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 ARCHIVED TOPIC: Identifying an OMI Dobro and setup resources


Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.resohangout.com/archive/57599

Cromoron - Posted - 01/30/2023:  12:47:00


Hello there fellow resoheads.

I'm a flatpicker who's trying his hand at reso playing. I purchased a 79 OMI Dobro from a friend for a reasonable price.

It was converted to a 7 string before i acquired it, and i'm in the process of setting it up back as a 6 string and to do some maintenance to get it back in decent shape.

There is a bad angle in the neck, i just removed the cone to see what was happening inside. As i can see, there are screws under the last fretmarkers inlays that holds the neck in place.

Any tips on how to remove those?

Is there a decent resource for setups? I'm not too bad at luthiery, and also know a bunch of good luthiers in my area but Squarenecks resos are almost inexistent in my neck of the woods, so some documentation would be really nice.

Am i correct to believe that this is the original cone? And from what i see inside, can i know the exact model of this instrument?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the help,

- Francis

Cromoron - Posted - 01/30/2023:  12:48:45


I guess that my photos didn't upload. Here is a link : photos.app.goo.gl/rgUiZ7AiLfpWPkz99





 

AradoReso - Posted - 01/30/2023:  17:42:31


Hello,



I have an OMI D475-R. The insides look just like mine. Was the cone glued in? Mine was. The original cone was damaged beyond salvage. This was a stamped two piece cone. The previous owner punished the cone to get it not to buzz. This only exasperated the buzzing.



I have “hotrodded” it out to the max. I have a Beard Legend cone. I replaced the nut, saddles and spider. All were messed with. Now it plays very well. I am enjoying this gift.


Edited by - AradoReso on 01/30/2023 17:44:22

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 02/04/2023:  18:48:01


As far as the model, looks like a typical 60D, the one they produced in the largest numbers in the OMI Dobro era beginning in 1970. 



D = wood body 


Edited by - MarkinSonoma on 02/04/2023 18:49:05

Three_Eyed_Willy - Posted - 02/04/2023:  23:58:46


Stew-Mac has a fairly decent free video on cone adjustment. The one Bobby Wright did on Rob Ickes teaching site is the best, though. You have to join Rob's site to get the video.

Removing the fret markers from the neck isn't very difficult, but you need to be careful. Usually, they are held in with a glue that can be softened using mild heat and a bit of moisture. Sometimes, you can pop them out by putting the point of a scribe under the edge of one of the markers and levering it up. You probably don't need to remove the neck, though. Those square necks are fairly stout.

A height of about 3/8" to 1/2" above the fretboard is about right for the strings at the nut. Some players prefer that the strings be the same height all along the fretboard.

You would probably do well to get a new cone and spider for this instrument. A Beard Legend or Vesper or a Scheerhorn cone should really wake it up. When you get the spider, ask them to level and arch it for you, if it doesn't normally come that way. It's a step that you will appreciate having had done for you in advance. You can break the legs off the spider if you don't do the arching work correctly.

A shockwave insert set will probably make it sound better. And don't overtighten the adjusting screw on the cone. You can bend it out of shape.

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