dwertz - Posted - 01/25/2010:  20:06:16

Hello,
I'm brand new to this blog, however I would like to know the construction difference of "traditional" vs"contemporary" Dobros? Also would the difference be interchangable if it's just the guts of the instrument.

Thanks
Dwertz

Slideman1939 - Posted - 01/25/2010:  22:27:39

I suggest the differences are not interchangeable--one ends up with one sound or the other.The traditional sound (pre-war and a portion of the 60's and 70's) was influenced by the cone, by the seat for the cone (a circular soundwell wood basket that prevented the cone from caving in) and by a traditional body depth of 3 &1/4 to 3&1/2--relatively shallow height.This all yielded a certain sound. Then in the 1980's various improvements were experimented on and yielded a more contemporary sound (different newer sound). These included a cone with a harder alloy ( quarterman and Beard cones, and replacing the circular support basket with sound posts (vertical support dowels) and later some top bracing with no basket NOR any soundposts. Also various custom builders deepened the bodies to 3 & 3/4 and up to 4 inch.It's not like you have an apple or an orange (traditional OR contemporary). Also some newer instruments had "baffles" which were sound directors of thin wood or plastic of various shapes to 'direct' the sound from under the cone to the upper bout soundholes etc. There are many combinations in between the two areas. A person could have a traditional shallow body BUT with soundposts and a baffle, etc.etc. Even back when "Traditional" O.M.I. from the same factory was the only choice, many of the instruments sounded different than the instrument next to it.This was strange since they were all birch plywood and all had the same hardware system. So you asked a complex question and the answer is to find a SOUND you prefer, and learn about construction factors that influence the sound and buy accordingly. You may end up with an instrument whose construction features are HALF WAY between traditional and contemporary--and that doesn't matter if that sound is what you want. An awful lot of (trying to) define the sound of traditional vs. contemporary is subjective opinions of various pickers anyway.....the rules of one vs. the other aren't that firm.Another example would be a person owning a "contemporary sound" dobro--BUT plays a traditional tune, in a traditional manner, with a lot of slides and Hawaiaan slants--and the audience (obviously) says--"that's a traditional sounding dobro". (well it was--for THAT song).

RobA - Posted - 01/26/2010:  07:11:20

Here's an excerpt from an interview/profile that I did on (luthier/reso player) Brad Harper for my website in April 2006:

Hope this helps!

How do you think about/trace the history of resonator guitars from the Dopyera brothers to modern day instruments? What have been some of the major advances/improvements of resonator guitars over the years?

" I think the trends we’ve seen in custom building in the last 20 years have all played an integral role in creation of the “new” breed of resos. From a construction perspective, although I’ve played really great soundwell guitars (McKenna, Beard R), I think opening up the body has been one of the most influential mutations. I think enlarging the sound chamber really evens out the frequency response. In older soundwell guitars, I hear a lot of mid-range frequencies that aren’t accompanied by matching high and low end frequencies. In my opinion that’s why older Dobros have that “honky” (for lack of a better word) sound. Another change that’s helped engage more of the low-end frequencies is deepening the body. The increase in internal volume (size not sound) allows air to move a bit more and larger sound waves to fully develop. To complement the increased low end, advances in setup components, materials & techniques have brought that sparkling high-end that balances out with the bass response. Best of all, we’ve gotten away from the slotted headstock"

bbjork - Posted - 01/26/2010:  09:31:42

Interesting question, I've got a 1992 mahogany DeNeve which is a traditional soundwell instrument however the holes in the soundwell are a lot larger then most R syle instruments and it has a quarterman cone so the sound is a cross between traditional & contemporary. It does have a slotted headstock which I prefer.

Rob: Why do you think it's good that "we've gotten away from the slotted headstock"

Bruce

DaveInAL - Posted - 01/26/2010:  13:18:33

I think that was Brad's comment on the slotted headstock to which I concur BTW. I had an OMI Dobro years ago that had a slotted headstock and it was a PIA to restring.

Slideman - Good description on the evolution of dobro design!

Dave

benspinks - Posted - 01/26/2010:  13:51:59

Ditto, I prefer the look of the slotted but the solid is a bit easier to re-string. Having said that I re-string like Paul Beard does in his DVD and I don't think there's much in it really.

Slotted sounds better

Edited by - benspinks on 01/26/2010 13:52:16

bbjork - Posted - 01/26/2010:  14:25:52

Never had a problem restringing my slot head, plus I find it easier to tune with the tuning pegs facing me . I read somewhere else that the reduced mass of a slotted head helps the sound???

Bruce

Tom Jr. - Posted - 01/27/2010:  06:05:58

"I read somewhere else that the reduced mass of a slotted head helps the sound???"

Interesting concept and the equal and opposite reaction always necessary for the world to spin is that I've heard that more mass in the headstock improves the sound. I have played and made some with so much mass that special attention had to be taken to fit the tuners on the big chunk of wood called a headstock. Great sounding instruments, all of them, all open body by the way.

gladgrover - Posted - 01/27/2010:  07:14:13

When you guys are talking about slotted vs. solid improving the sound, are you referring to only tone quality or volume also? I have both styles and both instruments have an extreme amount of volume. However, I have found the solid head to have a better tone in a "D" tuning while the slotted head does better in open "G". Just curious!

Kevin B - Posted - 02/02/2010:  17:11:51

Sometimes I have wondered if the load on the nut from the more acute angle of a slotted headstock adds volume or something. I've heard that said about some of the reissue slothead Martin flattops. Just thinking out loud.

Tom Jr. - Posted - 02/03/2010:  14:59:08

I've not done it but there is a "mass" test you can do to most headstocks. Take a small piece of wood and clamp it tightly to the headstock, playing before and after to compare. There is supposed to be a significant difference.