Dobro bridge material

[David Venzke]

I have never dug inside my dobro at all. Is there some "how-to" guide to do this?

Check out Stew-Mac:

Resonator Guitar Setup Techniques

Spider-bridge Resonator Guitar Setup

or buy:

The Paul Beard setup DVD

[Ermanno Pasqualato]

Cherry wood for dobro spider with metal body is wonderful
Ebony give a strong sound in woodden instruments
Maple capped ebony is sweeter
But the angle is more important than material, a lot more important

[Gregg McKenna]

Wow. A 2001 thread exhumed in 2010. If internet time is anything like dog years this is a little like those stories of folks who eventually get that letter their sister mailed in 1948.

Yeah, but OMI Dobros like mine still sound dead in the bass after changing the strings, and the brightness doesn't really last very long either. I really would like this thing to sing so I'd be inspired to play it more, and would have something to take to acoustic sessions. Yeah, I know, a lot of the sound comes from the player, but nonetheless certain instruments have a tone that makes you wanna play them, I never get the feeling from my dobro....

Bob, looking at the link that you sent, do you have a specific recommendation to cure the ills of the two posters' OMI's and mine too? the Set of 2 for Dobro® style spiders (Maple/Ebony slotted)?

I have never dug inside my dobro at all. Is there some "how-to" guide to do this?

Quite often the Dobro's lack bass simply because of the thin body depth. You could experiment with different string guages (sometimes lighter will ring a bit better), or a softer wood insert than ebony capped maple on the bass side.