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Author
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Topic: 10 String Dobro Rare?
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Walter Jones
Member From: Athens, Ohio USA
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posted 06 April 2004 04:37 PM
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A couple of days ago I was talking to a guy on the phone and he has a 10 string Dobro (real Dobro) and I was wondering if they are rare. I have never seen one but that doesn't make it rare because I haven't seen one.He has had it for a long time and it was used when he got it, so he is not sure what year it might be. Anyone have any info on one of these? |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 06 April 2004 08:03 PM
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Dobro, O.M.I., when they were in Huntington Beach made 10-strings as a custom order around the end of the 1970's. Red Rhodes had one and so I got one in 1979. Pete Grant had a 10-string wood copy of a tricone that was just plain stunning and it sounded so much better than mine that I took mine back to the factory. One of the problems I had was the cone had collapsed and the spider cracked, so Donald Young spun a new cone and got a beefier spider. Also the tail piece sprung so I made another one out of welded stainless. The thing about 10 strings, on the cone, is that it's about 3 too many for great tone. It sounds warm and ok, but 6 and 7 sound better. |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 07 April 2004 10:05 AM
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I've rarely seen them, so I think they're rare. I owned one but sold it because the string spacing was way too narrow for me. |
Erv Niehaus
Member From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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posted 07 April 2004 10:19 AM
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I have an 8 string Dobro that I like a lot.
I have it tuned to A6th.
Erv |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 07 April 2004 10:29 AM
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How about a 10-string flat-top
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HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 07 April 2004 02:24 PM
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Chas, that looks like a cyborg.....How is that braced? Seems like a ton of tension for a standard acoustic guitar. |
Jack Anderson
Member From: Scarborough, ME
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posted 07 April 2004 04:49 PM
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quote:
...a standard acoustic guitar
That it ain't! |
Russ Young
Member From: Seattle, Washington, USA
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posted 07 April 2004 07:38 PM
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OMI offered the Model 10 -- a squareneck 10-string version of the Model 60 -- from 1973 until 1993. It has a trapeze tailpiece, bound top, solid peghead and brown sunburst finish.At various times they have offered (by special order) 10-string versions of several of their brass-bodied models. |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 07 April 2004 08:34 PM
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Howard, it's a cyborg. I bought a Yamaha 12-string out of the local pawn shop for $150, thinking that the neck was designed to hold the tension of 12 strings. The tone was ok, but the hardware was garbage and the action was practically unplayable. Not a problem since I wasn't going to be touching the frets.I had a thing that I wanted to test and that was a titanium bridge and ring that had tuned rods welded on it that stuck down inside the sound hole:  that would resonate sympathetically with the strings and add a resonance. So I "beefed" the neck:  and the keyhead:  and there you have it:  . It's a pretty decent sounding guitar.[This message was edited by chas smith on 07 April 2004 at 08:36 PM.] |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 07 April 2004 08:49 PM
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Great stuff as always, Chas. What I'm wondering is.....if the strings place a lot of tension on the bridge, that could cause the top to warp, bow, or crack. That's why I was wondering if there was any additional interior bracing. |
Lucky Oceans
Member From: Fremantle, W Australia, Australia
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posted 08 April 2004 06:24 AM
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Amazing guitar, Chas!I've got one of those 10 string dobros. It's not the best sounding guitar in the world, but it does have those ten strings. Unfortunately, the tailpiece is just a 12 string tailpiece, so the strings don't really space out correctly down there, but I put in a new nut that spread the strings on that side. Bought it in W Australia for $ 300.00 Oz. |
Terry Farmer
Member From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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posted 08 April 2004 08:41 AM
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So Chas, how did the ring with the tuned rods work out? Did it make a noticable differnce in the sound? If so, did it add fundamentals or harmonics or both? Your inventions and constant exploration of musical instruments fascinate me. |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 08 April 2004 04:22 PM
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Well, now that I've hijacked the thread. Howard, the reason I picked a 12-string guitar was it should be able to withstand the tension, also I "beefed" the bridge assembly with another, aluminum, piece underneith so that the top plate is "sandwiched."Lucky, thank you, $300, damn, I not only paid full price, I sold an Emmons, S-10 wraparound, for $350 to help cover the cost, at the time. Terry, the ring and the rods worked out very well and a little too well for some of the pitches. At first I had the lengths cut long according to the calculator, but the long lengths resonated kindof muddy, so I cut them shorter (for the higher octaves) and used a tuner and a calculator. They vibrate sympathetically to what ever pitch is happening and continue vibrating afterwards. The idea came from Bluthner pianos that have a 4th string above the regular course of 3 strings that continues to vibrate afterwards. I doesn't add fundamentals, because the fundamental is the original pitch, it probably adds to the harmonics, since that is what determines the tone and "quality" of the pitch. quote:
Your inventions and constant exploration of musical instruments fascinate me.
Thank you, me too. |
Jack Anderson
Member From: Scarborough, ME
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posted 08 April 2004 04:47 PM
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quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your inventions and constant exploration of musical instruments fascinate me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Me three. |
Dirk B
Member From: Columbia, MO, USA
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posted 13 April 2004 09:36 AM
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I've got a 10-string dobro like Lucky's with the 12-string tailpiece; mine also has a pickup with a knob. My understanding is that they were made in the 70's and the 12-string tailpiece was standard for the model.[This message was edited by Dirk B on 13 April 2004 at 09:38 AM.] |
Graham Griffith
Member From: Glebe, N.S.W., Australia
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posted 14 April 2004 10:17 AM
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My 10 stringer built last year by local luthier Piers Crocker has a 12 string tailpiece but the strings are spread out close to 3/8" spacing at the bridge:
Graham |
Scott Houston
Member From: Oakland, CA
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posted 14 April 2004 10:30 AM
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Hey Chas, don't know if you are familiar with the Godin A4 electric bass that came out about ten years ago that used a similar concept. The original version had wooden dowels suspended inside the hollow body, attached to the bridge (which was built like an acoustic guitar bridge). The dowels were "tuned" to resonate with the characteristics of an upright bass. It was the same size as a Fender bass but really sounded amazingly acoustic, it was a great sound.Only had four strings, though. |
chas smith
Member From: Encino, CA, USA
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posted 14 April 2004 11:57 AM
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Good looking Crocker, Graham, you might want to consider shifting strings 1, 2, and 3; and 8, 9, and 10 over a hole in the tailpiece.Scott, I' don't know about the Godin. It's been my experience that the more "stuff" on an instrument that can vibrate and the vibrations can get back into the string, if its electric, the more complex and interesting, the sound is. There's a valid argument that one would want a "pure" sound, but I would rather have an interesting sound. I recently made a titanium framed non-pedal 12 string guitar (some day I'll figure out how to take some decent photos and post them) that bolts onto the side of Guitarzilla, an effects guitar that I have. Two of the necks on GTZ were "prepared" with rod assemblies and there is a 5-string bass neck. The titanium guitar picked up the resonance off GTZ and it made a noticeable change to the sound. |
mikey
Member From: Hawaii, Big Island
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posted 14 April 2004 08:37 PM
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They are not that rare...in the late 70's till Gibson bought them out...they made quite a few 10 strings I live in the middle of nowhere and I have played at least 3 different ones...one was at a store and the guy tried to tell me how rare...custom made for..blah, blah,blah..oh yeah...Tanya Tucker I think...but if there are at least 3 on the Big Island..it can't be rare...or 3 guys ordered 'em at the same time..
Mike
PS..I always thought the string spacing was way too narrow.
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