REVIEW
Rodney Dillard on Jan 24, 2020
GREAT SOUND!
"The R.Q.Jones Retrofit resonator guitar has a throaty sound without sacrificing the brilliant high end that made the earlier (vintage) R.Q. Jones resonator guitars. A formidable force in the resonator guitar market.”
Rodney Dillard
REVIEW
Jeep Rosenberg on Dec 20, 2021
RESO-WONDERMENT
I've recently taken delivery of #018 in Billy Samford's series of RQ Retrofit square neck guitars.
It's hard to imagine a better value at this price-point, but above all, it's just a beautiful sounding (and looking) instrument...lots of bark, with a steady taste of Tupelo honey. Perfect for my purpose, which is mostly song accompaniment & recording, but plenty of volume for a bluegrass jam. The low end has a nice growl, and the highest notes are good and round. The finish and burst on the mahogany body are top-notch purty, and the antiqued cover plate pops just so.
Working with Billy was a pleasure...we spent a good deal of time touring my preferences in players and recordings, and he dialed it in superbly in the set up. There was shipping damage on the original, sign of the times I suppose, and he made good on that by replacing in short order.
I'm very very happy with this choice...the instrument has hardly been in the case, as I'm inspired to practice and pick every idle moment.
REVIEW
Andy Orr on Sep 21, 2021
GREAT EXPERIENCE! PHENOMENAL RESO WORTH TWICE THE PRICE
Banjo Ben General Store hadn’t done me wrong yet so I took the plunge.
After placing my order online, I got a phone call from Billy Samford, the maker of the RQ Retrofit. Billy had been personally trained by his good buddy, RQ Jones, before RQ passed. I could tell that Billy took this work very seriously. He told me that he custom makes each one of these depending on what the player is looking for. We talked about a few Dobro recordings I liked and the tones from each of those. Billy told me of several build options and the effect the different parts had on coloring the tone. After discussing a few more favorite albums, I told him I trusted his judgement and to commence with that build. (He also gave me some simple advice on what I should do with a banjo that was giving me fits - it worked out great!)
Billy stayed in touch during the build and let me know when the guitar was ready to ship. The entire process took approximately two weeks.
When I opened the case, I was pleasantly surprised by the vintage patina on the cones and spider. This thing looks great! When I tuned it up and played that first lick, I knew this was a great purchase. This is the exact tone I was chasing. I’m very happy to own one an RQ Retrofit. It’s inspired me to play more. Very happy!
REVIEW
Dr. Tom Bevis, 2019
Excellent quality. Great sound with a full resonator tone. I’ve been playing a “Dobro” guitar since ‘72. Just got this RQ this past spring. It’s number 4. Beautiful mahogany with a sound that’s as good as more “pricey” resonators guitars. Billy Samford does excellent work. Thanks for carrying on the traditional excellent craftsmanship.
New!
Charlies Slide Pro Capo
This capo will work where ever you place it on the strings. It has great volume, tone, and sustain and does not alter the sound of your guitar. This stainless steel capo is a true ONE handed capo. It is by far the easiest capo on the market to use IMO. My standard length capo works on 6 string dobro type guitars with a string width of 2-1/4 inch or less. Also works on 6 string Weissenborns and Lap steel guitars.
Charlies Slide Pro Capo in now included free with each R.Q. Retrofit guitar!
Photo Gallery
R.Q. Jones
During the 1970's and 1980's Rudy Jones built a line of exceptional sounding Resonator Guitars, sometimes using unconventional methods. Rudy worked with and built guitars for many luminaries in the music world.
After Rudy moved to Florida, he continued building resonator guitars just one at a time. As the construction of his guitars became increasingly time consuming and costly, he developed a way retrofit imported guitars while still maintaining that special sound and quality he developed. R.Q Retrofit follows that same retrofit formula by incorporating high quality components.
“RQ” passed away due to Parkinson’s disease, but not before passing along his unique formula for how to masterfully retrofit these guitars to Billy Samford.
