Gold Tone GRS/L Paul Beard Metal Body Resonator Guitar (Left-Handed)

The Gold Tone GRS/L is a left-handed metal body resonator guitar, available now from Banjo Warehouse in Yellow Springs, Ohio. It is a purpose-built lefty version of the GRS, Gold Tone’s collaboration with resonator builder Paul Beard, and it brings the full character of the right-handed model to players who fret with their right hand. Left-handed resonators are genuinely hard to find. Most players in this position end up waiting on a special order, settling for a restrung right-handed instrument, or giving up on the sound entirely. This is a real production lefty, built correctly from the ground up.

How the GRS/L Sounds

The full-depth steel body is the reason this guitar carries. At 3.125 inches deep, it is not a thin-bodied resonator, and the extra internal volume takes the energy generated by the reverse-cone resonator and biscuit bridge and pushes it out with real force. The voice is classic biscuit-cone resonator: cutting in the midrange, punchy on attack, with natural projection that fills a room with no amplification at all. It suits Delta blues slide, old-time playing, and Dobro-influenced bluegrass, and it has enough presence to sit in a jam circle without disappearing.

The brushed aluminum cone and biscuit are matched to the brushed aluminium finish and hardware, which gives the whole instrument a consistent, industrial look rather than the polished chrome treatment you see on most metal body resonators.

Hear the GRS/L

Recorded specifications and written descriptions only go so far with a resonator. Listen to how it responds to attack and how much of the room it fills before you decide.

The Gold Tone and Beard Coverplate

This is the detail that separates the GRS/L from older metal body designs. The Gold Tone and Beard resonator coverplate includes a removable palm rest, which means you can reach the bridge and saddle without stripping off the coverplate and hardware. Adjusting string action, changing break angle, tweaking string spacing, or replacing the bridge saddle all become straightforward jobs rather than a full teardown. For an instrument that responds noticeably to saddle and setup changes, that access matters more than it sounds like it should.

Construction and Materials

The maple neck carries an ebony fingerboard with 19 frets and dot inlays, anchored by a two-way adjustable truss rod that holds the neck through seasonal humidity swings. Ebony is a harder, denser fingerboard material than rosewood, and it contributes to the tight, focused attack this guitar produces. Celluloid binding trims the body. The bridge is maple with an ebony insert, and the Paul Beard 6-string tailpiece is not a generic part: Beard is one of the most respected names in resonator building, and his tailpiece design contributes meaningfully to sustain and to the string break angle over the biscuit cone. Metal die-cast tuners with metal buttons round out the hardware.

Setup Before It Ships

Every Gold Tone instrument receives a professional setup at the Gold Tone factory in Titusville, Florida. On a resonator guitar that means checking cone seating, setting action at the nut and bridge for comfortable playability, verifying intonation, and inspecting fret ends and neck relief. The guitar arrives ready to play rather than needing a trip to a repair shop before it is enjoyable.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer. That means you are buying a genuine instrument backed by Gold Tone’s manufacturer warranty, with full dealer support from us. We have been selling and playing these instruments for decades, and if you have a question about whether this is the right guitar for what you play, call us and ask.

Financing is available. PayPal Pay in 4 is offered on all orders through our site. Afterpay is available on instruments under $4,000, either as 4 interest-free installments or as a 3, 6, 12, or 24 month plan, with no late fees.

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Gold Tone GRS/L Specifications

Model	GRS/L (Left-Handed)
Handedness	Left-Handed
Nut Width	1-3/4″
Tuners	Metal Die-Cast with Metal Buttons
Tuning Buttons	Brushed Aluminium
Neck Material	Maple
Fingerboard	Ebony
Frets	19
Inlay	Dot
Truss Rod	Two-Way Adjustable
Top	Steel
Back & Sides	Steel (3.125″ Thick)
Binding	Celluloid
Bridge	Maple with Ebony Insert
Cone & Biscuit	Brushed Aluminum Cone and Biscuit
Tailpiece	Paul Beard 6-String
Finish	Brushed Aluminium
Hardware	Brushed Aluminium
Scale Length	25″
Weight	9.5 lbs.
String Gauge	.052w, .045w, .035w, .024w, .016, .013
Tuning	EADGBE (Standard)
Bag	HBAG (Optional)
Case	HDRD (Optional)
Setup	Professional setup at Gold Tone’s factory in Titusville, Florida

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this guitar truly built left-handed, or is it a right-handed guitar restrung?

This is a purpose-built left-handed instrument. The GRS/L is constructed from the ground up as a lefty, so the nut, saddle compensation, and hardware orientation are all correct for left-handed playing. It is not a right-handed guitar with the strings reversed, which produces poor playability and an incorrect string break angle over the biscuit cone.

What is a reverse-cone biscuit resonator?

In a biscuit-style resonator, the aluminum cone sits with its apex pointing up toward the strings, which is the reverse of the spider-bridge arrangement where the cone opens upward and a cast metal spider spans across it. A small round biscuit rests directly on that apex and supports the bridge, so string energy transfers into a single concentrated point. The result is a bright, focused, punchy voice with that raw, woody-meets-metallic character associated with Delta blues and old-time playing. Spider-bridge resonators distribute the energy across multiple contact points and produce the fuller, rounder sound most players associate with bluegrass Dobro.

How does the full-depth body change the sound compared to a thin body resonator?

The 3.125 inch body gives the instrument substantially more internal air volume than a thin-bodied metal resonator. That translates to more low-end support underneath the midrange bark, more sustain, and more raw output. Thin body resonators tend to be tighter and more compressed, which some players prefer for slide work. The GRS/L sits on the louder, fuller side of that trade-off.

Why does the removable palm rest matter?

Resonator guitars respond noticeably to saddle height, break angle, and string spacing, and dialing those in usually means removing the coverplate and hardware every time you want to make a change. The removable palm rest on the Gold Tone and Beard coverplate gives you direct access to the bridge without that teardown, so setup adjustments and saddle swaps take minutes instead of an afternoon.

What strings does it ship with, and can I change gauges?

The GRS/L ships with a .052w to .013 set in standard EADGBE tuning. You can move to a heavier set if you play primarily slide in an open tuning, which is common on resonators, but check the action and break angle over the biscuit after any significant gauge change. If you are unsure, call us and we will talk through it.

Is this guitar heavy?

At 9.5 pounds it is noticeably heavier than a wood-body acoustic. That mass is part of why a steel body resonator projects the way it does. A wide, padded strap makes a real difference for longer playing sessions.