I am familar with regular streel-stringed acoustic guitars, but know virtually nothing about Dobros.  Recently an old fellow I know asked me to help him sell a Dobro that he acquired some years ago from an estate.  I have consulted my acoustic guitar books and did a little research on the internet, but I ended up quite confused. I could not even nail down the approximate year of manufacture.  I am hoping that someone on this forum will be able to help me with that.  I will attempt to post a photo of the serial number that appears on the top of the peghead, which is D [big space]  835  [ big space]  7.

My plan was to put new strings on the instrument, but I immediately ran into issues there as well, due to my lack of familarity with the Dobro.  I intended to tune it to GBDGBD, which I understand to be a common bluegrass tuning.  But the strings that are on it now, according to my caliper, range from .56 to .16 -- that seems like an pretty heavy set, and I wonder if those are proper strings for this instrument at all.  I found a tutorial on a website that recommended no heavier than .54 to .12 for GBDGBD tuning.  Can anyone offer any guidance on what my best string choice would be in this situation? 

Finally, I was puzzled to see that this Dobro, a slothead, is strung with the strings strung from the nut to the BOTTOM of each string shaft.  In other words, the strings are wrapping around the underside of the shafts.  I don't have any previous experience with an instrument with tuners oriented this way, but it looks to me like this requires turning the tuning machines the wrong direction.  You can probably see what I'm talking about in one of the photos.  Any guidance on this?

Finally, I'd welcome any comments about what a fair asking price for the instrument might be.  It has two pretty visible dings in the top, on the upper bout, and a few other lesser finish flaws, but overall seems to be in excellent condition.  It does not appear to have had very heavy use.

Thank you --

Douglas Johnson

Hyattsville, MD

Dobro front

Dobro peghead

Dobro peghead

Let me try to help where I can. As far as I can figure it's a 1972 based on what I found here.http://home.provide.net/~cfh/dobro.html But you came to the right place. There are many Dobro experts here. The strings are the right guage for a square neck and the most widely used Reso tuning for Bluegrass is G B D G B D  from 6 to 1 or top to bottom. I have three slotted peg head instruments and all the strings wrap over the top. The tuners turn right to loosen and left to tighten. As far as value the year will have to be determined and again the experts here can also give you a value. Be patient they will come. Good luck.

The serial # shows it to be a 1977 vintage.

Jack

i tell you Jack the SN's on these things are enough to drive you to drink. Where did you find the information? Inquiring minds want to know.

Edited by - Grizz on 07/23/2012 05:41:17

quote:

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Originally posted by Grizz

i tell you Jack the SN's on these things are enough to drive you to drink. Where did you find the information? Inquiring minds want to know.

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              I usually google the following: "Vintage dobro serial numbers". Under that group, click on the one with the heading: Vintage guitars info-dobro metal resonator

              vintage guitar collecting. At the bottom of the page there are the serial number coding system from pre-war to present. Although the one for the mid 70's to

              late 70's is backward. The year digit is not on the far left, but the far right. They reversed the year and body type positions.

              Jack

Jack I was using this and the the 835 was between the 713 and 1424 and then this statement "D is body type: D=wood, B=brass, M=steel or mandolin" So the only thing missing was the numeral 7. Hey I'm a regular Sheerluck Holmes.

1967-1974 OMI Dobro: 
  101 - 401    1967-1970
  402 - 712    1971
  713 - 1427   1972
  1428 - 2296  1973
  2297 - 2372  early 1974

quote:

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Originally posted by Grizz

Jack I was using this and the the 835 was between the 713 and 1424 and then this statement "D is body type: D=wood, B=brass, M=steel or mandolin" So the only thing missing was the numeral 7. Hey I'm a regular Sheerluck Holmes.

1967-1974 OMI Dobro: 
  101 - 401    1967-1970
  402 - 712    1971
  713 - 1427   1972
  1428 - 2296  1973
  2297 - 2372  early 1974

 

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             I've seen several sellers use the listing you posted about serial numbers and dates, but they neglected to realize that the body type designation letter actually put the guitar in a different

             time period.. If they just had numbers, the above dates are the ones of relevance.

             Jack

I'm learning, slow and maybe sure. hehehe You all have been a fountain of information. Thank you and everyone for their knowledge. Although I do not own a "Dobro" I love the history behind what I do play, or more correctly attempt to play, the Resonator Guitar.

Okay, the information already provided is very helpful.  I need to get new strings and string them over the top of the shafts.  Any recommendations on brands?  I am partial to D'Addario EXP on my regular six-string guitars and mandolins, but as I said, I know virtually nothing about Dobros.  I plan to try to sell it on the local bluegrass market.

If this was manufactured in 1977, as stated above, that I take it that it must be the model "60-D Classic Squareneck."  Anybody want to take a stab at current market value?

Douglas Johnson

quote:

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Originally posted by douglas51

Okay, the information already provided is very helpful.  I need to get new strings and string them over the top of the shafts.  Any recommendations on brands?  I am partial to D'Addario EXP on my regular six-string guitars and mandolins, but as I said, I know virtually nothing about Dobros.  I plan to try to sell it on the local bluegrass market.

If this was manufactured in 1977, as stated above, that I take it that it must be the model "60-D Classic Squareneck."  Anybody want to take a stab at current market value?

 

Douglas Johnson

My suggestion is to go on ebay for similar completed listings of dobros of this period and see what they actually sold for. Also check Gruhn Guitars for their inventory

of similar dobros for pricing. Elderly Instruments might also be helpful. Base upon what I've seen, these dobros would be in the $600 to $900 range.

Jack

quote:

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Originally posted by jacknj

quote:
 

My suggestion is to go on ebay for similar completed listings of dobros of this period and see what they actually sold for. Also check Gruhn Guitars for their

inventory

of

similar dobros for pricing. Elderly Instruments might also be helpful. Base upon what I've seen, these dobros would be in the $600 to $900 range.

Jack

 

 

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Excellent advice from Jack. Elderly can help for sure, no might about it. Every bit as knowledgeable if not more so as Gruhn. Now on the strings if you like D'Addario get a set of the J-42's they are a very popular set with great reviews.

Edited by - Grizz on 07/23/2012 21:08:02

Jack's information above is correct regarding the single digit 7 being the last number of the year (1977) in that DECADE of the SEVENTIES. However that lead to yet another numbering system for the 1980's---BECAUSE THEY HADN'T PREPLANNED for production in the eighties or how to serial number that production. Ed Dopyera died in November 1977. Rudy died 7 months later in June 1978. With these 2 key members missing a decision had to be made if O.M.I./Dobro was to continue. Ed's twin sister Gabriella (Dopyera) Lazar and son Ron Lazar elected to continue the business and were faced with the problem they hadn't pre-planned a system to distinguish the new 1980's production from the old way of serializing the 1970's. For the 1980's it was elected that the first left hand digit would be an "8" to indicate the decade. In the middle would be 3or 4 production# digits. seperate and on the right would be a single digit with the last number of the year (of the 1980's) and then the designation for wood or metal body.  AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE   8   XXXX     6 D  indicating the decade of the 1980's and a 1986 wood body. I am not contradicting any of the information above----but simply adding a new piece of serial # info that would have occurred only 3 years after this 1977 question. So within a relatively short time span there were the serial systems (3) of the early seventies, then the mid and later seventies with the "year" digit of the seventies added on, and then finally the eighties with a PREFIX 8  and a suffix indicating which year of the eighties.

Hey Tom, where the hell ya been? Poor Jack had to bail me out on this one.   Hey I tried, I was only 5 years off. Don was conspicuously absent as well and Jim know he has been busier than a one armed paper hanger and Ernie, my guess he was swimmin' with bowlegged women. So thank you Jack.