John, you will find that most modern resonator guitar brands do not have the three holes. I believe, in theory, that the presence of the holes does nothing to effect the sound, one way or another.
The three holes appeared on many models of Dobro brand guitars, as legend would have it, to sort of mimic the theme of the three dots on the lyre insignia on the headstock.
I write "legend," because often when discussions are about the Dobro company and its history, the word "convoluted" is included in the sentence, as in: "The convoluted history of the Dobro."
So we don't know if that's the real reason for the three holes, but that's one version of the story that has been floating around for years.
Then there is this quote from an on-line article from Vintage Guitar Magazine regarding the Dobro Model 27 that came out in the 1930's: "Many players hold that omitting the three holes improved the sound of the Model 27." Sounds like more "legend" to me.
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Mark
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 04 January 2006 at 12:41 PM.]
[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 04 January 2006 at 12:46 PM.]
