Old Dobro Information?

Robert Allen · From: Tennessee, USA

Back in 1962 I saw a small classified ad for Dobro guitars in Popular Mechanics Magazine. It had a California address. I wrote and it turned out to be one of the Dopyera Brothers, don't remember which one. I followed up with a phone call. He said he didn't have any stock Dobros ready to ship but he had a garage full of left over parts and could build one for me. He went on to say that he didn't have any way to put on a professional finish and therefore it wouldn't look very good but that it would sound excellent. The price was $125. He said he no longer owned the name Dobro so he'd have to come up with something else to put on it. Prior to that time I didn't have any idea who someone named Dopyera was so I thought long and hard about sending that much money to someone I'd never heard of. I'm thinking, did this guy really invent the dobro? I finally sent the money and the dobro arrived a month or two later. I've had it ever since, excellent sound, have used it on radio, TV, stage and recordings. Does anyone know how many were made with this logo? Any idea which Dopyera brother made these? There are two serial numbers on it. The number on the neck indicates the neck was made in 1937 Bob

Steve Wilson · From: Morgan Hill, California, USA

Robert, this doesn't answer your question, but a friend of mine sent me his experience of an encounter he had.

My story is that I went to the factory in LA in about 1990, maybe 89. I spoke to a very cranky old lady in the front. She dismissed me loudly and rudely. She was a Dopyera of some kind (?marriage?) Her grandson who was about 20 at the time motioned to me behind her to meet him outside. He was all over my interest in paying cash for a model off the floor. He took me in the back and showed me the factory. I was a bit deflated to see the "builders" doing factory work. They could have been repairing hubcaps for all they cared.The process was more like a factory than an artisan's bench. I remember being surprised at how many metal body guitars they were building. He sold me a cheap wooden body one that I had for a few years. I don't remember anyone's name.

Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

i would try to get ahold of Bob Brozman, he may even be on the forum, but i know he is approachable on these things, he's not really into dobros, but you have something more unique.

http://www.bobbrozman.com/
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Jack Aldrich · From: Washington, USA

The Dopyera brothers made their instuments out of plywood, insisting that the resonator made the music. Larry Brown and I went down to Oceanside (or was it Escondido - I don't remember) in the summer of 1977 to meet Rudy and John, who were running the place. Even though they had sold Dobro to Gibson, they were still making them. It was fascinating. I was looking for a 7 string, which Shot Jackson was selling as a ShoBro at the time. The Dopyeras didn't have a 7 string, so I bought an 8 string from them, didn't have a bottom string and tuned it G B D G B D E. I met Don Helms at the NAMM show that fall, and he showed me his E6 tuning. I was still playing a lot with folkies, so I tuned it down to D6. I showed it to Mkie Auldridge, and he bought one shortly thereafter.- JACK

Mark Makin · From: Nottingham, UK

Hello Robert
These instruments (DB originals)were the first Dobro built after the war.By the late 1950s, the Dobro had not been produced for 15 years and the Dopyera brothers had gone their own ways into other industries. In 1957 Ed Dopyera had a heart attack and moved in with his brothers Rudy and John.As he recovered, it was an opportunity to start 'tinkering' again with Dobros. The Dobro name at this time was in the ownership of brother Louis and the Valco corporation in Chicago so they sold small limited numbers of handmade instruments under the 'DB Original' name. Louis eventually transferred the Dobro name to them before late 1961 (he himself died in 1963) so your instrument falls in a window somewhere from 1958ish to 1961ish. They were, as you suspect, made from bits and pieces. The coverplate has three rings of holes not the more usual two ring pattern. This was because Rudy still had the original die from the metal fiddle edge coverplates. It was used on all instruments made in El Monte CA (where yours comes from) and Gardena until major Dobro production started again at the OMI company in Long Beach in 1970 after the bankruptcy of the Mosrite company
Any help?

Mark Eaton · Posted 2 Mar 2012 6:05 am

Jack Aldrich · From: Washington, USA

Robert Allen · From: Tennessee, USA

Mark,

Thank you for the information.

Bob

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

I started playing dobro in a bluegrass band in 1962 in Southern California, and used to go down to Gardena and hang out with Ed and Rudy at the factory while Ed helped me with my old pre-war model 55. Ed was very friendly and gregarious, Rudy kind of withdrawn.

Mark Makin's history and explanation is spot on to the detail, even about the fiddle-edge coverplates. I couldn't add a single thing, other than the company had a secretary/receptionist that my 15-year-old-libido thought was one of the sexiest women I'd ever seen. Laughing

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Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

Some interesting stuff here. I've had a couple of Don Young Dobros. Thanks.
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Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

Robert, I found one like yours with the yellow DB Original logo in Alaska at a pawn shop in the late 1960's. Back and sides are Curley maple. One of the best sounding Dobros ever. I've used it on dozens of recordings and shows..still my favorite and most unique in my collection. I'd post pictures but it's at home and I'm on the road until Apr 7....Larry

Tom Keller · From: Greeneville, TN, USA

In 1968, I purchased a guitar from Ed. The logo had changed from B D to Original Hounddog. The finish wasn't great but it was a very good sounding instrument I still have it.

Jay Yuskaitis · From: Massachusetts, USA

Hi folks, During the new interest in folk type or country music in the late 1950's and early 1960's, quite a few old timers? got into the limelight, especially Flatt & Scruggs, along with IMO the greatest Dobro player ever, the innovator, Burkette Graves or Uncle Josh. Along with these greats were many others I seem to recall, made their place in that slot. IN those early years in my late teens and early twenties, On weekends in the North East late at night, we could listen to WWVA from Wheeling, it was quite a treat for us, as all we heard locally was anything but. To get to the point, Wheeling had two, as I recall, Dobro players at the time, Deacon Brumfield and Clarence Jackson, Deacon would sell records from his home in Rising Sun, Maryland, and also offered a "Dobro" guitar for sale with the DB letters on it. I always thought it meant Deacon Brumfield, I guess it meant Dobro. This post brought back many memories. Thanks, Jay Y.

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