resophonic guitar

noun

res·​o·​phon·​ic guitar ˌre-zə-ˈfä-nik- How to pronounce resophonic guitar (audio)
variants or resophonic
plural resophonic guitars or resophonics
: an acoustic guitar that features a metal resonator which amplifies and modifies the tone : resonator guitar
Her [Cassandra Wilson's] soul never left Mississippi, however, and by the '90s she was carving her own niche, deploying the understated rhythms and resophonic guitars of rural blues …John Shand
The resophonic … is a guitar with a built-in metal resonator. It was invented in this country in the 1920's, in an attempt to get more volume from an acoustic guitar, so it wouldn't be drowned out by the horns in a dance band.Elzy Kolb
During … the 1920s, a number of Hawaiians played rags and blues on record, especially after wood-and metal-bodied resophonic guitars were introduced …Dick Spottswood

Word History

Etymology

reso(nator) + -phonic (as in stereophonic)

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of resophonic guitar was in 1956

Dictionary Entries Near resophonic guitar

Cite this Entry

“Resophonic guitar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resophonic%20guitar. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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