Description
Review of the Pyle PGA500BR Electro Resophonic Acoustic Electric Guitar Set
The Pyle PGA500BR is a full size round neck guitar sold as a resonator style acoustic electric with a built in preamplifier, supplied as a set with a gig bag, spare strings, strap and picks. Pyle aims it at beginners and hobbyists who want the distinctive look and voice associated with resonator instruments.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A full specification block is published: total length 39.8 inches, scale length 24.8 inches, body 18.9 inches, neck length 14 inches and 21 frets. Very few listings at this level publish that much.
- A built in preamplifier with volume, treble, mid and bass controls, so the guitar can go straight into a PA or an amplifier without an aftermarket pickup.
- A round neck rather than a square neck. Square neck resonators are played flat on the lap with a slide and cannot be fretted conventionally. A round neck can be played normally, which makes this usable as an ordinary guitar.
- Bronze wound strings with steel cores, the standard acoustic construction, so replacement sets are easy to find.
- A 24.8 inch scale, on the shorter side, which means slightly lower string tension and a softer feel than a long scale dreadnought.
Cons
- The colour is stated four different ways. The spec table says Orange Burst, the Amazon title says White, one description bullet says deep cherry stained and another says traditional sunburst design. There is no way to know what finish arrives.
- The resonator cone is never mentioned. A resonator guitar’s defining feature is a metal cone under the bridge that projects the sound. This listing calls the instrument resophonic and a resonator, then describes plywood construction with dual circular sound holes and no cone at all. Whether there is an actual resonator inside cannot be established from the data.
- The top wood contradicts itself. The spec table says mahogany for the top while the body field and the description both say spruce and mahogany plywood. Plywood means laminated, which the table never states.
- The pickup configuration is recorded as “S”, a term used for electric guitar single coils. It does not describe an acoustic preamp system and tells a buyer nothing useful.
- The preamp needs power and no battery appears in the set contents.
- No nut width is published, so how the neck feels at the first fret cannot be judged.
Detailed Product Description
Construction is spruce and mahogany plywood with white ABS binding, an okoume headstock and a walnut fingerboard. Plywood, or laminate, is thin sheets glued in alternating grain directions. It is stable and durable and resists humidity swings, but it does not vibrate as freely as a solid top and will not open up with playing. The practical consequence is a sound that is consistent rather than resonant, and an instrument that survives being carried around. The difference is set out in the guide to solid top versus laminate acoustic guitars.
The dual circular sound holes are worth explaining, because they are what a traditional resonator has instead of a single central hole: on a real resonator the centre is occupied by the cone and its cover plate, so the sound holes move to either side. This instrument has the sound holes in that arrangement, which is consistent with resonator styling, but the listing never confirms a cone is fitted. That is the single most important unanswered question here, because without a cone the guitar is a conventionally constructed acoustic wearing resonator styling, and it will not produce the metallic, cutting voice the format is known for.
The neck is mahogany, round profile, with a walnut fingerboard and 21 frets over a 24.8 inch scale. Walnut has become a common rosewood substitute and feels similar under the fingers. Die cast chrome tuning machines are fitted, which hold pitch far better than open gear types.
The preamp offers volume plus a three band equaliser, which is enough to correct the hard top end that undersaddle pickups tend to produce. Body shape and construction choices generally are covered in the guide to guitar body shapes.
What Comes with the Product
- The full size acoustic electric guitar
- A gig bag
- Six spare guitar strings
- A detachable nylon shoulder strap
- Three ABS picks
Not included: a battery for the preamp, an amplifier, an instrument cable, a tuner, a capo or a stand. Both the battery and a cable are needed before the electronics can be used.
Who It Suits
This suits a player drawn to the look and the blues and roots associations of a resonator guitar who does not want to spend what a genuine cone equipped instrument costs. The round neck means it can be played conventionally rather than only with a slide, and the published specifications make it easier to judge than most listings at this level. The preamp also makes it usable in a small band setting, as discussed in the guide to amplifying an acoustic electric guitar.
It suits less well anyone who specifically wants the metallic bark of a true resonator, since the listing never confirms a cone is fitted. It also suits less well a buyer who cares which colour arrives, given how many finishes the data names. Comparable acoustic electric instruments include the Kadence A06 EQ electro acoustic, the Kadence Slowhand acoustic electric and the Jameson thinline acoustic electric. The full range sits in acoustic electric guitars.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings after every session. Bronze wound strings dull quickly once skin oil works into the windings.
Remove the battery if the guitar will sit unused for weeks, and unplug the cable when finished, since on most acoustic electric systems the jack socket doubles as the power switch.
Tips and Recommendations
Confirm the finish with the seller before ordering. The listing names four different colours and there is no way to resolve which is correct from the data.
Ask whether a resonator cone is fitted. If the answer is no, the instrument should be judged as a conventional plywood acoustic with resonator styling rather than as a resonator guitar.
Buy a battery and an instrument cable at the same time. Neither is in the set and the preamp is one of the main reasons to choose this model.
Product FAQ
Does it have a resonator cone?
The listing calls it a resonator and a resophonic guitar but never mentions a cone, and it describes plywood construction with dual sound holes. This should be confirmed with the seller.
What colour is it?
The data names Orange Burst, White, deep cherry stained and sunburst in different places. The finish cannot be determined from the listing.
What is the scale length?
24.8 inches, with a total length of 39.8 inches and 21 frets.
