Another Music123 bargain - Dobro Hound Dog $350

[Brad Bechtel]

This is an exceptional deal for an acoustic-electric resonator guitar that's a real Dobro® brand guitar. These used to sell for $800.00 USD and are now on sale for $350.00 USD. I've played these before and thought they were Gibson's attempt at producing an entry-level guitar that would compete with the Regal, Gold Tone, etc. brands. They have a very basic finish and burned in logo (rather than the more common decal type logo).

See the link for more details.

http://tinyurl.com/2lteb9

[AJ Azure]

so much for resale value. when i bought mine it was $1k

[Matt Campbell]

Just some additional info....I ordered a Hound Dog round neck a couple of three ago from Musiciansfriend. I recieved it and was so upset at the lack of workmanship. I got in touch with the shop manager in Nashville and he traded mine out with a replacement which was a big inprovement.....but still lacking in workmanship...and I'll agree it is defintitely "bare bones" Played the guitar for a two to three years or so, and the top started sinking in between the fingerboard and the resonator. The guitar didnt have any sound post in it at all. With a laminated maple top and no sound well or support of any kind under the top..

Contacted Gibson, and found out the warranty is only two years unlike Gibsons usual lifetime warranty, however they did repair it for me free of charge as they installed a large sound post mounted directly between the screen holes toward the resonator.

Since then I think the NEW version of this guitar costing more and is hopefully a better built guitar.

On the positive side....the guitar was extreemly loud and had a wonderfull tone and I got all kinds of compliments on it. Perhaps the best sounding roundneck I have ever heard....So go figure

So beware the "fit and finish" was perhaps the worst I have ever seen....but I would agree its well worth $350 on sale just for the sound

[Alan Brookes]

I'm very tempted. Do I need another resonator guitar ? No. ...but if I only bought what I needed I wouldn't have 90% of my "little-friends-in-boxes"

[Alan Brookes]

...oh, what the hell, it's just a change in the value outstanding on the credit card

Thanks, Brad, I ordered one. I really like the look of that wood finish. I might change it into an 8-string though.

[Loni Specter]

...oh, what the hell, it's just a change in the value outstanding on the credit card

Thanks, Brad, I ordered one. I really like the look of that wood finish. I might change it into an 8-string though.

Alan, If you do go 8-string, be prepared to reinforce he top as I'm sure it will sink.
About 3 years ago I saw one of these in a Guitar Center in LA. The asking price was $800. The top was already begining to sag noticeably. I pointed it out to the salesman and made an offer of $400.00. I figured being a dobro it was no big deal if it saged a bit. The guy turned me down and said someone will but it for $600. I guess Gibson knows they are poorly supported, but chooses to sell them anyway! Maybe that's why they are finally blowing them out at 123.
PS. I just ordered one as well. Thanks

[Alan Brookes]

Thanks Matt and Loni for the warning regarding the potentially-sinking table. I'll probably do some reinforcing on it, one way or another. That's always a problem to look out for with wooden resonators, especially ones converted from regular guitars, because there's so much wood removed from the table during construction, and standard internal bracing is impossible.

[Mark Eaton]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe this is "your grandmother's Hound Dog," to borrow an old expression.

The ones that folks were paying around $1,000 for were made in Nashville at the Gibson facility.

I think the giveaway is the manufacturer's list price of what did it say, $579? The list price of the American Hound Dogs were I believe over $1,000 - so these certainly aren't U.S. made "closeouts."

I recall a post from the Jerry Douglas Bulletin Board some time ago that Gibson was going to move the production overseas, so these are now in the same league as a Regal for a few hundred bucks.

Certainly not in the category of the different stories of the fall from dominance of the U.S. auto industry, but how Gibson has screwed up the Dobro brand since buying the business in 1993 wouldn't make it to the New York Times best seller list - but I know that one could write a book about the subject, or it might not be a bad subject for a masters thesis for a grad school business student.

[Matt Campbell]

You might be right.....
I did a search for "Hound Dog" on Music 123's site and came up with both high and low priced guitars. And the lower priced guitars are tagged as a "NEW" item. So I would assume that they are NOT discontinued retired models...but rather a new version with a much cheaper price, that can most probably mean one thing...Foreign made... If so...That's pretty Sneaky of Gibson....shame shame.. Here's the link

http://www.music123.com/Search/Default. ... hound+dog+

[Matt Campbell]

I have emailed Music123 and requested clarification on this matter. I'll post the answer as soon as I find out the truth.

I had emailed a friend as well and they purchased one thinking it was USA made....SIGH...

[Alan Brookes]

I'm not worried about instruments not being American-made. There are talented people all over the world.

I remember when I was living in England people used to say, "Buy British, it's best." It wasn't true there and it's not true anywhere else.

I bought a brand new Guild 12-string a few weeks ago, which was made in Korea. The workmanship is as good as any Guild I've seen. There was a time when instruments made in the far east were shoddy and cheaply-built, but those days are disappearing if not already gone.

[Matt Campbell]

Here's Music123' reply about the orgin of the $350 Hound Dog...........

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
Gibson Hound Dog $350


Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Cameron) - 08/28/2007 02:53 PM
Dear Musician,

Thank you for your recent inquiry.

The Gibson Hound Dog is made in the US at Gibson's warehouse. I will go
ahead and forward this response over to our webmaster. They will look
into getting this posted as US made guitar on our website.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

We appreciate you choosing Music123.
We are dedicated to your satisfaction with this and every purchase from
us.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions or
concerns.

http://www.music123.com/

[Loni Specter]

US? really?
BTW I got an out of stock email notice.

[Matt Campbell]

There is also a discussion over on ResoNation and they said music123 told them it was NOT US made....??? I have a friend who ordered one and I'll be able to tell when it comes in.

[Mark Eaton]

I'm not saying the person who responded to Matt Campbell from Music 123 is being dishonest - I just think they have the wrong information.

As per my above post, if these were truly Nashville made 'dogs, why wouldn't one promote it on their website as a list price item of ballpark $1200, and make the buyer aware of the fantastic deal? Common sense in business!

As far as Asia vs. American-built, Alan, I think anyone who is reasonably serious about stringed instruments in general is already aware of the great values in Asian-built instruments. I had the same experience with the Guild 12-string of which Alan writes. The Asian version struck me as being superior to the American version my son and I played at a shop. I told a buddy about it, and he went down to the same shop, and bought the Asian model, for around $700, vs. the American-built (from the Tacoma factory, another Fender-owned company, where the American Guilds are being built these days)for around $1800.

As far as dobros, I would take an Asian-built Gold Tone Beard, or an Asian-built Wechter Scheerhorn, over an American-built Gibson Hound Dog, any day of the week.

My point was in reference to the demise of the venerable Dobro brand, for which Gibson is responsible.

It took Jerry Douglas quite a long time to get out of his Gibson/Dobro contract for his American-built signature model, Gibson was sending out some Douglas models, for a pretty hefty price, that were pretty mediocre resonator guitars.

Now all indications are that they are working on a Jerry Douglas model at Paul Beard Guitars, but no word as to when it will hit the streets. I played a sapele (mahogany family) Beard at the recent Healdsburg Guitar Festival, just down the road from me, and my suspicion is this guitar may have a lot of the elements of the rumored forthcoming Douglas model. It was a fantastic reso!

But back to the subject at hand...

Bottom line to this thread: good, bad, or indifferent - I'd be willing to bet that the Gibson Hound Dog from Music 123 is Asian-built, and the contradictory info from a poster at Reso-Nation confirms it for me.

[John Sluszny]

Hi all,why is it called "Hound Dog"?

[Mark Eaton]

I don't know if he was the one who actually coined the term, but the late, and legendary, Burkett "Buck" aka "Uncle Josh" Graves referred to the dobro as the "hound dog guitar," and I always figured it had to do with the slidey sound that in some cases, might remind one of the sound a hound dog might make out on the hunt, or once he has a tree'd a fox, or a racoon, or whatever.

You get my drift...

[Charley Wilder]

In a private conversation Josh also used "houndog" as a loose description of his style also. It was in reference to his early backup and fills style on ballads. Kind of old timey is what he meant. We were talking about the song "On My Mind". as I recall. Also back in the fifties when I first became aware of the Dobro, it was often refered to as the "corn steel". Not always in a positive way, I might add.

[Matt Campbell]

Your probably correct about it being asian built, especially for the price, and its probably a better instrument from the change????..I bought one of the hound dogs for $800 three years ago and I was let down when I received it for the lack of fit and finsih...sigh..But just another American product down the tubes.

This is probably not the right place to voice this, and I'll probably get slammed from 47 directions, but I guess I'm a die hard American. I can't help having a deep since of loyalty to USA jobs. I'm not trying to be judgemental toward other countries in any way, but more just expresing a sense of pride in the American worker and I dont like to see it dwindleing away. Since most of the instrument desings that continue to be so popular today are so timeless. "The big three", Martin, Gibson, Fender are copied all over the world...ie: Strat...Tele....D18...D28...ES335....L5...F5..
Mastertone RB250....etc etc....and the list goes on. Everyone copies these designs, and we sell our selves down the river...are you suprised my favorite TV show is John Ratezenbergers "We've got in made in America" ? Didnt think so....LOL

But in truth these musical instruments are mostly CNC machine built with assembly line type production (Thanks Henry Ford ! ). And when driven by stock dividends these jobs fall prey to the greed of the love of money.. I realize that the asian production line qualities are superior, but I dont have to like it. I just wished that us American's could better compete somehow. I'm a firm believer in the phrase "what goes around, comes around" and If we dont stay productive and build a quality product as Americans, our wages will soon be that of China workers, as well as our lifestyle.

So...some day will we all be skinny, and riding a bicyle and living in a makeship hut with 15 other people, because thats all we can do on 5 bucks a day....????

So maybe we just need to wake up and smell the coffee? Or maybe I'm all wet... Sorry for being so word'y......

[Robert Harper]

Yes, I agree, Our economy is becomming third world and we are headed there fast

[Alan Brookes]

I agree with Matt and Robert. Workers in North America and Europe have a much better standard of living than in the far east, and every time work goes east or south, to be performed by workers on much-reduced pay, the pay of the workforce is gradually eroded.

Ironically, this is self-defeating for the industrialists in the long run. The standard of living in China is improving so fast that the Chinese government has recently introduced legislation increasing the minimum wage and insisting on benefit packages, so all those companies that moved to China to save labor costs are going to find that in the long run they're going to have to pay as much over there as here...

It bothers me the way American industry has been run down. In particular the steel and shipbuilding industries have beeen run down to the extent that we are becoming more and more reliant on foreign imports. I work for a company that builds high voltage electrical equipment, and we are running into difficulties getting enough steel. The Chinese and Vietnamese are buying steel so fast, and paying premium prices, that projects in the west are being held up. Ultimately the U.S. Government has to invest in American industry if we are not to suffer deprivations.

[Robert Harper]

The Leadership needs to ask themselves How do you sell $50,000 Automobile and 200,000 houses to $8.00 an hour worker? So far, I haven't found anyone who can answer this. Can you?

[Matt Campbell]

Hey Alan....Ha !!....a steel picker, electrical person.., I picked up on the High voltage electrical equipment statement...I have been an industrial electrician for 30 plus years. So its a small world !!

Robert, youve hit it right on the head...The American public is so much in debt. Most companies have folded up retirement plans trying to compete with foriegn...now both the husband and the wife have to work....the middle class worker is disappearing....But we have to keep those dividends strong by golly !!!

Well....steering this discussion back toward Dobro's.....I hate to say it....but the best voting machine is your billfold....The saving thing for the topic at hand is that there are lots of mom and pop shops building lap steels and reso's and thanks to the internet (I guess we have to that Mr Gore for that...LOL) now we can buy american products and support the american lifestyle....So God bless America

[Mark Eaton]

I currently own two resonator guitars: a beautiful and incredible sounding custom Clinesmith, from a hard working American (and Forum member), a good family man, and a heckuva nice guy. I was in a good position financially a few years ago to be able to order this guitar, but not everybody can indulge in such a thing - but if I weren't - I'd buy one of the Asian-built, but American designed resos I mentioned in my earlier post.

My other Dobro, which I have had for over 30 years, is an early 1930's squareneck, made by those fine immigrants to America, the Dopyera brothers.

Gibson could have dominated the resonator guitar industry after buying the Dobro company in 1993, if they used their power and know-how to stay on top of it - but they screwed it up! Is this not just a much smaller version of what has happened to the U.S. Auto industry?

"Buy American" - great concept - but I get tired of feeling that I have to support corporations that bumble along and end up shooting themselves in the foot because they became complacent. "You reap what you sow."

What's even scarier, and living in the greater Bay Area, with the high tech industry, there are signs of this on an ever increasing basis - it isn't just the manufacturing that has gone overseas - but we are seeing more and more design and engineering jobs going that route as well.

Before, at least we held on to the "intellectual property" in American business, now, in a number of cases, that's going the same route as the manufacturing.

[Terry Sneed]

What about tone on these $350 Houndog?? Has anybody got a soundbite of this particular dobro? If it's got decent tone, it should sound purty good played through my Fender acoustasonic, reckon?

Terry