Which Mule to Get? Mulecaster or Mavis — Mule Resophonic
Two Mule Resophonic guitars, back to back — the Mulecaster and the Mavis — clean, pushed, and through a full pedalboard. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Mule Resophonic Mulecaster and Mule Resophonic Mavis go head to head — both into the Benson Amps Monarch and Benson 2x12" via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander with the Benson Tall Bird for reverb. The pedalboard features the R2R Electric Supa MK Fuzz Pro, Lauren Audio Aerocomet, Browne Amplification Protein, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Meris LVX.
Matt Eich of Mule Resophonic Guitars in Saginaw, Michigan has been building instruments that defy easy categorization since the beginning — and the Mulecaster and Mavis are proof that two instruments can share a builder's DNA and spirit while being fundamentally different objects.
The Mulecaster is Mule's bridge between the resonator world and the electric guitar world. Hollow steel body — single or double cutaway, Strat and Tele-inspired outlines — with no resonator cone at all. 25" scale length. The hollow steel body gives the Mulecaster its characteristic three-dimensional resonance and singing sustain — a quality distinct from both a conventional solid-body electric and a traditional resonator. Mule Tomthumbucker mini-humbucking pickup, set up like an electric guitar. Available in standard and baritone tuning across a range of powder coat colors.
The Mavis is the most ambitious and unusual instrument in the Mule lineup. Matt Eich describes it himself as part archtop guitar, part electric guitar, part resonator, and something completely different to the ear. Solid roasted wood construction — carved roasted pine arched back with roasted maple top, bolt-on roasted maple neck, ebony fingerboard with 20" radius, 21 medium frets, biscuit bridge over a single resonator cone. Single Mule Tomthumbucker mini-humbucker, master volume and tone. Where the Mulecaster delivers electric guitar playability with resonator overtones, the Mavis delivers resonator acoustic projection in a solidbody that responds like an electric. The difference is immediately audible — and this demo puts both in the same signal chain so you can hear it directly.
Artists who have gravitated to Mule guitars include Jeffrey Foucault, Joey Landreth, Ariel Posen, and Celisse Henderson.
🎸 Mule Resophonic Guitars: https://www.muleresophonic.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Mule Resophonic Mulecaster (hollow steel, no cone) + Mule Resophonic Mavis (solid wood, single cone) | Mule Tomthumbucker Mini-Humbuckers
🎛️ R2R Electric Supa MK Fuzz Pro | Lauren Audio Aerocomet | Browne Protein | Effectrode Tube Vibe | Meris LVX
🔊 Benson Amps Monarch | Benson Tall Bird | Boss Waza TAE | Benson 2x12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Sennheiser E906 | Ableton Live 11
