goldtopia - Posted - 07/12/2009:  13:26:02

I wonder if there is such a thing as a square dobro. Semi acoustic (or acoustic) and played like a lap steel with a dobro sound and pick ups as an option. Some people might think it a daft idea but I see it as quite logical. Has any one got one or made one ?.

Bill.O

bluegrassminstrels.co.uk

DNickell - Posted - 07/12/2009:  17:30:15

Sounds like a cigarbox guitar to me. I've got two--a four string with a squareneck set up and a "LoweBow" double neck with three high strings and a single bass string. The bass and three high strings have seperate pickups. The LoweBow has large oak dowels for the double necks. You can run he the bass and treble strings off seperate amps.

Both are electric with home wound pickups and both really scream, if you want them to. Both of mine were set up for playing "hill country blues" style. When well made they are definitely not "toys."

There are several websites with directions for how to build them. I've seen discussions on how to make these as resophonic instruments. Some of the folks on those discussion boards are very serious about building quality instruments and make several for sale.

I haven't been on those sites for a long time, but here is a good one to start with: cigarboxguitars.com/workshops/...Plans.php

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How do you know you can''t if you never tried?

goldtopia - Posted - 07/12/2009:  22:33:43

Thanks, what I am enquiring about is a long box shape dobro that covers the whole length of the strings, and plays a bit like a lap steel but with the dobro sound. I have thought that if I can't buy one I might have a go at making one, though I think the hardest part might be the fretboard.

Bill.O

bluegrassminstrels.co.uk

goldtopia - Posted - 07/13/2009:  05:25:58

I was thinking of one, maybe coffin shaped.

Bill.O

bluegrassminstrels.co.uk

TN55 - Posted - 07/13/2009:  05:50:46

Bill
You might try Tut Taylor,he makes a "Tutbro" that might be what you are looking for.

Slideman1939 - Posted - 07/13/2009:  10:08:20

Slideman says: On YouTube, when one sees Tut Taylor playing with the Tutbro in his lap, it reminds me of a Weissenborn --with Dobro hardware added. The best of 2 worlds. An unusual shape, a distinctive woody Hawaian sound plus the increased volume of the dobro hardware and cone. Summary: there is an existing history of non-traditional "body shapes" (Tutbros, Cigar box, Dobro banjo/Dobjos, Dobro mandolin,etc., etc) that show us the dobro and national resophonic hardware and cones are adaptible to WHATEVER BODY SHAPE an experimental luthier wishes to devise.