I prefer the metal body Honey Dipper because that metallic sound and pure rawness spews the Blues to me. Just like the old recordings of long ago.Thanks for the great videos. Peace

I think I would use them for different expressions. The tone of the Honey Dipper is more rebellious, aggressive and flurry, while the Gold Tone is more melancholic, warm and wants to express soul pain.

HOney Dipper without any hesitation : More powerful and clear sound

The Honeydiper for a good ol' Delta blues. It's got that "swampy" sound. The Gold Tone for warmer toness.

I really appreciated you doing this for us, John. We got to hear the same piece played in ecactly the same way, but on two profoundly different instruments. Thanks for you considering us & gifting us in this way.

I like them both but the warm simple sound of wood body wins me over.

I've got the Honey Dipper and since I have been following your slide lessons it's really starting to open up and has never sounded better. Love your work. Thanks so much.

I find myself leaning most strong to the wooden resonator. The warmer sound and my fingerpicking go together best.

The best side-by-side comparison I’ve seen! Thank you.

This is one of the best comparison videos I've ever seen. So informative, and so easy to A/B the differences. I love, love the all-metal look, but the sound of the other is so much closer to my preference.

I think "both" is right and it depends on the piece and your personal ear. In the first clip I preferred the Honey Dipper but in the second it was the Gold Tone.

Great comparison video! I can hear the difference in each guitar. Gold tone sounds little warmer but heavy mid range nasally sounding. Both beautiful pieces of work! Well done. I go with the honey dipper.

Both are great! Hard to find left handed ones for me thou! Thanks for this video. I had asked for you to do it a few weeks back. 👍

To me it is hands down the honey dipper. It says old blues in every aspect. Tone, looks, sound and tradition. I love to listen to it. Congrats on your new addition, I hope you get great enjoyment out of it!!!..... But I am here for fingerstyle blues guitar. Slide is not my playing thing. Have fun.

I have the Honeydipper but honestly I like the warmer sound of the wood resonator for most blues. The Honeydipper may be better in a band when one wants a distinct sound in the mix.

That Honey Dipper I think has the true resonator twang. I've always loved the metal body resonators. I just bought a resonator similar to the Gold Tone, but it has the spider cone so it's sound is kind of a combination of the two and it was within my budget range. Someday, I hope to buy a Honey Dipper also.

I love the Gretsch! Just got the Alligator round neck a week ago 🤙🏼 Watching all your videos and learning 😁

I dig both, I love bluegrass music in addition to blues (and many other genres). The wood one seems like it could crossover. Someday I would like to have a square neck wood Reso for Bluegrass, as for now there is a metal resonator for blues in my future, so cool! Great video John, have a great week!

I’ve had a Gretsch Boxcar resonator for at least 5 years now. Same as the Honey Dipper, but with a wood body. Maybe a little lower tone. I love it and would recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a resonator.

Different not better... Which is why you have both. One may be preferred in one tuning over the other as their voices will change with the tension. Its great to have tools ☺️.

70 on June 11th..it's in the hands of the Birthday Bunny..

I am a 67-year-old professional musician I also have a school of music for 22 years....! ( very nice video and great Mic Placement of these guitars by the way ) My main instrument is a guitar....! Over my musical lifetime I have owned many dobros and resonators mostly wood by, many manufactures...🎶 I also do luthier work and have done it most of my life....! Right Now my favorite resonator ( Dobro) for the past 16 or 18 years is my Johnson bell brass chrome plated guitar I think it has the nicest tone and sustain of any resonator guitar I have ever owned and the playability is off the chart....🎵🙏🎶 ( The Jeff Galey Channel )

Fun stuff...different sounds for different apps. Nice playing, as usual!

METAL. I came real close to getting The Gretsch Honey Dipper. The sound and the historical look attracted me. The metal body is louder, brighter sounding, while the wood body is a warmer sound. I recently got an Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog M-14 and I was unaware of a few facts about these guitars. For one, I was not expecting it to be as heavy as it is; two, I was unaware that the best string gauge is 15-56; and three, I didn't know that it doesn't have a strap button at the heel of the neck, so now I have to get a resonator guitar strap (connects to headstock). I don't want to drill holes on it. I was aware that the cone needs replacing annually, that is if you use it a lot, or two years. With all that said, I still love it. She's in your face loud, and the latest addition to my harem of guitars!

I, too, appreciate this comparison. The steel body seems better for a Delta Blues or more "raw" type of sound. The Gold Tone is a softer sound more suited for something like Country/Folk, like the stuff Eddie Honeyeater plays or maybe Doc Watson. I have a Gold Tone, but I look forward to getting a steel body one as soon as I emerge from beginner status (lol).

I like the Goldtone better for sound, but it isnt as loud. The Honey Dipper appears to be brighter, good for cutting through a jam. Both sound good when you play them!

thanks for comparison. Am with you on this. Like em both! and would select depending on vibe wanted. Steel for raw 'son house' sound, wood for something mellower.

Great review and details. Really helpful in choosing. I see a Honey Dipper in my future

👍 for the PB wood resonator

First, thanks for the video. It was both entertaining and educational. The sounds are very different and it's hard to tell which one I like more. I'll probably have to get both.

Love the softer sound of the wood body

Hi John- wonderful video. Firstly, thank you for teaching this novice a lot about how to enjoy playing the Blues! This was the final two guitars I looked at before buying my resonator. Love them both! Sadly budget dictated I could only get one and in the end, I chose the GT. The reason is the warmer wood sound. Since I usually play to relax and destress, and most of the time it's just me - with the GT, it felt like I could go on playing for hours and hours. But someday I'll get the Honey Dipper! ps. I have my GT tuned to Open-D.

Thanks John, the honey dipper has the more distinctive sound, but a cutaway bersion would be more tempting to buy.

Hea John, i have a Boxcar and i love it. Like the metal body too. Would agree with you both. Play on.

I lean toward the Honey Dipper...it's louder and has more of that 'Dobro' sound coming through.

John - Thanks so much for the comparison. I'm with you - I like both! Although, there's something about the Honey Dipper, I like the spider cone on the Gold Tone. In a perfect world, it'd be nice to have both! Lol

I agree after listening to the entire video the wood body one sounds more suited to roots type folky music where as the metal one is straight up delta blues

Excellent Video. Both resonators are wonderful, but the Gretsch is my personal 1st choice.

The Honey Dipper fits my style of play and idea of what a resonator should sound like. I would like to have both.

AWESOME !

Hey John - I already have the Gretsch G9230 (wood body). That is the square neck (dobro style) reso with the Fishman pup and the Jerry Douglas Aura pedal. Sounds awesome for bluegrass style. I find myself thinking every now and then that I would like to have a steel body style for that tone and the standard slide playing. I can't say I like the tone of one better than the other but I have been well satisfied with the "dobro" sound of the 9230. The body style is more like the metal Honey Dipper - shape, f-holes, and mother-of-toilet-seat headstock veneer. You have me thinking again?#*@ Thanks for putting this video out there for us.

I prefer the wood resonators. Partly because I don't like the weight of metal ones. But the warm tones of wood resonators fit my style too.

Hi John, (Blues Guitar Institute subscriber here) Thanks for this! It is really helpful since I am hoping to buy a reso in the next few months. I love the sound of both but think I prefer the woody for finger picking and the steel for slide. Not to nitpick, but I would have loved a 3-way comparison between a standard wood-body guitar and the 2 resos. I would also have loved a straight finger picking comparison. Maybe a nice Mississippi John Hurt tune that you cover on your site.

I like them both John, but I think I preferred the Honeydipper on the Open D piece that you played and the GoldTone on the Open G. Just a thought, but maybe the comparative prices of the instruments might be a factor?

Hi John. Great Video. Thank you. Would you mind sharing please what is the best action height for 70% fretting and using a light glass or plexiglass slide 30 % of the time from 3rd fret onward? Kind regards. peter

I like them both, BUT I currently have a Honey Dipper on the way. Thank you for doing the comparison. I’m drawn to the clarity and reverb I’m hearing in the brass body reso’s.

It is a comparison between two variables: wooden vs brass body and spider vs biscuit bridge. So that makes it complicated. Decision is which music you want to make: delta blues/raw roots or bluegrass/sweet sound .

I like the sound of wood. I had the Honey Dipper but returned as I found it too heavy. I have a squareneck wood resonator from Beard. Love it. But, then got a parlor size metal Recording King to keep in D tuning. Really like the size and sound. My aging neck could not handle the weight of the Dipper.

I like both but if I had to pick one, it's the Gretsch. I like to lean to the raw and even harsher side of the blues. I'm shopping for a resonator now but I need a magnetic pickup installed and the Gold Tones are past the top of my price range. Currently, my list has Recording King Dirty 30s Minnie Bucker, Dean Resonators with pickup, Danelctro '59 with pickup, Washburn Americana Reso with pickup. Possibly a Gretsch 9221 Bobtail with piezo...there's a cool after-market magnetic pickup by 12-Bar Blues Pickups that could be rigged up to get the harsher amp tones I require. And if you ever want to see a guy tear up an acoustic steel or wood body via magnetic pickups, check out the late, great John Campbell!

Just did my own comparison, and for me the Honey Dipper was the winner. It has such great sustain and very haunting echo. Love it.

I’m of the mindset that if you’re going to play a res it should sound like a metal but if you can play the way you do it doesn’t make much difference

The clear growl of the honey dipper for open G. The sad melodic pain in the voicing of the Gold top for Open D. This video helped me more with Open D/G differences, than resonator differences.

Honestly I think it's like a lot of musical choices...it's subjective and it depends on what a given song needs. But I learned a few things about components here . And was thoroughly entertained too.. great playing.

Hi John. Thanks for doing this comparison. I also like both. I think I prefer the Goldtone on the first tune and the Honey Dipper on the second. Do you cover these tunes on BGI?

Damn you John! I thought I was good with my guitars, but now the need for a metallic resonator has permeated my being. You inspired me to buy the Gold Tone last year, and I spend a way too much time on it. Thanks for all you do on the channel. P.S. caught a glimpse of Springsteen's Nebraska on your shelf...one of my all-time favorite albums. Cheers.

I really like the thick and warmth of the the wooden body resonater, it might lack the volume of the Honey Dipper, but I am a fan of the warmer tones.

I like both! I have a Gretsch Alligator, the wooden version of the Honey Dipper. I think I need a ‘Dipper too for my collection 😀 By the way, what gauge strings do you use? The Alligator comes with a set of .12 but I use .11s mostly. Thanks!

I’m digging the honey dipper. It’s a very brash sound. I get enough warmth from my Yamaha acoustic. If ya wanna tear it up, go with the dipper!

Sonically they are opposite ends of the spectrum. Gold tone is laid back & sweet. Honey dipper is up front in your face punchy. Both extremely nice. Guess it would depend on how you want it to stand out in the mix. I'll take one of each please 😀 👍👍

All right, you've made up my mind. I've sprung for a honey dipper instead of an alligator. That raw, in-your-face, sound is what I'm really looking for! I've got a Jim Dandy, and it's warm and bright, it needs a gritty counterpart! Thank you so much for a direct comparison and a fantastic demo.

Hey John, I enjoyed both, but preferred HD(I attempt to play a metal body Resonator). Not easy to qualify difference but for me, I thought the HD sounded cleaner, a bit more "brash" and "sustained" longer. Thanks for your videos, which are interesting and entertaining. Cheers.

What gauge strings are you using on each? I like the projection of the steel body. I like the tone of the wood body. You demonstrated very well that there are different styles of music and I think that each one is better suited to a different mood. What gauge strings are you using on each?

I dig both... different aspects of their tones are really nice... I generally prefer biscuit bridges, but both ot those sound primo But I tried playing those models and didn't like the necks.

Just for fun I recently threw on a set of D'addario silk & steel folk guitar strings and now my Gretsch Honey Dipper sounds a lot more like the Gold Tone. Not quite the same but almost like having the best of both!

the honey dipper just has that sound! I have an Ozark mahogany bodied resonator, spider bridge just like yours but its that metallic, resonance that's lacking!

Played solo, I strongly prefer wood/spider to metal/biscuit. However, I think the National type offers more cut through in an ensemble situation. I play wood/spider ones myself, but if I ever joined an acoustic band it would be an excuse to buy the other, too.

Nice demo. The Gretsch for me! What slide are you using?

I prefer the Gold tone , not sure if you have the square or round neck. Would be interested in how different a square or round neck feel to play.

Lovely! Can’t choose! 🤷‍♂️

The honey dipper , and I have one so I’m a little bias , love the sound.

Finger picked the metal guitar will always sound best if all are setup correctly. Using picks the wood will sound best. It’s all according to what ur doing with it.

I loved the Honey Dipper, the metal body is what I think of when I think of a resonator guitar. The Gold Tone wasn’t bad though

Wood, wood, wood!!! Not as much punch with the Gold Tone but much warmer to these old ears. Both are beautiful! 👍👌😄

Its really hard to choose. I agree that both have their place. I would just have to own both myself.

love both ! honey dipper maybe.

It is a bit of apples and oranges, wood to metal and spider to biscuit. But I play blues, so the honey dipper it is. The goldtone is better for bluegrass. But I have a couple wood bisquit resos, including the Gretsch alligator, wood biscuit, and it is really nice and likely what most here might like, warm but still a blues tone with the biscuit. I like it for piedmont style fingerstyle. The metal is back to the delta and slide blues. I sold my goldtone, just not for me. But keeping my pre-war regal spider reso, that has a haunting tone. I did just find a great price on a used honey dipper that is one the way and will be my slide guitar for delta. Maybe someday I will find a tricone for D minor skip james tunes. What I do like is the specs on these, 1 3/4" nut. Just wish someone would make a wider saddle spacing for fingerstyle, like 2 3/8", not like many people are strumming resos.

If I was only able to get one, it would be the gold tone, just my preference, but they each have their own place, as you said.

Michael Messner makes the best inexpensive resonators. Made in the UK and can be purchased directly or in Canada. This is not an ad, just my observation.

For variants in rich tone, I’d have to go with the GoldTone, I just feel the Honey, though prob bit louder, is all clangy mid tones and doesn’t compare much to the sound quality of the Gold Tone

Gold tone seems to have a little more grit in its sound, which I love. The honey sounds a bit mellow which I like also, so I want both of them. I already have a honey but that gold tone just has it! Good by $$$.lol

Both are good but I prefer the Honey Dipper, it projects better and has a bit more sustain. It’s also reassuring to see another guitarist using bare fingers rather than finger picks (that’s my preference too). 👌

For resonators, I'm a National- only guy. That said, I want metal - I want a resonator to have that metallic clang. I like both tricones and single cones. Singles are a little harsher, tricones sound fuller. This is all my opinion; yours may vary.

I just watched another video of someone saying what a guitar is made of makes virtually no difference to the way it sounds. I guess the Honey Dripper is the exception that proves the rule... For my money, the Gold Tone just doesn't sound different enough from a regular acoustic to warrant the extra expense, whereas the Honey Dripper has a unique sound which can't be emulated & therefore, deserves a spot on my guitar rack. Great video!

I like both, but the Gretsch is the sound I'm looking forr.

GOLD TONE ...I've been playing slide for over 40 years. I love the brass body and high end.

HD sounds deeper and richer and louder. Notes are more distinct. I like ur HD 😀

Both of them sound great depending on your skill level and what the style of music requires. Each have their own unique benefits. 🎧

No question for me…I love the Honeydipper sound. That’s why I bought one. I just wish I could play it half as good as you👍

How does the gretsch alligator compare to your gold tone?

I think you summed it up well. I lean toward the Honey Dipper, but the Gold Tone does sound sweat.

I prefer the Gold Tone a bit. I would be interested to know how much heavier the Honey Dripper is? Also could you provide the tab for the Open G piece? Thanks!

I liked the warm wood sound but... I'm wondering why a spider bridge sounds like on a metal body.

I owe a wood-body resonator and the metal- Gretsch G9221. Had loads of problems with the Gretsch, returned her twice to the dealer for a massive rattling inside. The third one doesnt rattle, but still had some issues with the nut (too low, not well manufactured) so the 3rd and 4th string are deeper than the rest and the strap-knob at the neck was missing. Has a great sound, but all in all the issues didnt make her worth that price!

My Recording King is somewhere in between, I love it and it's hard to play quietly.

I love the sound of the Honey Dipper but if I had to choose just one for myself it'd be the Gold Tone for sure. Its woody tone is easier on my ear so I feel I could sit with it for longer, especially indoors. The Gold Tone sit's higher on my wishlist. However the Honey Dipper's strident tone isn't far behind, I just think it better suits being played outside or in a big open space.

Btw, is there a tutorial vid of the first song? 😁😁😁

Both are very good. The honey dipper sharper raspy. the gold tone is softer and mellow.

I like the brighter sound of the Honey Dipper. I have the Gretch Guitar

I think the answer is obvious. We’re gonna need BOTH. 😂❤

Both sound great but my preference is the richer tone of the Goldtone. Aesthetically the look of the metal body is way cool!