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Author
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Topic: What is a fretted Dobro, and how is it played?
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erik
Member From:
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posted 07 November 2001 11:17 PM
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Saw one listed as an instrument on album credits. |
Bob Stone
Member From: Gainesville, FL, USA
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posted 08 November 2001 06:00 AM
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Dobro is a brand name, presently owned by the Gibson company. There have always been Dobros with fretted "Spanish" necks made for conventional playing. Because Dobro brand resonator guitars played with a steel, rather than fretted with the fingers, became so popular in country and bluegrass music, the the term "Dobro" became the common name for any resonator instrument played in that manner. It's similar to the way many people say "Frigidaire" for refrigerator or "Levis" for jeans.By the way, the old Dobro company also made electric lap steels and some metal bodied resonator guitars, the latter as both round necks and square necks.\ Confusing, eh? Say, what do you call a steel guitar played with a plastic bar? Or a steel-bodied National guitar with a Spanish neck? The whole "steel guitar" and Dobro thing is a mess. But they sure are fun to play. |
mikey
Member From: Hawaii, Big Island
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posted 08 November 2001 09:34 AM
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all Dobros I've ever seen had frets as opposed to fret markers...but I would imagine the listing you are reffering to is a round-neck played spanish style...I have a roundneck I use for bottleneck style playing (blues)and you can comp along, play chords and even riff without the slide(or play without a slide at all)...it's just a non square neck Dobro...
Mike |
Mike D
Member From: Phx, Az
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posted 08 November 2001 04:02 PM
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BTW why DO squareneck Dobro's have frets??It's one of those unsolvable mysteries, like why men have nipples.  |
erik
Member From:
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posted 08 November 2001 06:11 PM
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Thanks, i am familiar with the generic use of "Dobro". Why would someone choose to use a fretted Dobro in a tune as opposed to regular guitar? How would i pick it out in a recording, soundwise? If you say it is Spanish i suppose it was played in the song "Across The Rio Grange", which is off the album by the same name recorded by Holly Dunn. This is where i saw the album credit. I can't say i noticed the different tone. I don't have it cued at the moment. |
Donny Hinson
Member From: Balto., Md. U.S.A.
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posted 08 November 2001 06:29 PM
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Erik, the mechanical resonator just has a different sound than a plain wood body. It's twangier (the lows have less "depth" or warmth) and has a definite metallic "ring" that an all-wood body just doesn't have. Were you to hear the two side-by-side, you could easily tell the difference. As to why they have frets on squarenecks...I would imagine it's just cheaper and more practical to use one fingerboard design on the two different guitars. |
Bob Stone
Member From: Gainesville, FL, USA
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posted 09 November 2001 09:01 AM
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I actually saw an old pre-WWII square neck Dobro with the fingerboard severely rutted from someone playing it a lot by fretting. Must have been one tough dude! Ouch. |
mikey
Member From: Hawaii, Big Island
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posted 09 November 2001 10:58 PM
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NAW...I've actually played my squareneck national bottleneck a few times...although I must admit intonation goes out the window!!!!
Mike |
Andy Volk
Member From: Boston, MA
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posted 10 November 2001 05:49 AM
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The fretted Spanish neck resonator guitar is used for a variety of reasons. In terms of recording, it is more directional than a conventional acoustic guitar with a much narrower frequency spectrum and overtone spectrum. This means that it can occupy less bandwidth in a mix and really stand out. For some types of music, the resonator guitar's sustain and punch can give it extra clarity or even a harmonica-like flexibility when soloing.Brazilian-made Del Vechio nylon-string resonator guitars were one Chet Atkins "secret weapons" in the 60's and appear on a lot of his recordings. Same for jazz/pop fingerstylist, Earl Klugh. Nato Limo, of the duo Los Indios Tabajaras, is credited for introducing the idea to Chet. They had a big hit called Maria Elena in the late 50's that featured Nato's Del Vechio. You can hear samples here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005MCY/qid=1005404032/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1_1/107-5388928-2678162
His distinctive vibrato was really enhanced by the sustain of the resonator instrument (as well as the "grain silo" reverb from the engineer). I had a 12-fret OMI Dobro for a while and it worked surprisingly well as a rhythm guitar for recording. The Dobro necks are kind of clunking though. Paul McGill in Nashville makes the state-of-the-art fretted neck Del Vechio update. They're stunning to look at and sound great. Jim Stafford (remember "I don't like spiders & snakes"?) has a couple pop instrumental CD's playing a McGill.[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 10 November 2001 at 07:07 AM.] |
Andy Volk
Member From: Boston, MA
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posted 16 November 2001 05:45 PM
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Get a load of this beauty. Now if only it had a high bone nut & steel strings!
http://www.fineguitarconsultants.com/112a.htm |
mikey
Member From: Hawaii, Big Island
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posted 17 November 2001 09:51 PM
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Well Andy,
just change the nut and bridge....and strings...I believe (I may be wrong) Gut strings are of higher tension than steel,(I think that HAS steel strings...got a tailpiece, and probably a truss rod adjustment under cone) anyway, and a little relief wouldn't be of much concern w/a high nut,
mike
I think I'll stick w, my Tri-cone, tho...[This message was edited by mikey on 17 November 2001 at 10:02 PM.] |
Roy Thomson
Member From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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posted 18 November 2001 05:34 AM
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Andy, is that the Paul McGill resonator? Regards,
Roy |
Andy Volk
Member From: Boston, MA
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posted 18 November 2001 06:38 AM
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Yes, Roy. |
Jerry Hayes
Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.
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posted 22 November 2001 07:07 PM
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Yo Erik,
A fine example of fretted Dobro playing is on the old Jeanie C Riley record of Harper Valley PTA. It was done by Jerry Kennedy who also played it on some of Tom T Hall's recordings.------------------
Have a good 'un! JH U-12
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