-humbuckers, which resemble the pickups used on Rickenbacker. 

As I said earlier, that resemblance did attract my eye, and if that's all there was, I'd have just moved on because, in my entire life of GAS, I've never owned a Rickenbacker.

I've had close contact with one, as one of my guitar friends owned one for over a decade, and I heard it constantly during rehearsal. The main problem for me was that it had a particular sound I didn't use much, which could be duplicated by other guitars in my collection. I wasn't a big fan of the design, particularly the cutaway style.

If you were to remove the sunburst finish, then the primary resemblance would be the pickguard. There is some similarity with the pickups, but any close examination would see that they're not that similar. In fact, there's more of a similarity to a PRS SE or other guitar in that style than with the Traditional Rickenbacker.

I took a chance on the Harley Benton because I happened to be looking to add a few inexpensive guitars for some future recording projects. Due to my age and the condition of my hands, one requirement was a shorter-scale guitar that was light and, in terms of sound, one with mini-humbuckers.

In terms of sound, this isn't a guitar you should buy to get a Rickenbacker on the cheap. It sounds closer to some older Gibsons and Epiphones that had mini-humbuckers, though you can probably get some jangle with some fiddling with your amp.

What you do get, and this is based on my own experience with this particular guitar, and I certainly can't speak for the entire line in terms of quality, is a guitar that arrived without needing a major setup. The fit and finish were more than adequate, and the short scale and lightness make it an extremely easy and fun guitar to play. As far as an entry-level guitar, it's as good as any.

The stock pickups are pretty good, and I wouldn't recommend replacing them immediately until you've played the guitar for a month or two. You might decide to keep it in stock as the RB has a classic mini-humbucker sound, which could be described as being between a single coil and a humbucker. In terms of sound, one could say that it has a pleasant and clear, clean tone that a good player can dirty up without cranking up the amp. In other words, the mini-humbucker is a pickup that responds well to touch.

You can get a closer view of the actual sound in this day and age by going to YouTube and hearing one of the many demos. One of the things I always do when checking out demos on a particular model guitar on that site is to listen to both expert players and beginners. It gives me a better idea of what the guitar sounds like and what you can bring out through technique. You might find that the basic tone can be duplicated by a guitar that's already in your collection.

I would recommend the Harley Benton to beginners, intermediates, and those who want to add an extra guitar to their collection without spending a lot of money. I should note that there's also a 12-string version, though I have no personal experience with it.

The average price is in the $300+ range, which also includes taxes and shipping. You can take the remarks about guitars in this range as being too cheap to have any level of quality with a grain of salt because it's mainly in America and other Western countries that a $300 guitar can be considered beneath the level of an experienced musician (or cork sniffer).

You'll get a very decent level of quality with this guitar, easily as good as a Squier or a lower-line Epiphone. As I said earlier, I'm speaking from my own experience with this particular guitar. It arrived without needing anything more than a very slight adjustment of the neck and a partial lowering of the bridge. The frets were fine, and there was no buzzing when I dropped the action even lower.

The Harley Benton is a light, easy-to-play guitar that will be a fine first guitar or an additional one in any collection. Just remember: It may have some superficial resemblance to a Rickenbacker, but in terms of sound, that's not what you're going to get.

- Al Handa

  Jan 2025