The Steel Guitar Forum

Thanks, Terry, for bringing us back on topic. The ones I've played have had a decent but not remarkable tone. I haven't had a chance to play one plugged in yet.

Terry, The one I owned was a round neck, I got great comments every where I went on the volume and tone alike. The pickup, was typical and passive, very thin sounding and weak, but if you roll back the treble use a preamp,and also use a mic you can tear um up. Using a volume pedal on a good instrument mic can yeild that wanted volume when you need it.

I apologize If I got off topic Brad, I just like to defend the american blue collar worker, reguardlous what corporations do.

Your original post stated that this is a great value at $350 and that it is. Ive played others with various laminates and this one with the maple laminated cuts through just about any mix.

I just got a notice that the round necks are in stock at Music 123.
Square necks will be in October.
Dave

Thanks Brad and Matt. If I can rake up the bucks, I may try and get a squarneck when they get em in stock.

Terry

The square necks are in stock at Musician's Friend and Music 123.
They sent me two emails, one saying they were back ordered and another saying they were in stock?

The web sites say the square necks are in.

Of course I have been waiting over a month for the Johnson resonator which they say is in the warehouse. They just don't know how to go in and get it to send it to me. You would think after 35 days, someone could just walk in and get the thing, slap a label on it and send it. Somehow with their new warehouse, no one can do this.

Dave

Well I got my China made Hound Dog the other day. Looked pretty good, but when I went to plug it in, I found NO input jack! I called customer service and spoke to a very polite young man who told me that they don't carry a non-electric version. It looks like the china factory sent a wrong guitar to them. I packed it up and shipped it back the same day (friday) They emailed me a UPS paid shipping tag, but I still needed to drop it off at a UPS store myself.
Anyone else get the wrong guitar?

I received mine yesterday. In answer to the question as to where it was made, it has three stickers on the back of the headstock. The first has the serial number. The second says "Made in China". The third says that the guitar was inspected and set up in the U.S.A. That last label has an Epiphone logo on it.
The workmanship is excellent, and I'm pleased with the guitar. I haven't had much chance to play it yet, in fact I haven't tuned it yet. Pickup ? I wasn't expecting an electric instrument, I guess I must disappear into the sub-basement and reopen the box !

My friend recieved one also....YEP made in China..fit and finish actually better than my USA made houndog made in Nashville, sound was ok, but needed thicker strings to compare...nice guitar for the money..My only complaint is Gibson could have reserved the "Dobro" name for a USA made instrument, and called this one a "hound dog" or "Epi-dog" or "Reso-phone", hey that sounded pretty good
Reso-Phone, I like that. A "Dobro" from China, BAH....Come on America we can do it !!!! GO USA

Ah, but it doesn't say "Dobro®" on it, does it? I think the burned in logo says "Original Hound Dog". Americans are making the best resophonic guitars ever made right now, the difference being that they don't have the Dobro® name attached to them.

I understand Gibson wanting to stay competitive in the market; if this is the way they're going to do it, I wish them luck. It would be interesting to compare these instruments side by side with the Regal, Gold Tone Beard, Wechter Scheerhorn and other sub-$1000 USD instruments (all of which are made overseas and inspected and/or set up in the USA).

One thing I like about the Hound Dog is that it doesn't look like the other imports. Sometimes different is good.

The market for decent resonator instruments has improved remarkably over the last few years. Even the cheaper models are getting better. Ten years ago you couldn't get any new resonator guitar for less than about $600. Now you can buy them for less than $200.

And the range is improving, too. Now you can buy resonator mandolins, resonator ukuleles, and even a resonator guitar with a banjo neck !

Yes !! it DOES have the Dobro emblem, not the burned in Hound Dog.....I was suprised...this is a total new designed guitar, they went back to the round sound well, not open. The maple was nice looking, same stain color,and matte finish, but not flamed or figured on the one I saw. No serial number on the end of the peghead. Total different remake....I'm wondering if it was manufactured in the Samick plant with the other Epi's? Doesnt Epiphone already have a reso?? maybe made on the same production line. Nice looking and sounding guitar, and again please dont take my criticism other than I hate to loose american blue collar jobs, just for the sake of dividends.

Hey Matt, does your's have a pickup?

I've had a chance to play mine now and I'm pleased with the tone. It stacks up well against other resonators I have. Mine has no pickup, by the way.

Thanks, Brad, for bringing this to our attention.

Alan F. Brookes wrote:I've had a chance to play mine now and I'm pleased with the tone. It stacks up well against other resonators I have. Mine has no pickup, by the way.

Thanks, Brad, for bringing this to our attention.

No pickup? The model featured for $350. clearly states it has a pickup. They sent you the wrong guitar, as they did mine.
I wouldn't spend $350 on this guitar as just acoustic. The Regal RD-45 acoustic sold for $279. everywhere on line and sounded better!
I want the pickup! Someone screwed up bigtime at Music 123.

My friend said the new Dobro, did NOT have a pickup, or a jack. And yes, its sounds like, Music 123 got confused with Gibson's changes as well...Personaly I think Gibson should have been a little clearer about the origin of this guitar and any other changes to the past advertised "Hound Dog", instead of the old "Bait and Switch" on the Dobro name and product descriptions.

I have always admired Gibson and Martin for limiting the Gibson, or Martin name to American made instruments. They have always used "knock off" names such as Epiphone, Sigma, etc, for the foreign side of the market sales. Now,To me, its a shame, with the OMI Dobro name.

Take Fender, they have no discretion about what guitars they put the "Fender" logo on, and for folks like myself who like to support american labor, I dont know what Im getting. So I dont buy fender products any longer, and now buy Carvin products instead.

"Stepping down OFF my soap box" Bet your glad...LOL's

Loni Specter wrote:...No pickup? The model featured for $350. clearly states it has a pickup. They sent you the wrong guitar, as they did mine...

I reread the original advertisement and you're right, it does state that it has a pickup.
I myself would never use the pickup but it does seem they owe us a refund if they've sent a cheaper model.
I've sent them an e-mail. Let's see how they respond.

I called Music123 yesterday to see what the status was on my returned Hound Dog with no pickup. They showed that another one was on it's way. I wonder if this one will have the pickup or if they are too screwed up to even notice.

They haven't responded to my email yet.

Matt Campbell wrote: Now,To me, its a shame, with the OMI Dobro name.

You're "effin" right it is!

They're running an historic American brand into the ground!

Well, at least you guys all now know officially know that they're made in China - and that there's "no free lunch!" (Even if they sound better than the previously made-in-Nashville Hound Dogs!)

I'll tell you what though - I don't even have to play or see one of these things in person to know, and unless my budget was really tight - for not all that much more money, you can have a Gold Tone Beard that went through the setup and inspection procedure at the Beard facility in Maryland, and you will probably be a happier picker. Not to mention, the Gold Tone is to most eyes, a much more attractive instrument!

I just ordered mine. I hope I get the pickup. This too good of a deal to pass up. You can't install the Fishman electronics for much less than that.
BTW, this Fishman pickup will match the Fishman Aura Blender http://www.zzounds.com/item--FSMAURA I played a show last week on the same bill as Jerry Douglas. His whole band uses these. He told me he just finished recording patches for the Aura that will be out soon. It's not a modeling unit, but the patches will make any reso sound like that Beard he recorded with. His tone and volume was amazing.
If you notice, the Aura is exactly the same price as the Hound Dog
Thanks Brad

Wait a minute - this is the standard Fishman passive pickup we're talking about on these Hound Dogs. I don't believe Jerry is using those anymore.

Did Jerry show you what he is using now, which is an under-the-saddle prototype Fishman reso pickup?

You may be right Mark. I think he did say it was an under-saddle. Do you mean prototype as in, not on the market yet? And what's the difference?

Prototype: the original or model on which something is based or formed, and yeah, it is not yet on the market.

Jerry, on his forum, referred to himself fairly recently as a "guinea pig" for a lot of experimental equipment.

On a regular acoustic, an under the saddle pup looks like a needle-like device about the same width of the strings, mounted under the saddle, typically with a wire that leads to a an endpin jack.

The Fishman passive reso pup, sort of a tiny disc which is mounted to the underside of the center of the cone, which many of us have, and for several years was considered one of the best, has a number of flaws.

This new system, which Jerry has been trialing for a couple of years, was originally supposed to come to market this past summer, but apparently there were some additional bugs to work out.

Brad Bechtel wrote:...They have a very basic finish and burned in logo (rather than the more common decal type logo).

Mine has a decal logo.