The Dobro Guitar: Sounds of Wood, Strings, and Steel

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The Dobro: Guitar of many styles

With brand names like Dobro, National, Regal, and others, the resonator guitar (also known as the resophonic guitar) has become a fascinating addition to popular music worldwide.

Much great music is being being made from the great players of today like Mike Audridge, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, Cindy Cashdollar, and others.

Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite instruments.

One that I personally have gotten much enjoyment from, both listening and playing the Dobro guitar.

Dobro on Amazon 

Dobro

Mel Bay You Can Teach Yourself Dobro (You Can Teach Yourself)

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $24.95

The Dobro 

Dobro

The resophonic guitar, whose original brand name is Dobro certainly adds an interesting dimension to many acoustic. Americana, and folk styles of music today.

It has created a niche especially in the 'String band ensemble' often used in Bluegrass, Country, or many Folk music styles. It's ability to sustain, slide, and add inflection in ways that most plucked instruments can't makes for a nice contrast to the guitar, mandolin, and bass.

In the bluegrass style in which I am most familiar, the most common tuning is that of an open G chord, allowing for a somewhat heavy metal bar (called a slide) to easily achieve chords by running across the neck.

In another method, the resonator guitar is held and tuned like a regular guitar, making for the unique 'bright' tone familiar in many early blues recordings.

Actually it is fair to say that much of this 'brightness', or 'twang' in these recordings was due to the poor recording techniques of the day.

But in any case, the resophonic guitar can acoustically reproduce these sounds remarkably today.

BTW, for a nice beginner reso, like the one pictured here, see the link below.

Dobro on Amazon 

Dobro

Great Dobro Sessions

Amazon Price: $17.98 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $17.98

Dobro Details 

Fender

Fender FR50CE Resonator Guitar
This Fender resophonic guitar is one I recommend to my beginning students. It is a round back wHich means it can be played like an acoustic guitar (as it comes), OR as a flat slide guitar with an inexpensive top nut extender. It IS the one pictured above, BTW.

Dobro on Wikipedia 

Dobro

Dobro is a trade name now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.

Category: Image - :Rwdobrotenrful.jpg|right|thumb|1928 Dobro style 37 tenor guitar from Lowell Levinger's collection

The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar. Originally coined by the Dopyera brothers when they formed the Dobro Manufacturing Company, in time it came, in common language, to mean any resonator guitar, or specifically one with a single inverted resonator. This particular design was introduced by the Dopyeras' new company, in competition to the already patented tricone and biscuit designs owned and produced by the National String Instrument Corporation.

The Dobro brand later also appeared on other instruments, notably electric lap-steel guitars and solid-body electric guitars and on other resonator instruments such as Safari resonator mandolins.

When Gibson acquired the name in 1994, the company announced that it would defend its right to the Dobro's exclusive use.

Dobro on YouTube 

Dobro

Rob Ickes - Monrobro (for all the dobro players out there)

curated content from YouTube

YouTube: Dobro 

Dobro

Jerry Douglas - Wild Rumpus

curated content from YouTube

Dobro on Amazon 

Dobro

DVD- Essential Techniques for Dobro

Amazon Price: $49.95 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $49.95

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DVD-Jerry Douglas' Dobro Techniques

Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $29.95

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Mel Bay's Dobro Workshop

Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $24.95

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Bluegrass Dobro

Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $29.95

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Dobro Variations - Explorations in Minor, Swing and Rockabilly Styles

Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 12/12/2009) Buy Now
List Price: $29.95

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YouTube Dobro vids 

Dobro

Mike Auldridge and Cindy Cashdollar Dobro

curated content from YouTube

Dobro Lens Feedback 

Reso Dobro National resophonic guitar

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Great Dobro Stuff on eBay 

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by Cyrano_Smith

Dobro, Regal, Reso, Resonator guitar, resophonic guitar LOVER (more)

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