Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???

Subject: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: Bobert
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 03:46 PM

It's too long a story but I have come across a square-neck resonator which commonly are known as Dobros...

One the headstock is a decal that reads "The Gibson" and on the resonator plate there is the following stamped "#1996484, Other Pats. Pending:... It is wood and in excellent condition...

Question: When was it made and by whom??? How much is it worth???

Maybe for Sale but I'd rather trade it for a 12 string...

Bobert

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 04:28 PM

Hmmmmm..... Is the bridge sitting on a black plastic round dongle (known as a "biscuit") which is itself attached directly to the centre of the cone or is it sitting on top of a cast metal "spider" which rests on the edges of the cone?

I'm not aware that Gibson ever made a resophonic guitar so it might be an el-cheapo resonator dressed up as "lamb".

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 04:57 PM

From Wikipedia;

The word Dobro is, in popular usage, the generic term for a wood-bodied, single cone resonator guitar. It is also an American brand of resonator guitar, currently owned by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: Bobert
Date: 29 Sep 17 - 05:38 PM

GUEST, Ray,

The bridge is made of either white bone or some kind of plastic which sits under a chrome portion of the resonator plate...

Mark,

I know that Dobro is both a Brand and a generic...

Bobert

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 30 Sep 17 - 01:12 AM

As far as I know, Gibson never actually made resonator guitars until they bought the rights to the "Dobro" name in 1993. It's quite possible some resos were made for Gibson by National, Dobro, Regal or whoever. That sort of job-work was pretty common in the first half of the 20th century and relations between instrument companies were a bit incestuous. If Gibson only had a limited demand for resos, it would have been cheaper and easier to order a few unlabeled instruments from a competitor and stick a Gibson decal on them than to tool up to make them.

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 30 Sep 17 - 09:49 AM

It's whether the bridge is mounted to a "biscuit" or a "spider" that's important here. Dobros had/have spiders and Nationals have/had biscuits. ("Dobro", incidentaly, originates from the Dopyero Brothers who emigrated to the US from Europe and started producing resophonic instruments.)

It has often been said that the only consistent thing about Gibson's musical instrument production is it's inconsistency but I'm pretty sure they never produced a square neck resonator with their name on it. There's no mention of one in Gruhn's guide which is probably the go-to for such matters.

I suspect someone in the past has tried to big it up.

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 30 Sep 17 - 12:43 PM

A quick and easy way to tell a spider bridge from a biscuit bridge at a glance:

If the arched part of the cover plate above the bridge has a hole in it, 99.99% chance you got yourself a spider. Spiders have adjustable saddles and the hole is to allow access to the adjustment screw. Biscuits are not adjustable, so no access hole.

Also, you say the beast in question has a decal that says "The Gibson". Gibson has traditionally reserved the "The Gibson" designation for top-of-the-line instruments, and the logo has been inlaid in MOP or abalone. Decals have only been used on less expensive instruments. I have a hard time imagining them badging any instrument with a decal "The Gibson".

Subject: RE: Dobro Questions and Maybe for Sale???
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 30 Sep 17 - 02:42 PM

I'd agree with the "screw hole" method but Gibson's logos have been all over the place at certain times. I have a perfectly genuine '20's snakehead mandolin and "The Gibson" is screen-printed on the headstock - neither inlaid nor a decal. There were loads of them done in the same way around 1924.