Dear Bill & Ellie,
I am really enjoying my National Reso Collegian. I've come to the conclusion, that for my playing, that it's the best reso I've ever owned. The tricone was refined and sweet but lacked bark and growl. The ResoRocket was in your face and tends to be a harsher sound and hard to get a sweetness or warmth from it.
What I like about the Collegian is that it can do all: bark and growl and sweetly sing. I guess the materials composition and soundhole design are such that it has just the right amount of depth and warmth. Really nice product and very versatile.
But what sold me on it was the sound clip. That's really an effective and valuable way to communicate... In fact, without that, I probably wouldn't have purchased the guitar.
JB / Suffolk, Virginia