After researching several builders of resophonic guitars, I recently asked Steve Smith, owner of Red Line Resophonics, to build me a custom made resophonic Peabody Pro solid maple large body guitar. The guitar was built to exacting standards well withing the time frame promised at a fair and reasonable price for the product delivered. It really exceeded my expectations as did Mr. Smith and his crew of associates. The sound is rich, the tone is magnificent and sustain is long. The sound is somewhere between an old school and modern. The set up is superb. There is no buzzing, rattling or any other distracting noises; only crisp, clear tones. The frets are exact, notes are clear and in tune at every fret up the board. This guitar is solid maple with maple neck. An added feature that I don’t think any other builder does, is produce comfortable beveled neck edges, a nice finish touch. The beautiful wood grain shows through the finish, especially on the top and back. The back of the guitar sports the signature “Red Line” down the middle. The finish is a fairly dark pomegranate red with a black burst around the edges, which turned out beautiful. The ebony fret board is one of the blackest I have seen and the white inlaid frets and white/black/white body and neck binding significantly adds to the professional look. One of the best features are the inlaid diamond-shaped slotted square markers on the fret board, replacing standard inlaid dots used by most luthiers. These diamond squares add a plush look to the whole guitar. There are absolutely no flaws in the finish, joints or inlays. The finish has 21 coats of lacquer. If I had to describe the guitar in few words, it would have to be “magnificently rich.” The tuning machines appear to be top of the line and all the hardward is U. S. made. I would take this guitar anywhere without a backup, but would keep it close. A thief could not resist this work of art . Luthier Steve Smith and his crew were just a pleasure to deal with, always returned my calls and responded to requests for information as well as keeping me posted with photos as the build proceeded. I would recommend these people to anyone without hesitation. They are truly artists, certainly a cut above most instrument builders. I have no negative comment on any one component. The entire unit is flawless, constructed with care and precision. Even the Red Line logo on the head stock is of a design that adds to the overall professional look of the piece. And to top that off, it was delivered with a high quality hard shell case. This guitar was constructed from scratch to delivery in approximately six weeks, with no unfulfilled expectations or promises. The Red Line group delivers what they say they will, when they say, at a professional level of craftsmanship that I doubt would be surpassed by any instrument builder, at a more than reasonable price for what is delivered. I am not employed by, or associated with Red Line Resophonics in any way. I have received no renumeration for this recommendation, other than the priviledge to purchase a guitar of the highest quality, hundreds of dollars less than the recognized top tier equipment.

Steven Menasco

One of the smartest decisions I ever made since I began my love affair with the guitar some 50 years ago was to purchase a custom made guitar from RedLine Acoustics. In fact, I was so impressed with the quality of the work done by RedLine, I have ended up purchasing 4 instruments in total. My experience began by having Steve Smith of RedLine make me a Large body Resophonic Guitar using Curly Maple. I called around to most of the popular custom Reso makers and discussed options and pricing. They were all very friendly folks. It was at that time I began hearing about a Reso called the RedLine Rambler and thought I should check it out. I began talking with Steve Smith and was very impressed with his product, his willingness to meet my needs and his prices. After some thought, I decided to go with RedLine and have never regretted that decision. Steve kept me informed of the progress on my build whenever I contacted him. He would send me pictures so I could my guitar as she was being created. When I finally received my RedLine Peabody Pro, she was breathtakingly beautiful. I was so impressed with the product and the process, I had Steve build me 2 traditional R body Resophonic Guitars, 1 Birch Ply and 1 Maple. A guitar that has always been one of my favorites is the Gibson J-45. A short scale slope shouldered acoustic. When I learned that RedLine was making a model similar to the J-45 which they call the RL-45, I had to have one. Seeing what Steve and Co had already done for me I knew it would be the acoustic of my dreams and it is. All 4 of the guitars I had RedLine build for me are top notch. They look and sound beautiful. They produce a clear, professional and well balanced tone. I am a perfectionist and will not settle for less than what I pay for. I am sure there were times when I got on Steve’s last nerve but he and his staff always went the extra mile to make sure I got what I paid for and was happy. If you are looking for a great custom guitar experience and a ultra professional product give RedLine a look over. You won’t be sorry. I know I am not and I am on 4 and counting!!!!

Richard Oskandy

Where do I start? A year ago, I was shopping around for my next reso guitar and stumbled upon RedLine. They had a well done website and that said a lot to me. If the website looks great, I imagine the guitars would be of similar quality. Long story short, RedLine had my business after a few emails and phone calls. I placed the order and let them do their thing. I mostly dealt with Steve, the owner of RedLine, and as busy as he is, there was always time for answering a question, setting up payments, or even giving me advice on working on these guitars! The guitar itself is absolutely fabulous. It looks better than I had anticipated, and sounds WAY better than most guitars of this type that I’ve seen and played. Steve and RedLine were professionals by every definition. What I thought was “going the extra mile” was day-to-day business for them. When I had questions, they had answers. When I had choices, they had recommendations. I HIGHLY recommend RedLine if you’re seeking a unique, custom built instrument that WILL sound good. I use my RedLine on stage almost exclusively and it’s become my “go-to” guitar. As a player of these types of guitars for over 12 years, I’ve owned some of the “top shelfers,” and I’m making room on that top shelf for this guitar.

Geoff G.

Traveler #25 is a masterpiece, truly the “Presidential Model.” It arrived safely via USPS, rested overnight, and awakened today. Where do I begin? The woods are beautiful, and the finish and binding bring out their character. It sparkles. The binding, by the way, is extraordinary. Gold hardware complements the woods and finish, and the scalloped tailpiece lends itself perfectly to the shape of the mandolin. It is an aesthetic celebration. The tone is phenomenal, and the low, easy setup allows me to bring out the tone as if the instrument were already played in, that’s how refined it is already. When you mentioned that it is very easy to play you understated it: the radiused fretboard and setup give it an effortless feel. I love the way that #25 nestles in my hand; I need to look to see that it’s really there. Traveler #25 embodies the Zen of mandolin playing, and you are the Zen Master.

Thanks, Steve, for your creation.

Dr. Fred S.

Hey Steve,

The Rambler has a strikingly loud tone, especially given the fact that it doesn’t have the internal baffles that you put in the Pro.  Ros (that’s my wife) and I played a bunch of Irish tunes since the mandolin and the resonator are green after all, and they sounded terrific. Really, the sound was so bright that my daughter came into our studio and said we were being too loud. At that point I switched to the Pro and we played some old country tunes.

Let me tell you, as much as I like the Rambler Deluxe (and I really do), I’m so glad that I decided to get the Pro as well. First of all, the photos on the website are very good, but they don’t do the Pro justice. It’s even more beautiful than I expected. And your attention to detail is remarkable. But more importantly, there’s that tone… The tone I’ve been looking for and haven’t found until today. The Pro’s tone is so subtle, with so many colors. We played some upbeat tunes and the Pro cut right through the mandolin so that every note was perfectly
articulated. And then we played some more melancholy numbers and both Ros and I had to stop because we were momentarily enchanted by the sublime power of your guitar. When I made the guitar cry, it almost literally made me weep. What an instrument! What craftsmanship! What a tone! You and everyone in your small shop should be very proud of the work you’ve done. The Pro is a perfect guitar.

Anyway, we’ll be doing more recording over the next three days or so and then we have to do some mixing. But I’ll definitely play your guitars on a couple of the tunes and in a few weeks I’ll send you a link to our music site and you can listen. I hope my playing does your guitars justice.

Thank you, Steve. I’ll also be in touch in a few months for another reso. Until we speak again, thank you, thank you and thank you!

All my best,

Graham C.

I have been lucky enough to spend some time at Steve’s shop playing several of his reso’s. Man these guitars are great. The construction is impeccable and the tone and volume are as good as it gets on the custom front. These guitars will surely be flooding the scene as soon as people get to hear them. I own a E model reso but my next purchase will be one of Steve’s guitars. If you get the chance don’t pass them up.

Tuck T.

Every once in awhile I stop by the Mandolin Cafe to see what’s shaking. I went to your web site and was very impressed. Long ago and far away I owned a 2m Flatiron Mandolin, and although I have had several mandos since that time, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for that instrument.

It embodied simplicity with elegance of design. It also sounded great to me…not a Gibson F, but it had a distinct mandolin sound. I really like your interpretation of this design as far as looks and after having listened to a couple of you tube sound samples, I think you have a great instrument for a great price. Kudos.

Kelly C.

The mandolin came in yesterday and I just got it from the office today. This is an outstanding instrument. The sound is even more than I expected from the videos online. The more and more I play, the better I like it. You and your crew are very talented in this art and business you run at making great high quality instruments at a darn good price. Will report back after some much anticipated playing time. Have a good one.

Jesse R.

The little Traveler has arrived.  Wow!  It is so small for producing such a GREAT sound.  I must say it leaves my other mandolin standing in the dust .  I tried a couple of dozen different pick weights and materials till I adopted a couple that seem to work best with the Traveler and, as fortune would have it, my old Tone Gaurd fits her like a glove.  Superb job Steve.  The frets are quite nice.  Top nut to tailpiece.  She sings so sweetly.  AND I believe you will find a niche with the celtic crowd as the Traveler just loves to play fast and Irish or Scottish.  I am so glad I chose the satin finish and the gold clamshell tailpiece. It’s understated and elegant.  I am highly happy and my wife likes it too.  It was ‘the sound’ that originally drew us to the instrument.  Now that I have one, it still is the sound.  How wonderful.  As we go along I will have some other requests. I’ll ask you about them later.  Thank you for the gift and extrastrings.  Take care Steve and thanks again.  Your friend Bruce.
Miho & Bruce C.

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