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
