joboosterhuis - Posted - 04/13/2023:  12:13:42

Hello,
As a pedal steel player I would like to make the jump to dobro square neck resonator. For this I am looking for a square neck dobro and found one for sale in the neighbourhood. It sounds good but I find it hard to find information about it and what a normal price range is for a dobro in this condition. The lacquer is cracked and has some spots were the paint is gone. I don't see any repairs. The body is made of wood. The serial number is E7 659 94D. It has a slotted headstock with the tuners pointed at the player.
I hope the forum can help me with this request for information about this dobro!
Thanks in advance,
Regards Job

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 04/13/2023:  16:12:00

The E7 may or may not indicate that it is a Model 27 but we can't tell without photos. It's not like a flattop guitar where one can look inside the soundhole and there will be a label  showing the model number. 

The 94D is the year it was made and D indicates wood body. Dobro was bought by Gibson in 1993, and the guitars were still made in Huntington Beach, California. In 1997 the factory was shut down and the operation was moved to Nashville where production was resumed in 1998, and was stopped in 2010 after a huge flood shut down the Gibson facility at Opry Mills, which was then closed permanently. 

659 is the instrument rank for the year in 1994.

I can't give you any information beyond that without photos.  If it's possible to get with the seller and take some photos then we can give you a better idea about the guitar and what it might be worth.

Look below the area where you wrote your text - you can upload photos, up to three per post. Easy to do from a phone photo app or computer. If you're having trouble we can help you. 

joboosterhuis - Posted - 04/14/2023:  00:08:48

Hello Mark,

Thank you very much for this detailed information!
I will try again adding some photos.

Regards Job

total

headstock

cone

 

joboosterhuis - Posted - 04/14/2023:  01:12:20

And here some more pictures.
Sorry for my poor cutout skills.

cone2

body

Lacquer

 

lap dog - Posted - 04/14/2023:  04:23:43

The finish checking is common for Dobros, might have something to do with the materials used or even drying conditions at the time it was sprayed. I had a very nice Tacoma guitar that after 8 years had the satin finish lifting off and my luthier said it was due to the moist air in the factory at the time of finishing. It doesn't affect the tone or use of the instrument, some people actually like the look as it gives it "character". Dobro used laminated wood for their wood bodied instruments, read that as plywood. A lot of the tone comes from the cone, sound well, and spider/bridge combination.

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 04/14/2023:  11:20:09

Frank, there are a lot of nice looking OMI Dobros out there going back to being  made in the '70s that exhibit little to no lacquer checking. 

I'm not doubting what the luthier said regarding your Tacoma, but it has been my understanding that checking is typically caused by sudden extreme changes in temperature. A guitar that has been out in the cold while traveling is brought into a warm room and the case is opened too quickly - the wood tends to warm up and expands, causing the finish to crack. 

When Dobros were produced in Huntington Beach there were months  where the air moisture could be high, while in in other months very low humidity and dry. Orange County is famous for its "June Gloom" where the weather can be hot and dry inland during early summer, yet moist and foggy on the coast.

 

joboosterhuis - Posted - 04/14/2023:  11:25:51

Hello Frank,

Thank you for your post.

How nice that within one day already so much information is retrieved. Thank you very much guys!

The asking price is 1500 euro / 1650 USD. That sounds al little bit steep in my opinion, but I have little comparison. Any suggestions about common price ranges for this kind of resonator in its current state?

Regards Job

Edited by - joboosterhuis on 04/14/2023 11:33:23

docslyd - Posted - 04/14/2023:  11:33:50

...real steep in my opinion, unless you're paying a penalty price based on lack of selection in your area. Particularly a Gibson-owned, of this era. Check on Reverb.com for comparisons and keep in mind that those are all asking prices, not necessarily selling prices.

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 04/14/2023:  11:33:55

Job, the guitar you're looking at is an F-60, because it has f-holes rather than round screen rings. 

It does look like it has some "roughness," so its  value is of course going to be lower than a clean example from the '90s. 

I have no idea what the value is in The Netherlands since Dobros are no doubt pretty rare in your country. Here in the U.S. it is probably worth around $600-$700. 

We have seen cleaner examples of OMI Dobros sitting around for sale for months because the seller is asking too much. 

What  is the seller asking for this guitar, and is it from a private party or is it a guitar/music shop? 

With all the other choices available  these days, OMI Dobros aren't as popular as they used to be. The vintage  Dobros built prior to World War 2 are a different story - in fairly good condition they go for a lot more money. 

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 04/14/2023:  11:44:14

I see that while I was typing, Job and Eric entered new posts. 

What Eric said. In the U.S. there is no way the guitar would sell for anywhere near that price.

Link to a 1979 Dobro for  sale, the guy listed it last October on The Steel Guitar Forum and it still hasn't sold, he is asking $850. A little bit of finish checking, but otherwise very clean. 

bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewto...?t=385800