The Steel Guitar Forum

Can any one give me some insight as to find the right Dobro for me? I am thinking of purchasing one to learn on. I have been playing pedal steel guitar for 20 years but have never played a dobro. Name brands, styles, what to look for, what to stay away from? Just some personal thoughts would be great!!!

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First question; what is your budget? Once that is established, it is easier to make a recommendation.

Kent, I was like you, played only Pedal Steel. I wanted something to play when camping that didn't need to be amplified...I bought a Regal RD-45 Square neck to start with. Musicians Friend $349. Received it today and now all I need to do is learn how to play it. Hope this helps...

Chuck

Budget and STYLE of music.
You can do a lot with 6 strings, but you may wish you had seven or eight real soon.

Straight bluegrass? Six strings are great.
GBDGBD.

Put an E in the middle (GBDEGBD) and you have a happy G6th for western swing, minor chords. (7 string) Listen to the CD of the month if you get a chance. Gary Morse uses a 7 string.

A very versatile setup is a 6 string roundneck Dobro. Use a nut extension to raise the strings up for tone bar work. Take the nut extension off, and you have a 6 string for regular guitar work or slide guitar.

The key for me to a good resophonic guitar is not the brand or model so much as whether or not it's setup correctly. And you can do a lot with a less expensive guitar if you are willing to upgrade certain components.

I have a flinthill Guitar - made in Korea (?)
It's not fancy but it was setup by Paul Beard.

1) make sure the cone is spun and not stamped

2) Plastic parts such as nut and bridge inserts are to be avoided.

3) most important if you can't set it up properly yourself find someone who can.

Even some of the more expensive "off the rack" models don't sound good because of the setup.

Try this link for some info. http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/i-4006/

And here for more info and a good price on parts/accesories
http://www.janetdavismusic.com/dobparts.html

Budget means A LOT. The spun resonator(usually made by Quarterman) helps a lot, as does a good setup. I wouldn't go with the round neck/nut extender deal, as the nut extenders I've seen KILL tone. You need to go one way or the other. If you want raised action, get a high bone nut. Regular nut for fingerstyle. Good luck.

Besides budget, what kind of music do you want to play? Do you have a tuning in mind? Is this for stage or for back-porch playing?

Bluegrass players usually want these "Dobro" features --> square neck, wood body, screen holes, solid peghead, spider bridge. Blues players are looking for something else with "National" features for slide or lap-style playing --> round neck, metal body, f-holes, slotted peghead, biscuit bridge. And then there are tri-cones. And all sorts of in-between designs, too.

Most of the new inexpensive resonators, like Regal, may have a sweet sound but don't produce enough volume to be heard over a four- or five-piece accoustic band...even if you add a Quarterman cone, bone nut and bridge, and x-tra heavy strings. Been there, done that, sold it down the river, and got a better one.

Regarding spun vs stamped: Most cones in the cheap imports are spun; I have never seen a stamped cone in a Regal or Johnson. The quarterman is a good upgrade for these instruments.

Stamped cones are found on pre world war II dobros and Regals, and, IMHO, sound excellent and should not be replaced unless damaged. Would you change the pickups on a 50s Gibson?

Alistair

AC