Dobro Resonator Mandolin

[jnmuir1]

Just bought for 90 pounds sterling from an autojumble of all places. Looks battered but sound. No serial number though. Can anyone tell me:

What years they were made? What type of music were they designed for - blues? Country?

Do people play them slide style?

What gauge of strings suits them? Action OK at the moment but worried about effect of concert pitch.

Are they valuable?

Any info appreciated!

Jim

[bmac]

What years they were made? What type of music were they designed for - blues? Country?

Do people play them slide style? oh yes!!!

What gauge of strings suits them? Action OK at the moment but worried about effect of concert pitch. If I am not mistaken these may have a problem at the neck joint. If true then maybe mediums are as heavy as you might want to go.

Are they valuable? You most likely did well. They can be expensive... But i am not really knowledgable about price.
Any info appreciated!

All I really know is that I am jealous. I have a modern copy of a National but yours is great!

[allenhopkins]

Here's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resonator_mandolin) a brief Wiki article on resonator mandolins. Fairly informative.

The Dobro company was formed when the Dopyera brothers pulled out of the National Guitar Co. in a dispute with George Beauchamp, co-founder with them of National. This was in the early 1930's. A few years later National folded, or rather was acquired by Dobro, forming the National Dobro Co. which produced instruments of both designs. The basic resonator design of Dobro instruments (the "spider bridge") differs significantly from the resonator design of Nationals (the "biscuit bridge").

Dobro made mandolins almost from its inception. Many of the Dobro mandolins one finds are from the 1930's, but you can find them from later years. There are also a fair number of near-identical mandolins labeled "Regal"; Regal and Dobro cooperated on building resonator instruments, with Regal supplying wood bodies, Dobro the resonators, and the headstocks sporting alternate decals.

Neither Dobro nor National was noted for the quality of wood used in construction. My 1937 (approximately) Dobro mandolin required a neck reset, and the repair tech compared the neck block to "balsa wood." So I'd keep the string gauges light to avoid neck problems.

As to value, I paid $250 or so for mine, but that was 25+ years ago. I've seen recent prices of $6-800, depending on condition. They're unique sounding instruments, with a sweet, bell-like tone, not a lot of volume, and long sustain. If you're considering using one for slide work, I think you may find it somewhat less suited than an older National mandolin would be, since the Dobro won't "cut" through, but it will be a neat, "singing" kind of playing. IMHO, anyway. I have both the Dobro and a National Triolian, and they're very different instruments, in size, sound, volume, and appropriate playing styles.

[Schlegel]

I love these things. 90 pounds is a pretty darn good deal if it's at all near playable condition.

[Chief]

I have one nearly identical to yours- although yours looks in better shape from what I can see. They're cool little instruments, and I think you got a steal if it's indeed playable. I've got a K and K pickup in mine, and it sounds great. Mine was made in 1935, so yours should be in that range.I use medium strings. Have fun! Oh yeah, what's :)an autojumble?

[jnmuir1]

An autojumble Chief is a market for classic car parts - and Mandolins too it seems! Jim

[mrmando]

This does look like a '30s instrument, seems to be in good shape. Reproductions were issued in the 1980s. 90 quid is less than US$200, so you got an excellent deal. As Allen says, these often sell for four to five times what you paid.

[Shelagh Moore]

That's a really good bargain you got there. I play a modern National RM-1 resophonic mandolin but had a chance to buy a Dobro mandolin just like yours a few years ago when I lived in Belgium. It needed a little setup work but I loved its sweet sound. Possibly the Jazzmando JM-11 flatwounds might be a good match for the Dobro (I use those on my Nava but use the slightly heavier D'Addario FW-74 flatwounds on my RM-1). Blues? Country? Yes and other genres too!

[dan in va]

Congrats on a good find. Actually, an auto jumble seems like somewhat of a likely place for a hubcap instrument to pop up.