Gold Tone GRE Paul Beard Metal Body Resonator Guitar with Pickup

I’ve had the pleasure of playing a lot of resonator guitars over the decades, and the Gold Tone GRE stands out as something genuinely special in its price range. Designed in collaboration with Paul Beard — one of the most respected names in resonator instrument building — this guitar pairs a steel body with a classic biscuit-style cone to produce that cutting, bark-and-sustain tone that resonator players live for. The textured steel construction isn’t just a visual choice; it adds rigidity to the body and gives the instrument a voice that’s loud, focused, and full of character. If you play slide, fingerpicking blues, or acoustic bluegrass leads, this guitar has the projection to cut through a jam session without needing to plug in — though the onboard lipstick pickup means you’re covered when you do need amplification.

The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard, snowflake inlays, and a comfortable 25″ scale length that makes it approachable for players coming from a standard acoustic or electric background. The 1-3/4″ nut width gives fingerpickers a little extra room to work with. Sealed guitar-style tuners, a Paul Beard 6-string tailpiece, and chrome hardware throughout give the GRE a cohesive, well-appointed feel that belies its price. The two-way adjustable truss rod means long-term playability is well within your control, and the curly maple binding adds a touch of elegance to what is otherwise a very business-like instrument. At 9 lbs, it’s on the heavier side — as metal body resonators tend to be — but that mass contributes directly to the sustain and resonance you’re buying this guitar for.

Every instrument receives a thorough professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before it ships. The setup includes checking and adjusting the neck relief using the two-way truss rod, setting the action at the bridge for clean intonation across the neck, inspecting the cone and spider for proper seating, and ensuring the lipstick pickup is functioning correctly. What arrives at your door is a guitar that plays the way it should — not a straight-from-the-box instrument that still needs work.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means every instrument we sell is covered by the full manufacturer’s warranty and backed by a team that knows these instruments inside and out. I’ve been in this industry for over 45 years — I co-founded Watch & Learn in Atlanta in the 1980s, wrote Banjo Primer (the top-rated beginner banjo method), and co-designed the Gold Tone OB-Standard — so when I say the GRE is a well-built instrument worth your investment, I’m speaking from decades of hands-on experience with fretted instruments at every price point. We’re not a big-box retailer guessing at specifications; we play these instruments, we set them up ourselves, and we stand behind what we sell. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and 3, 6, 12, and 24-month plans with no late fees, so you can get the right instrument without stretching your budget all at once.

Gold Tone GRE Specifications

Body Top	Steel
Body Back & Sides	Steel (2.125″ Thin)
Binding	Curly Maple
Finish	Textured
Cone & Spider	Biscuit Style
Bridge	Maple with Ebony Insert
Tailpiece	Paul Beard 6-String
Neck Material	Maple
Fingerboard	Rosewood
Inlay	Snowflake
Frets	19
Nut Width	1-3/4″
Scale Length	25″
Truss Rod	Two-Way Adjustable
Tuners	Sealed Guitar-Style
Tuner Buttons	Metal
Hardware	Chrome Plated
Pickup	Lipstick Pickup
String Gauge	.056w, .045w, .035w, .024w, .016, .012
Tuning	EADGBE (Standard)
Weight	9 lbs.
Bag	HBAG (Optional)
Hard Case	HDRD-M (Optional)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Gold Tone GRE good for slide guitar?

Absolutely — the biscuit-style cone and steel body are an ideal combination for slide playing. The cone projects your slide tone with that classic resonator bark and long sustain, while the 25″ scale length gives you the string tension that slide players prefer. Whether you’re playing open G, open D, or standard tuning with a bottleneck, the GRE handles it well.

Does the lipstick pickup require any additional wiring or preamp to use live?

The lipstick pickup on the GRE outputs a passive signal, so you can plug it directly into any amplifier or DI box with a standard 1/4″ instrument cable. If you’re running into a PA or an interface that expects a line-level signal, a simple direct box will give you better results. Many players run it through a small tube amp for added warmth, or straight into a board with a little EQ. It’s a simple, reliable setup that gets out of the way and lets the cone do the talking.

What is the difference between biscuit-style and spider-style resonator cones?

Great question. A biscuit-style cone uses a small circular wooden disc (the “biscuit”) that sits in the center of the cone, and the bridge rests on top of it. This setup tends to produce a brighter, more focused, and cutting tone — ideal for blues and slide work. A spider bridge, more common on Dobro-style instruments, distributes the string vibration across more of the cone surface and typically produces a warmer, more open sound favored in bluegrass. The GRE uses biscuit style, which pairs beautifully with its steel body for that raw, projecting resonator voice.

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