Dobro Guitar Presentation for Emmaus Lodge #792 F&AM

Brother Thomas A. Engleman, Emmaus Lodge #792

Brief Dobro History ( commonly known as a Resophonic Guitar)

• At the close of the 19^th century, John Dopyera, born in Slovakia…today known as Czechoslovakia, and (1) of (10) children, and their family immigrated to California.
  
  
• John’s Father, Jozef Dopyera was a well know violin maker and John Dopyers was taught to build violins and other instruments by his Father.
  
  
• In California, John opened a shop to repair violins and other stringed instruments.
  
  
• In 1925 John Dopyera was approached by a vaudeville promoter, George Beauchamp (pronounced Beeshum) and was asked to build him a guitar that would be loud enough to be heard over other instruments…usually orchestras were pit orchestras at that time.
• Over the next several month John Dopyers invented a guitar that had (3) aluminum cones below the bridge….which supplied amplification. These functioned similar to a diaphragm in a speaker. This was the birth of the Resonator or Resophonic Guitar and provided 3 to 4 time the volume of a standard wooden body guitar.

• *** Play a tune……….Jerusalem Ridge….Cold Cold Heart
  
  
• John Dopyera and George Beauchamp were joined by his brothers Rudy and Emil and other investors and formed the National Stringed Instrument Corporation. Eventually there were 5 Brothers involved in the business.
  
  
• 1928  and because of “internal” friction” within the business John and several Brothers left the National Stringed Instrument Corporation to form a new Company named Dobro...the same name they gave to the instrument.
  
  
• It is uncertain how the name Dobro was derived, but it has 5 letters and there were 5 Brothers, also in their native Slovak tongue, Dobro is a literal form of the word for “good”. It also could be a merging of the name Dopyers DO and Brothers BRO forming DOBRO.
  
  
• Popularity for these instruments grew as the Jazz era emerged and also the popularity of Hawaiian Music These were metal body guitars, at this period, were of two different designs, one with  a single cone design and one with three cones or a tricone design.
  
  
• ***Pass props around…cones and bars and picks….
  
  
• During the 1920’s and 1930’s the National Stringed Instrument Company and the Dobro Company continued to manufacture instruments in their separate facilities. Also in 1932 Regal was licensed by Dobro to manufacture Dobro and Regal instruments east of the Mississippi.
  
  
• During the 20’s & 30’s …. Dobro and Regal primarily manufactured wooden body resophonic guitars…and National was noted for their Metal body guitars.
  
  
• In 1932 John Dopyera invented the first industrially produced Electric Guitar…….Spanish styles not a Dobro. Also in 1932 the National Company and the Dobro Company merged to form the National Dobro Corporation.
  
  
• All production of resonator guitars by this company ceased following the US entry into the Second World War in 1941.
  
  
• From 1959 Emil Dopyera known as Ed manufactured Dobro then sold the Company and  trademark to Mosrite Guitar Company.
  
  
• In 1967, Brothers Rudy and Emile Dopyera formed the Original Music Instrument  Company (OMI) to manufacture resonator guitars, first branded Hound Dog.
  
  
• Popularity with playing the Dobro increased in Country Music and Roots and Bluegrass and Gospel…during these years’….demo music ;  Pan Handle Rag… Salt Creek….Be Thou my Vision….Lamb of God.
  
  
• In 1970 the Dopyeras  again acquired the Dobro trademark, Mosrite having gone into  temporary liquidation.
  
  
• OMI Company was acquired by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1993, who announced they would defend their right to exclusive use of the Dobro trademark. 
  
  
• Reference all the Pre-War History on the Dobro can be found on the Internet at resoguit.com the Historian is Randy Getz from Lehighton Pennsylvania.  

Construction of a DOBRO®

• Most Dobros are six string designs however there are 8 and 10 string versions.|
  
  
• There were round neck models designed to be played like a standard guitar or bottle neck style and also square neck models designed to be played on the lap….like a steel guitar or suspended on a strap and played in a horizontal position while standing up.
  
  
• The  “Bar”  design and Three pick playing versus single flat guitar pick. 
  
  
• Today’s Industries builders are… Gibson... Beard……Sheerhorn…..Regal…. Wechter….Meredith……local builders are Dick Jones from Bath...retired and Raymond Fairchild in South Whitehall actively building Dobros today.

Music Players & Styles

• Nationwide Professional players…Mike Auldridge…Jerry Douglas….Rob Ickes……Andy Hall………Mike Esposito….Tut Taylor
  
  
• Local Professional players…Lynn Peters….Geoff Gay……Don Sojka…..Dave Lucas….
  
  
• Styles range from traditional Bluegrass styles Josh Graves and Bashful Brother Oswald to very contemporary playing of Jerry Douglas, featured with Alison Krause and Union Station.
  
  
• Cost for a Dobro® today……low end Rogue or Johnson $200.00 …Dobro...$1,000 to $3000… Fairchild $1600 to $2300…Beard…$3200 to $6000…Sheerhorn $10,000 

**** JazzBro……Tribute to Carl Maurer Ashokan Farewell…….For Jan