---

I am interested in learning to play the dobro. At the music store I go to they sell resonator guitars. Are resonator guitars and dobros the same thing?

Thanks,

David Beard
Dir. of Training and Organizational Development

Greetings David,

Yes, resonator guitars and dobros are essentially the same instrument...both have resophonic cone systems. The name Dobro originated from the Dopyera brothers whom first introduced the Dobro in what is very close to one and the same being produced by everyone today. The conjecture is that the name Dobro is a combination of Dopyera and brothers...today, even though Dobro is really a name brand, the name "Dobro" is used generically for resonator and resophonic guitars. I happen to have purchased both www.resonatorguitar.com and www.resophonicguitar.com a few years back....with the hopes of promoting interest in the Dobro's history...I hope to have these sites launched this year...

Mickey

---

Subject: Dobro/Resophonic


Greetings Ken,

I have been playing acoustic and electric guitar seriously for about six years, and am thinking about buying a dobro/resophonic guitar. My main influence in this direction is the music of Bruce Cockburn. I have a number of questions.

What is the difference between a "dobro" and a "resonator"?

There is no difference...these terms refer to one and the same instrument...other names can include, but are not limited to:
resonator guitar
resophonic guitar
lap style steel
hound dog
acoustic steel
and so on...

Dobro is a trademark of Gibson Musical Instruments...and is very commonly used as the term of choice when addressing resophonic guitars...

I have been looking pretty hard at Regal dobros. Are all of their necks reinforced with a truss rod, or only the higher end ones?

On the Regal roundnecks, the RD-45s do have the adjustable truss rod...the squarenecks almost never have an adjustable truss rod...

Is this as much of an issue with a dobro as it is with a standard (whatever that is!) guitar?

Not on a squareneck...the necks are so large, with the added mass to make them square, that a truss rod is not needed...

What is a "quarterman conversion"?

The Quarterman Conversion is an upgrade...essentially, most all the factory parts that are closest to reproducing the sound are replaced with high-end pro-level parts...the bridges, nut, spider, the cone itself are all replaced...and the tone usually becomes quite a bit fatter with more bass end. Not really necessary for the student level dobroist...but does allow the student more ceiling for growth...

Be sure to check out our video sampler page that demonstrates the differences:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page2520.htm

Hope this helps, Mickey

Thank you for your consideration -- and for a wonderful web site!

Ken Moody-Arndt

---