The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been itching to buy a squareneck dobro for a while, and, tis the season so I going for it. I'm wondering what brands are a good jumping off point. I'm looking to spend <500. Ive seen regal and MM's that are reasonably priced. Regals also seem the easiest to find. Any recommendations on buying used? Do dobros usually come with or without pickups? And makes I should stay away from? I will be playing mostly country and folk. Also was wondering what type of fingerpicks are usually used. Any info helps. Thanks again, y'all
Tom

I am not qualified to speak about the dobro market as a whole, but I sure am enjoying my Gretsch Bobtail. The pickup works great into a JD pedal, a Fishman Loudbox, & then to the house. It cost $500 without case, and it was new with a warranty.

On the used market, a Gold Tone Beard or Wechter Scheerhorn can usually be had for around $500. I have had both and thought they were good reso's for the money.

I bought one of the Regals... it was OK to start... first thing I added was a pro setup, at least $50 extra... and now I miss the pickup. They're OK to start with... or if you can find one used for cheap. Otherwise, the Gretsch looks good for the money and comes ready to plug in.

i'd go with what paul s. says. these come with the good fishman pickup (right?) already installed.

Yes Chris; The Gretsch has the latest version of the Nashville series Fishman pickup. I'm not aware of any better pickup.

I would second the recommendation for locating a used Wechter/Scheerhorn or a used Gold Tone/Beard if you want to get the best sounding and highest quality guitar that might fit your budget or thereabouts.

Paul is pretty happy with his Gretsch Bobtail, and if you don't care about having the Nashville pickup in it, you can get the model called the Boxcar which is nearly identical for about $350. It's a decent starter instrument for sure, but it's not in the same league as a Wechter/Scheerhorn (a.k.a. "Frugalhorn") - and it shouldn't be - Frugalhorns and Gold Tone/Beards start at $750+ new. The same sort of thing would apply if you were shopping for a flattop: a $350 Yamaha is not going to be in the same league as a $750+ Yamaha.

In regards to the newer Fishman pickup in the Gretsch - it helps tremendously to have the Fishman Aura Jerry Douglas pedal with 16 microphone "images." I've played the Gretsch into a Roland acoustic amp without the Douglas pedal, and it sounds pretty "quacky." The cheapest one of these boxes goes for new is ballpark $250 - so now we're getting above the <$500 budget, but if you plan on playing plugged in down the line it's something to save for in the future. The pickup and JD pedal are designed to work together as a unit.


Maybe it's just me - I just really don't care for the ballpark $350-$400 off-the-shelf Regals compared to the few I've played of these newer models Gretsch is having built in China.

Wechter/Scheerhorn resonator guitars could soon become sort of lower level collector's item. The word is that Wechter has had problems with Chinese manufacturers, and some of the models have been discontinued. No idea if they are all going away. I got this from a Sweetwater sales guy - this online equipment retailer has a close association with Wechter which is located in the same town in Indiana.

I Have a Square neck Johnson Resinator and I like it very much.I have a Lace Sensor pick up on it and it works fine with my Hinton Pedal. I also use a set of Pedal Steel guitar picks including the blue Thumb pick.
Sam White