Marrs RGS

Court Vines · Post by **Court Vines** » 14 Feb 2020 4:00 pm

I'm thinking of buying a Marrs RGS. It's probably an older model (#000189) but does not have the knobs or rocker switch to go from reso to steel.
Does anyone know if this would only play in Dobro mode or does it actually play in only steel guitar mode.
I'm looking for a good lap steel guitar and can do without the Dobro sound.
Thanks for any info.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 14 Feb 2020 5:21 pm

No reso sound. It's just a alum neck and board with a pickup. The RGS stands for Resonator Guitar Simulator. Has a cat food can for a resonator chamber. Acoustically, it does have a little reso twang but it's too weak to have any real volume.

Plugged in through the pickup, it's really just a lap steel.

I owned one for a few years. It sounded good. I thought it made a really good blues machine tuned down to open D. So yeah, I think you will like it as a steel on your lap or a stand.

With a dobro pedal of some kind and tuned to dobro G, it's pretty good at mimicking a reso, but just about any 6 string lap could do that.

It's a fun and neat little axe though developed by Duane Marrs who built some of his own pedal steels and worked for Sho-Bud at one time.

The later ones with the built in sims etc. were done by Fluger, I believe...

Court Vines · Post by **Court Vines** » 15 Feb 2020 4:23 am

Thanks for the info, Jerry. I think I'll buy it.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 15 Feb 2020 9:19 am

Cool Court. I think you will like it fine. The only complaint with the one I had was it did not have a vol. control. I ordered a dime size vol pot and installed it in the side of the neck.

Otherwise, it's too slim to hold & play standing up.
Enjoy!

[I mistakenly wrote earlier it had an aluminum neck when I should've stated aluminum block on a wood neck. That's also the cat can sound chamber.]