Yes I have the book, two actually since the color plaes fell out of the hardback copy within days of buying it. I also recomend that readers of my site buy it, as you will see on my home page.

Well, The tale I grew up with is that John Dopyera fell out with the National company and left to start the Dobro company with his brothers, because he claimed that although George Beauchamp patented the single cone guitar, it had been John's idea, and that Beauchamp had stolen it/had no right to the patent.

But, if Beauchamp had been in Britian, visiting Stroh some 10 to 20 years BEFORE John started making mechanically amplified instruments, it actually gives a certain credence to Beauchamp's claim that he, Beauchamp had taken the idea to John Dopyera in the first place, and that while John was certainly the man who was able to translate the idea into realization, Beauchamp did actually have a valid right to the US patent.

Interesting stuff I thought, you obviously think different, sorry about that!

Any one else care to comment?

I saw the Springer Sisters play a duet on Strohviol and Howson Stroh style uke a while back........ I would love to know what the Hawaiian and Spanish guitars sound like.

Do you know where the Stroh Hawaiian I picture ended up? I had seen one at the "loud and clear" exhibition of John Dopyera's legacy in Erie, and had also heard of the one at the EMP in Seattle that Orville refers to, the one pictures is a third and very complete example.

I was sent the pictures by a dealer in London UK, when I got back to him and enquired about price, he told me that a major UK Museum wanted it but had to wait for a board of trustees meeting to agree the price, so I suspect it was substantial. (I hear a 12,000 UK pounds rumour at one point) I never heard any more, so hope it is on display somewhere!

Thanks too for the link, I had seen that page before but should now add a link to it from my page.

Orville mentions that the one in Seattle is quiet. The mechanical link from the bridge to the resonator is a strange design. As far as I can see the majority of the string tension downwards is taken directly to the body/post of the instrument, and only a very small amount of the latteral vibration from the strings is taken via the pivot to the cone.

John Dopyera's genius was, off course, the concept that all the string vibration could be taken directly to the cone(s)rather than to a flat diaphram via a linkage, as in the tricone set up he developed, this was a logical yet spectacular developement of his banjo and violin making career.

[This message was edited by colinmcc on 13 May 2006 at 10:25 AM.]

------------------
www.mikeneer.com

Mike Neer on MySpace