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Topic: 70s dobro neck came loose - dumb design! |
Lynn Kasdorf
From:
Waterford Virginia, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2022 12:53 pm |
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My dobro's neck came loose while in its case. Upon taking it apart at my luthier's shop, we discovered a very silly and weak system for holding the neck in place. Others must have encountered this. Here it is before disassembly. You can see how the neck came up and bent the fingerboard.
Here is how it is held together. The neck stick screws into a block inside the guitar. The other end is a ramped tenon that fits nicely into a mortise on the neck. This joint is not glued.
So, the fingerboard is glued to the neck. The ramp tenon fits into the mortise on the neck and stops when it hits the fingerboard.
The neck is not secured to the neck-stick tenon except by friction. The neck is not attached to the body at all. The tail end of the fingerboard is screwed to the top, under the last double dots. THAT'S IT! The whole thing relies on the fingerboard being stiff, and being glued to the neck (which failed), and two little screws!
Upward pressure on the neck causes the ramp tenon to press up on the fingerboard, attempting to bend it and break the glue bond, which it did.
Our plan is to re-glue the fingerboard to the neck. Then, we'll attach the heel of the neck to the body with long screws from the inside. I'd also like to pin that ramped tenon to the neck with a couple dowels. Glue would be great, but I don't want to be cursed by some future luthier 
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"You call that thing a guitar?" |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 8 Jun 2022 1:02 pm
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Is this like "dumb, since 1928"?
You should see some of the Dopyera's other weird designs.
All part of Dobro lore!
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L
Last edited by Howard Parker on 8 Jun 2022 1:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lynn Kasdorf
From:
Waterford Virginia, USA
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Posted 8 Jun 2022 1:04 pm
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| Howard Parker wrote: |
Is this like "dumb, since 1928"?
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I'd like to know if all dobros were made like this, or if this was a phase during the mid 70s. I'd love to hear Paul Beard's take on it.
I don't have the greatest faith in Dobro quality of that era. Some time in the 70s I ordered from the factory a 10 string dobro. Not only did it sound like crap, the dot pattern was off by 2 frets. So, the double dots that should be at 12, were at 14. I've since had Paul convert it to 8, and it is tolerable.
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"You call that thing a guitar?" |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 8 Jun 2022 1:09 pm
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Yes..
That is standard Dobro fare.
Actually the 70's were considered "good" years. The 60's Mosrite era was considered to be the "Dark Ages" of Dobro.
Welcome to my life.
h
_________________
Howard Parker
03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard
Listowner Resoguit-L |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 8 Jun 2022 1:11 pm
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I should add, the resonator guitar has come a very long way since that (almost 100 yo) design.
hp |
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Charlie Hansen
From:
Halifax, NS Canada and Various Southern Towns.
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Posted 9 Jun 2022 4:50 am
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I had a Dobro from the late 20s or early 30s and the neck was attached the same way.
_________________
I don't know much but what I know I know very well.
Carter S-10 3X5, Peavey Nashville 112, plus Regal dobro and too many other instruments to mention.
Bluegrass Island CFCY FM 95.1 Charlottetown, PE, Canada, on the web at cfcy.fm.
A Touch Of Texas CIOE FM 97.5 Sackville, NS, Canada,
on the web at cioe975.ca. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 9 Jun 2022 7:09 am Re: 70s dobro neck came loose - dumb design!
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| Lynn Kasdorf wrote: |
| My dobro's neck came loose while in its case. |
Had the case been sitting inside a locked car on a warm day? |
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Lynn Kasdorf
From:
Waterford Virginia, USA
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Posted 9 Jun 2022 7:22 am Re: 70s dobro neck came loose - dumb design!
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Lynn Kasdorf wrote: |
| My dobro's neck came loose while in its case. |
Had the case been sitting inside a locked car on a warm day? |
I don't think so, but it is possible.
IN any event, the consensus from other discussions is that the neck stick should be glued into the neck mortise.
_________________
"You call that thing a guitar?" |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 12 Jun 2022 6:17 am
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| That's standard on National and Dobro's forever. Just glue the stick back in and go, you can dowel it too if you like. Banjos are made the same way. |
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Bryan Bradfield
From:
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
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Posted 17 Jun 2022 6:58 pm
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| The neck stick was glued into the neck slot on my 1930s Regal. I fabricated a new neck and neck stick, and not only glued the neck stick in place, but then reinforced the joint with dowels. I think I got that idea from one of Irving Sloane's books. |
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