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Topic: Considering buying an OMI Dobro |
Jerry Touval
From:
Great Falls, Virginia, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2013 6:32 pm |
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| I’m considering purchasing a late 80’s OMI Dobro. The original cone and spider have been upgraded and it also has a Fishman Nashville pickup installed. Including the case, the asking price is around $1,200. From what I’ve been reading, the later OMI Dobros have a less than stellar reputation, and their workmanship is not as highly regarded as the earlier OMI models or the subsequent Gibson models. I’d love to hear some opinions on whether this might be a good buy. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 5 Apr 2013 6:38 am
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I'd have to see and play this instrument before guessing whether it's a good buy. The price seems right in the range of prices for those era guitars, for what it's worth. If you can play it ahead of time, you should be able to determine if it is the guitar for you.
Otherwise you can get a lot of other instruments in that same price range.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 5 Apr 2013 9:04 am
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Jerry, have you seen the thread linked below? Interesting videos.
And pay particular attention to Ben Elder's reply.
As alluded to by Brad, you just can't make a blanket statement about these guitars, like "one size fits all."
I've played some Dobros from that era that were fairly nice, and others were pretty "dog"- like. At the same time, a good setup by someone who knows their stuff on one that is less than impressive can do wonders.
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=243731
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Mark |
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Jerry Touval
From:
Great Falls, Virginia, USA
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Posted 6 Apr 2013 5:22 pm
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| Thanks for the feedback. I did see the post by Ben Elder, which is what prompted me to ask for additional thoughts about OMI-era Dobros. The setup on this one was actually done by Paul Beard, so I’m assuming this isn’t your everyday OMI Dobro. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 6 Apr 2013 6:33 pm
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Post some photos of the instrument in question and we can guess further as to whether or not it's worth it. Dobro® made many different models that year. You could have a dream or a dud.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Bobby Branton
From:
South Carolina, USA
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Posted 7 Apr 2013 3:57 am
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| I still see them quite frequently for $800.00 -$1,000.00 |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 7 Apr 2013 6:13 am
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True Bobby, but according to Jerry this one has the Fishman Nashville p'up and received a Beard setup. That would make it worth more than the "garden variety" OMI Dobro. Then it comes down to if you like the sound, and how many dings and scratches are on it.
Name on the headstock aside, is this what you want - which is probably the typical Dobro - shallower body than other guitars in the price range? Or you could have the Fishman installed and give one the bigger "modern sound," with a guitar like a Goldtone/Beard or Wechter/Scheerhorn.
And if you don't want to go the import route, for $995 (if the price is still accurate), you could get a new "Rambler" from Steve Smith at Red Line Resophonics in the Nashville area:
http://redlineresophonics.com/resophonic-guitars/resophonic-guitars-2/rambler
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Mark
Last edited by Mark Eaton on 7 Apr 2013 6:24 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill McCloskey
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Posted 7 Apr 2013 6:18 am
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| Always be cautious when purchasing an OMI. Some of the worst dobros I've played were OMI's. And while some play better than others, I never heard one that was as good as some of the other brands in the $1k price range. |
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