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Ted Smith · Posted 1 Feb 2001 1:36 pm

I just had one of the most exciting discoverys in our shop attic that has me bouncing off the walls! We were going through the Vintage Metal body Acoustic Melobars that were sold on the hotsheet - and ran into a box marked DOB Vacuume Formed. Now the vintage stuff I don't open because to some collectors it means a lot to be the first guy to open the box in 20 years. But this didn't make sense so we opened it. It was an incredible plastic Resonator guitar. Plastic body, Plastic Cover plate with a round neck in perfect condition. Dad must have been working on it with Ed and Rudy in the Dobro factory 25 to 35! years ago. They even have a angled saddle formed to the spider at an angle like the Melobar 45 degree slant and the body is angled like one of Dads Patents. Just incredible, what he started back then we are finishing in Fiberglass all these years later. It's just blown my mind. I can hear Marc playing it right now and it sounds real cool, got to go try it. Just wanted to share it with you guys that are into this stuff with me. Amazes me - the old man was ahead of us all along.

Ted

BTW-took a picture and put it on the hotsheet, if you're around Brad and have a sec', could you put it on the page here?

[This message was edited by Ted Smith on 01 February 2001 at 01:37 PM.]

Ted Smith · Posted 1 Feb 2001 1:54 pm

Little more info on it, Mom said she remembers it, Rudy was always inventing and Ed would get mad about not getting guitars built, and Dad would come home laughing about how Rudy would use Dad as an excuse to go on a Melobar project like this...sounds like the relationship I have with Marc, I'd better get back to work. Mom thinks it was late 50's, shure looks like it with that 335 body look.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Very cool. Here's the link to Ted's Hot Sheet:
www.melobar.com/specials/specials.doc

I think you need to have Microsoft Word to see it?

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

Sorry the pictures are so small. This looks like a really cool instrument.

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www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Sage · From: Boulder, Colorado

wow... WOW!

Cliff Swanson · From: Raleigh, NC

Ted,

Wow, what a treasure. You're attic would be sensory overload for me I'm sure!

Cliff

Aaron Schiff · From: Cedaredge, CO, USA

Ted that's Beautiful! Good luck with the new work policy. I am giving serious thought to your "cancel the order, box and ship parts" policy regarding being pushed for delivery dates. I may apply it to my own business. Like you, I live in a very rural area so that I have time to enjoy life and family.

Ted Smith · Posted 2 Feb 2001 5:20 pm

Doesn't seem to work-I'm in the middle of a critical neck joint alignment on a Steelgitr today and some guy calls "want to know status on my guitar", I guess we're going to have to start shipping parts to get guys to take it seriosly, took me 2 hours to get back in the groove on that Steelgitr, and after a guys paid $1,500 for a guitar you'd better have ALL your faculties at max attention. So I don't know what to do.
The attic actually is starting to clear out with the vintage we've been selling lately. That's how this guitar got uncovered. We did find out that Dobro wrote that DOB code on boxes. If I get the time I want to show this to the guys at Guitar Player Magazine in June with the new Melobro round neck with the sound baffles-like a full circle from the past to future thing.

David Pennybaker · From: Conroe, TX USA

Ted,

Could I make a suggestion?

How about having an answering machine take calls during most of the day (or whenever you're doing your most critical work). And setting aside an hour or so (at a specific time) where you do less critical work, when people can feel more free to call?

I'm sure nobody wants to interrupt your superb craftsmanship. But we all (from time to time) like to hear something on the status of something that's being built for us. We don't mean to "push" (I hope), but just want to check up. Hopefully not too often.

Since you completed mine, you've put a status on the Hot Sheet (which was a very good idea, BTW). You'd think that would be enough for most people.

I certainly hope people aren't truly pushing you. Perhaps suggesting emails (once a month or less) instead of phone calls would work?

Just trying to be helpful (without having all the info, though).

But, whatever it takes, keep your sanity. Life's too short not to enjoy it.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Ted Smith · Posted 3 Feb 2001 10:25 am

Well, there are calls all day long on fires that have to be put out daily, and sometimes it's someone needing to change something on the order, and I have to go over that. The kind of pressure is long sighs and this kind of __-_____ tone. I've already come up with my wifes answer, quitting in March, working in a design job for real pay, and reconsidering everything in September, if I even want to put up with it anymore. I'm still going to build for people (couldn't stop) who don't treat me that way, problem is sifting that out. This idea of sending the parts is not new, a custom amp builder in LA started it, he also ended up having heart problems and quitting, so it didn't solve the problem. I'm sure everyone just thinks you're some kind of uptight jerk that can't take a little heat, but they have no idea the extreme concentration it takes and you're just drained. Dad died in his late 60's, Semie Moseley in his late 50's, Lazarre in his 40's, I'm 37 and having health problems. It's very hard to survive as a small company in this country, then add having the extreme of everything you build must be absolutely perfect, not a scratch or ding or anything-absolutely perfect or someone bad mouths you and you're ruined.
Add to that these customs that have never been built before, so you're always designing and re-designing the wheel. Like I put on the hotsheet, I love building good guitars, I really do, we are building the best stuff maybe ever right now, but the price has been high on us. I hope that you guys know how great it's been these last two years having someone to talk to who has a love for the same kind of instruments and music and have really been friends. I promise I will always build guitars for this group, may take some time, but there are people on this forum I've never even talked to in person, that I think the world of. So I guess there really isn't an answer, I'm just a screwball that will build but has to have the time in peace to do it.

Ted

David Pennybaker · From: Conroe, TX USA

Well, the world can certainly use a few more "screwballs" like yourself, Ted. It'd be a better place. I want to publicly thank you (in case I haven't done it before) for taking the time to care and get me a Melobro. It's truly a great instrument (far better than I deserve). But I like having good-sounding instruments, even for learning. It just makes it easier to practice.

I forgot to add, that discovery of your dad's plastic dobro is just awesome! I assume it's a one-of-a-kind? You must be thrilled.

BTW, have you ever tried brass-strings on the Melobro instead of nickel? I'm assuming it would give the guitar a more "mellow" sound? I've noticed that many of the inexpensive dobros use them (as well as the Dobro brand). I'll have to say, though, that I like the "biting" bluegrass sound of the nickel strings.

I'm trying to get in some practice on the Melobro, but it's tough now that I also have a pedal steel guitar. There's just not enough time for everything I want to do. If only I could retire early (I'm 36).

Take care, and get out to a bluegrass festival or two this year.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

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