This is a reply to a question I was asked about using Dobro for blues...
I would agree that tone and approach are important, but what you work on is very important also. You will not get Segovia out of a cigar box guitar, no matter how you try.
I suppose I should have been a little more discerning in that statement. I actually use roundneck Dobro for more delicate work such as ‘Walking Blues’, or any fingerwork which I just do not want to overpower (try John Fahey on Dobro. Sounds pretty cool!). Most of Robert Johnson I do on either Dobro or acoustic guitar.
I use Nationals for Bukka White and Son House, Charlie Patton, et al, A Beard squareneck for some Black Ace and bluegrass stuff but more along the lines of such pieces like John Campbell’s version of ‘When the Levee Breaks.’
As for guitar shops if I have anything which I need, I go to Guitar Emporium in Lexington, Massachusetts. They have a sophisticated approach to music (read: not Green Day) and a plethora of guitars and banjos, which make you want to go sit on the curb and cry.
'Willie Payne RIP' 5 days
