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Topic: Another Dobro identification post |
Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 17 Apr 2022 10:06 am |
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I received this email:
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| My late Father had a Dobro which we took to a guitar guy for appraisal but I think he was wrong he suggested this is a 1979 OMI unit. It had been in my Fathers possession since I was a kid so that is not accurate. My Father passed away and I am trying to determine what model and year it is. The is only D-419 on the head of the guitar and square neck. |
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 17 Apr 2022 10:14 am
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| D419 could be an OMI serial corresponding to 1971, but not everything fits neatly together. The metal nut is from the Mosrite era, second half of the '60s. However, the logo was mainly used pre-Mosrite in the first half of the '60s. My guess is that this was assembled by one of the Dopyeras from older parts in the early '70s. |
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Mark Makin
From:
Nottingham, UK
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Posted 25 Jul 2022 5:10 am
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This is a 1960 period El Monte Dobro. These would usually have a 'Dopera Original' yellow and blue sticker. Nevertheless it has a 'db' decal used up until around 1962 when Louis Dopyera granted the Dobro name back to Ed and Rudy. It has the neck adjuster screw under the white pearl spot below the three holes on the top. You can also tell it is an El Monte Dobro because it has diagonal dot markers on the 3,5,7 and 9th frets.
These guitars also have the three ring fan pattern coverplates which were originally made for the fiddle edge Dobros in the 1930s. Many of these were left over and used for years by Rudy on projects like this.
By 1962, other variants of these instruments from El Monte were being made and sold by Standell company as 'Uncle Josh' models. Many of them were built using tops made of a type of composite wood/plastic panels called 'Conalite' |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 25 Jul 2022 7:13 am
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Thanks for the information, Mark! I've forwarded it to the person who wrote me.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Chris Clem
From:
California, USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2022 8:40 pm
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| By 1962, other variants of these instruments from El Monte were being made and sold by Standell company as 'Uncle Josh' models. Many of them were built using tops made of a type of composite wood/plastic panels called 'Conalite' |
Mark, I do know your very knowable on Dobros but I do wounder about Standel building Dobro's. I worked at Standel in a later period 1971/74 and I once asked Robert Crooks about Standel guitars and my recollection is he said they never build any guitars,just rebranded guitar build by others. This makes sense to me because at least when I work there we didn't have the machinery to build them with. |
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Mark Makin
From:
Nottingham, UK
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Posted 26 Jul 2022 1:41 am
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| My fault for not being clear Chris. I meant they were made by the Dopyeras and marketed by Standell among others at that time. Thanks for pointing that out |
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