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Rossco - Posted - 05/09/2021: 18:06:20
Hi guys question from a newbie, im looking at what appears to be a 1958 Dobro. On the top of the headstock reads
D 1202 8
Any thoughts?
jacknj - Posted - 05/09/2021: 18:10:27
1978 vintage.
MarkinSonoma - Posted - 05/09/2021: 18:39:40
What Jack wrote.
If there were any Dobros made in 1958 by the Dopyeras they could have been counted on two hands, or less.
Rossco - Posted - 05/10/2021: 10:27:09
Yes, jist trying to confim they switched to electric after the war, they stopped makong dobros for the war effort starting arpund 1938
Rossco - Posted - 05/10/2021: 10:28:27
According to the head stock and such it lpopks to me like it was actully built 1972 in August
Iceman6937 - Posted - 05/10/2021: 13:26:04
quote:
Originally posted by jacknj
1978 vintage.
Jack is correct. 1978 OMI.
MarkinSonoma - Posted - 05/10/2021: 17:13:40
Ross, I don't know where you are getting your information, but it's apparently different than the sites we typically use for this sort of thing. The link at the end of the post is from a website that we often call upon, and this information is shared on other sites as well. Much of the same information regarding serial numbers is listed in the Gruhn Guide to Vintage Guitars. When you get to the page in blue, scroll down to: OMI Dobro Resonator Serial Number. I tried to make it into a jpeg photo but it didn't "take."
As with many things regarding the convoluted history of the Dobro guitar, you have to take some of it with a grain of salt. In the paragraph above the serial numbers the author wrote that "In 1998 Gibson bought Dobro." Incorrect - Gibson bought Dobro in 1993, but production continued in California under the newly appointed by Gibson G.M. Mike Replogle until sometime in 1997 when that operation was shut down. Gibson then moved the equipment to Nashville and resumed production 1998 - they had already owned the company for five years.
Some of the placement of the numerals and serial numbers on the chart are incorrect. Your guitar is a perfect example. The "D" indicating a wood body is the prefix of your serial number. On the chart the author shows the "D" as the last item in the sequence.
But one thing we know for sure is that your guitar is definitely not from 1972. That year the serial numbers are shown as 713 - 1427. There are no letters in addition to numerals to identify body material. That style of serial number didn't begin until sometime in 1974.
Finally, from the prewar history - Dobros were produced by Regal as late as 1941. The "war effort" here in the U.S. didn't really kick into gear until around that time when it became increasingly clear that America was going to be involved one way or another. In 1938 the country was still in a position of wanting to remain neutral and steer clear of the whole thing. Germany hadn't even attacked Poland at that point, that occurred in Sept. 1939.
guitarhq.com/dobro.html
Rossco - Posted - 05/11/2021: 09:46:32
Ok thankyou. I see this model then i was looking at is actually a 1972 . Makes far more sense to me now. The vendor told me he bought it in Florida 6 years ago. D1202 matches 1972.
Iceman6937 - Posted - 05/11/2021: 13:34:36
D indicates wood model; 1202 is the s/n; 8 indicates year of production=1978.
MarkinSonoma - Posted - 05/11/2021: 14:13:44
Ross - again - when you look at the chart I linked along with my earlier explanation, Dobros in 1972 did not have a letter designation like "D" on the headstock. There were numerals/numbers only at that time. They began to include the letter designation for body material at some point in 1974.
And Michael just added to the "chorus" - your guitar is still a 1978.
Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 05/11/2021 14:14:21
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