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Topic: Old vs New |
Ally
From:
Edinburgh, UK
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Posted 7 Mar 2001 7:10 am |
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At the risk (or intention!) of starting a flame war, I'd like to hear other members' views on old vs new Dobros. I'm looking to upgrade to a "pro" Dobro soon, because the cheapie I have simply does not have the tone I associate with a dobro.
The high-end new guitars I played in London (mostly Gibson Dobros, and one "boutique" maker, maybe a Beard?) were consistently brilliant, and consistently expensive!.
The vintage models, however, ranged from the downright awful to the pretty good, although none were in the league of teh new models. All were very expensive: the only one vaguely affordale (an Angelus, Model 19 at £600) was poorly built and while having something of the "woody" tone I want, was also weak and uninspiring.
The comparison with acoustic guitars is amazing, where you can get quality new instruments for £300 (Simon & Patrick etc) and vintage martin's and Gibson's, with the build quality that entails, for the price of an average, run of the mill, mass produces Dobro.
I'm not really making any specific point here, but anyone have any views anyway?
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 7 Mar 2001 8:35 am
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From the perspective of a US player, I'd expect to play a minimum (new) of $1,800 for a new pro quality instrument (and can easily triple in price), with several notable exceptions.
I got an opportunity to play one of Ted Smith's Melobro's at the Josh Graves tribute in Nashville a few weeks back. I thought the the "sound" of this instrument was very much in the range of what most players would consider "pro" quality. Caveat...The body is fiberglass which might not be your preference. Another exception was Dick Deneve's guitars. Traditional construction. A quality axe. I was very impressed with both guitars which I believe retail for less than $1,000 US.
As for the pricing comparisons with flat top guitars. It is a totally different market. Beard/Scheerhorn/Guernsey have no problems finding buyers for their high end guitars. Each has a waiting list of months to years.
They don't have problems getting $1500-$6500.
BTW..I'm not sure Beard is a boutique. I think his annual output exceeds Gibson these days.
hp
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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT
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D Schubert
From:
Columbia, MO, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2001 12:38 pm
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Opinions will vary, but once I got an old Dobro -- a late 30's Model 45 -- the new ones all sound pretty one-dimensional to me. Not just the laminated-wood Regals and Johnsons, but the higer-priced ones as well. Even if they have some volume, they just don't have that old-time mystic vibe.
Mine is all stock, except for a bone bridge saddle. I got it through George Gruhn's shop in Nashville, and I am thoroughly satisfied.
The good news is that pre-war Martin and Gibson guitar prices have gone through the roof versus simlilar new models, but pre-war Dobros and Regals still haven't -- at least the wood-bodies ones. A pre-war resonator guitar, that's loud enough to play accoustically with a 5 or 6-piece bluegrass band, is not going to cost you any more than a "botique" model or a top-line Dobro from Gibson.[This message was edited by D Schubert on 11 March 2001 at 12:40 PM.] [This message was edited by D Schubert on 11 March 2001 at 12:42 PM.] |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 11 Mar 2001 3:16 pm
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Ally, I believe that you're right about the old Dobros. Quite a variety of quality,or lack thereof. I suppose that because of all the changes that the factory(ies) went through in all those years, caused inconsistancy. Here's my listing of my Dobros in order of quality;
1. Bobby Wolfe custom mahogony
2. Melobro Royale
3. 1999 & 1975 Dobro tied for third
4.1972 Dobro
You may want to check with Ted Smith as he is now building his fiberglass Melobros with wood baffles. This could be the best bang for the buck.
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[This message was edited by HowardR on 11 March 2001 at 03:20 PM.] |
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Ian McLatchie
From:
Sechelt, British Columbia
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Posted 11 Mar 2001 8:09 pm
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Ally:
I'll second what others have said about the Melobro. Ted has made some real innovations, and by all accounts these are first-rate instruments at a very affordable price.
As for the relative merits of vintage Dobros and contemporary custom resophonics, there's
really not much comparison, as far as I'm concerned. Some of the pre-war Dobros and Regals may sound great in a particular register, but in terms of evenness of tone, volume and sustain, compared to their modern equivalents - forget it! I have a Yanuziello, which I like better than anything else I've tried, but I doubt you can go wrong with any of the leading builders - Beard, Guernsey, Wolfe, et al. Your best bet may be to check out some of the luthiers in your own back yard. From what I've heard, there are some fine resophonics being made in the UK.
Bowie is one builder I've heard spoken well of, but there was another, as well (sorry, I can't remember his name offhand). |
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