Was this resonator mando a good idea?

[Schlegel]

So on an impulse I bid on this Dobro labeled mandolin: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170489545375&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Now that the deed is done I wonder, did I do good or not? Condition seems OK to me. I'm a bowlback guy mostly, so not much knowledge of these. Any opinions appreciated.

thanks,
Schlegel

[mrmando]

Reasonable price and the condition looks OK. If I'm not mistaken, this is a 1980s reissue, not a vintage Dobro. The truss rod is nice to have!

[Jim Garber]

Hey, you also got that clamp capo which is very good for cracking exceptionally large walnuts!! :)

[Paul Hostetter]

I just worked over a '30's Regal Dobro much like this. It sounded great. Rudy and Ed Dopyera made some nice all-brass mandolins in the same era as this one. The nylon trussrod cover is a giveaway for the age.

59170

This one will be fun to play, especially if it's set up well.

[Mandolin Mick]

You won't really know til it's in your hands, but it seems like a good deal. Love those stars & crescent moons!

[hank]

I like it. Let us know what you think after you spend some time with it. Dan Beimborn and Jim Richter play some great sounding reso-tenor guitars. But then again they make everything they play sound great. I don't know how they are appraised but my guess is you did pretty well if it's from the 30's and in good condition.

[JimRichter]

I agree with Martin. I think it's from the 80's--around the same time Dobro was doing the 5 string DobJo. I could be wrong, but I think the clincher for me is the truss rod cover. I don't recall seeing a 30's era Dobro w/ a truss rod. Every wood bodied Dobro mandolin I've had has always had a bow in the neck.

And, yes, I do have a good sounding National Triolian tenor :) Thanks Hank!

[Schlegel]

Well, I'm getting better at looking for flaws in pics, but you never know playability till you hold it. Any suggestions for a easy starter piece for a beginner/intermediate player to try on of these?

Nylon is a post-WWII item for civilian uses, right?

[Paul Hostetter]

Any suggestions for a easy starter piece for a beginner/intermediate player to try on of these?

Yeah. The Bach partita #2 in D minor. Slowly.


Nylon is a post-WWII item for civilian uses, right?

And military. Parachutes have never gone out of style.

[celtolin]

If it's anything like the National resonator mandolin I played last week it's gonna be loud and heavy!

[Paul Hostetter]

Dobro mandolins are surprisingly little like Nationals. They weigh much less, the cone system is entirely different, and the sound is therefore very different as well. Even the relatively rare metal-bodied Dobro mandolins, which did weigh a lot, had a delicate, bell-like tone.

[allenhopkins]

Same mandolin I own, 'cept mine is a "National Dobro" from the '30's and this one's 50 years newer or so. The old ones didn't have truss rods at all. Probably the newer one has at least marginally better wood in it; mine has a neck block so soft that my instrument repair person compared it to "balsa wood." Hence the neck reset it needed. Not at all heavy, unlike the National metal-bodies (I have a Triolian from the same vintage, and it must weigh four times as much). Lovely "ringy" sound, ethereal, lots of sustain. I love the moon-and-stars cutouts in the cover plate; that's what first attracted me to the one I own.

[Verne Andru]

Looks sweet. If it's a player, that's a great score!

[catmandu2]

Looks great. I'd play rags and jugband music with it.

[fred d]

One never knows but resonator mandolins are in a class by them selfs great for jazz,blues and ragtime and If you want to be heard over the banjo

[Schlegel]

The mandolin arrived safely... condition was just as it seemed, it's quite playable. You say say the all-metal ones are even heavier? Yikes!. Chimey is a good description, not super loud. I don't think this was played excessively, not much real playing wear, frets not too badly grooved. My only complaint is the nut slots are tight, but that's an easy fix. Well, maybe the uncompensated bridge, but that's not the seller's fault. I'll have to play it a while, and have the other band members listen to it, to see if it makes a good addition to our sound before I decide if it's a permanent acquisition, but think I got my money's worth. I do like the old-school wooden case. That's some really orange velvet, though.

[hank]

I wondered what your res0lin would sound like on the slide & amplified. Might be way uniqueiequeie. Ha! Degenerate thinking is a terrible thing not to waste.

[Schlegel]

Well, the band asked me to use it on 2/3 of saturday's gig, so I think it's a hit!

[Verne Andru]

Pictures or it didn't happen.

[Schlegel]

trying for an MP3 attachment....59472

This is just a quick 2-track recording using audacity to back myself up... an old wedding tune, from Arabia, I think.

[hank]

Wow! Sound good with a sustain like theres no tommorow.

[Verne Andru]

Yo - sounds great. I guess that's just with a mic?

I have a steel bodied resonator-mando enroute as I type and can't wait to join the reso-club!!

[Schlegel]

Thanks! Yeah, just a Samson condenser with a USB connector.