Scott Englund
From:
Maine, USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2024 7:05 pm |
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I recently bought a project Dobro on ebay. The seller stated the headstock had been broken and repaired. I looked at with a loupe and blacklight and saw no evidence of a break. What might have been mistaken for a break literally looked like a hair that had gotten into the wet finish. I need to clarify that some refinishing has been done on this Dobro; how much, by who, and when is a mystery for the ages. The Dobro looks like a typical Model 60, no surprises. The top appears to have been painted black and was likely a professional job. The entire guitar looks like it was clear coated at some point; not a horrible job and could be buffed and improved. Looking closely at the headstock, there is no logo but there was what appeared to be a slightly proud outline of a cross. I assumed it to be a decal and carefully swiped at the front of the headstock with some lacquer thinner on a rag. Turned out to be an inlaid abalone cross. This doesn't seem like something the Dopyeras would have ever done, but I would like to hear anyone's opinion. There is no serial number stamped into the end of the headstock. The end of the headstock has been sanded. I can't say if it's been sanded enough to obliterate the deep stampings that I've seen, so I'm on the fence as to whether it ever HAD a serial number. The tuners are non original based on the fact there are other holes under the existing plates. I would like to know when Dobro began using adjustable truss rods, as that will place a "no earlier than" date for this one. I think all OMI Dobros had adjustable truss rods but how far before OMI did they start? One unique feature is the truss rod cover. It's of the fleur de lis shape like an OMI but it's shorter and does not say Dobro on it. It appears to be white/black bi-laminate plastic. The fretboard extension is only held down by two screws, not four. A quick google image search tells me they went to four screws around 1973 or 4. So based on these observations, I'm guessing this might be early 1970s. The block inside the sound well where the dowel stick screws on is obviously not the original block. It looks like someone wanted to replace the whole shim affair and go with a taller block. The inlaid cross is a whole different thing, and unless someone has anything to offer, it will remain a mystery. I would love to hear anyone's opinion as to the age of this one; Dobro details are hard to come by.
My plan is to touch up the face of the headstock and clearcoat it, restoring the cross. I had initially hoped to wet sand the top, revealing the original sunburst underneath but the black is catchy. I will hit the whole thing with a buffer just because there's dust and overspray in the clearcoat. The frets are in good condition but I will crown them and dress the rough ends. They appear to be well seated. It currently has an ebony saddle, no idea how the slots are yet. The cone looks undamaged but I have no idea if anyone has monkeyed with the tension and damaged it by overtightening. Tuners, hard to say. They're cheap tuners but if they function, I'm okay with leaving them alone.
Here is a link to a gallery of photos:
https://postimg.cc/gallery/yW21b19
Here is a link to a short youtube video of it under a blacklight:
https://youtube.com/shorts/dDJNePUZNbk?si=SWQBNvEesFd-kPHF |
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