fr50 resonator guitar

The other reviewer here has done a good job of summing up the look and construction of this guitar.  I'll throw in a couple more impressions:  14-fret neck with slim profile like electric players would like, nice-looking mahogany (laminate) back and sides, stunning reddish sunburst top, nicely done.  Top wood is laminate, which is preferred in a resonator guitar as the cone does the vibrating and the wood, especially the top, should be rigid.  The tops of some of these F50s are arched, which is NOT appropriate construction for this style of reso guitar.  See below.

See above for info about the huge construction flaw that's simply built in in some of these guitars.  As for setup, if you want to play normal style, on the frets, you'll want a low action, and a repairman can shave down the wood saddle or saddles very easily.  If your main aim is to play bottleneck, you'll need high action to keep your slide from rattling against the frets.  It is possible to get a away with a medium-high action for playing both styles.

There are three basic designs of resonator guitars.  They work on the same principle -- string vibrations are transferred to an aluminum cone, which amplifies the sound -- but the characteristic sounds are different.  The Fender F30 uses the SPIDER BRIDGE style of reso construction, but there is a huge factory flaw that is simply built in to many (perhaps most) of these Fender guitars.  The top has been made ARCHED, a big mistake, a miscue at the factory, so that when the cone is mounted on the top it is forced into a warped position, which absolutely kills the sound.  I bought one of these used, not knowing about the flaw.  When I strung it up, I found the sound was absolutely strangled.  Once I determined the problem I spent quite a long time converting the guitar to the biscuit bridge style of reso guitar, by installing a new cone.  It was the only way I could think of to get an otherwise nice guitar up and running.  The result was a great biscuit-bridge style sound that gives that down and dirty National blues sound.  But remember that if you buy one of these used, it's buyer beware.  If the guitar is made in Korea and it has an arched top, especially noticeable around the end of the fingerboard, look on the back of the headstock.  If it is stamped USED or 2nd or anything similar, it is part of the lot of defective guitars imported by Fender, and it has been retro-fitted by a company specializing in that kind of work.  The stamp kind of defaces the look, but if the converted guitar sounds good, it is OK.  The sound you're listening for is medium-loud (louder than a standard acoustic), with a rich, bassy fullness and a long sustain, especially when played bottleneck style.  It is the sound of the dobro in white country music.  If you want the very loud, punchy blues sound of the 1930s bluesmen, this is not the sound for you.  You're better off with the biscuit-bridge design as made famous in National guitars and today also available in several affordable imports.  If the F50 you're considering is on EBAY and you can't play it before buying, I'd stay away.  Buy a new one instead.  Newer F50s are apparently part of a second lot imported by Fender from China.  If they have a flat (not arched) top, there's no reason to think they are NOT OK.  I suspect all Fender F50s sold today by online companies and big retail stores (Guitar Center, etc) are good.  But F50s that have been sitting awhile in smaller music stores, or are offered online by individuals, may be part of the made-in-Korea defective bunch.  (By the way, the defective guitars were apparently the result of a misunderstanding between Fender and the factory; it is not the fault of Korean workmanship.) 

This question doesn't really apply to acoustics.  If the question is, is the guitar gigable -- if yours is not one of the defective models and has not been factory refurbished, then it sure isn't.  But if you've got a good one, yes, the F50 and other affordable import reso guitars are perfectly good onstage.  Since the basic sound of the instrument is produced by a thin aluminum cone, affordable import resos can produce a credible and professional sound.  If reso guitar is all you play, you may eventually work your way up to a first-class instrument.  But if you're adding a resonator guitar to your regular acoustic or electric arsenal, consider an affordable import like this Fender.   

If you get an older one, d, made in Korea, arched top, warped resonator cone (see above), you've got a truly defective guitar.  Good luck with complaining to Fender (although you can always try).  Otherwise, Fender is a huge company with many subsidiaries (Guild, Tacoma, etc) and didn't reach that position by screwing customers, so give them a chance.  But with any complaint, I'd go to the retailer first. 

Once again -- there are two lots of these guitars out there (see above).  The new ones are apparently good.  The old ones, and you are unlikely to find any of these among retailers any more, are truly defective.  If my repeated warnings in this review are confusing to you, BUY A NEW ONE and you'll be all right.