Gibson Discontinues Most Dobro Models

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 29 Apr 2006 5:35 am

The venerable 60D and 27 Deluxe are gone.

The Leadbetter and Graves square neck models stay as does the HoundDog in roundneck.

HowardP

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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT-L
03' Carter D-10

[This message was edited by Howard Parker on 29 April 2006 at 06:36 AM.]

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 29 Apr 2006 7:09 am

Well, they really ran that name & line into the ground.

Don Fox · Post by **Don Fox** » 29 Apr 2006 7:17 am

Yeah, but they'll still sue you if you try to use it!

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 29 Apr 2006 7:41 am

I love my F-60S. Nicest guitar I own. I buddy of mine has it's bratty brother, the DWF-60. Also a cool guitar, especially in his hands.

That Leadbetter model looks beautiful. Hmm...

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 29 Apr 2006 11:47 am

I have played a couple of Leadbetters' and I thought they were nice dobros. Haven't had a chance to try the Graves yet. A lot of the Gibson dobros I have played in the last few years were not up to par IMHO and were not anywhere near worth the selling price for the most part.I am not surprised at the move to discontinue a lot of the models, its just too bad though what they did to a once proud name that used to be synomimus with quality. With a little luck, maybe Gibson will sell the name down the road to someone who will build a inst. worthy of the name "DOBRO".....
sue me Gibson!!

...I wonder if thier mandolins will be next?

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73 PROII,8&4, Steelking, Hilton pedal, USA Tele, Fender Twin,Peterson tuner,Tut Taylor Reso's and Twang to the Bone!!

[This message was edited by Larry Robbins on 29 April 2006 at 12:48 PM.][This message was edited by Larry Robbins on 29 April 2006 at 12:49 PM.]

Alan Kirk · Post by **Alan Kirk** » 29 Apr 2006 12:35 pm

I spoke with a guy today who has been a Gibson dealer for almost 60 years. Apparently some Harvard MBA pinhead is running the company now, and they are dropping their smaller dealers in favor of GC and the like. The guy I talked to is unloading all his Gibson stock and moving on. Looks like Gibson is going post-CBS.

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Lincoln Goertzen · Post by **Lincoln Goertzen** » 29 Apr 2006 1:58 pm

The thought just crossed my mind that if Gibson were to discontinue their mandolins, the world wouldn't miss much. Don't get me wrong, I work in a music store that deals with Gibson, and we have sold a number of them, but IMHO, just not the greatest bang for your buck. You can get a great mando for less money from a custom builder!

Lincoln

Jon Zimmerman · Post by **Jon Zimmerman** » 29 Apr 2006 2:49 pm

They cast adrift Al Perkins' signature model--I can just hear these MBAnalyst/bean-counter discussions: "who's this Chet Atkins? Isn't he dead now?"

Don Barnhardt · Post by **Don Barnhardt** » 29 Apr 2006 3:23 pm

I think Dobro's days as a contender are over. I bought a new one (made by Gibson) about 10 years ago because of ignorance. I wanted to play bluegrass and everyone else was playing banjo and I'm not all that good anywayso... since I played steel years ago I purchased a new Dobro for the name alone because I knew diddly about resos. I've played cheap imports that sound as good. After changing the cone, nut and bridge inserts I finally wised up and got a custom made from Bobby Wolfe and now I have a real instrument. These Beard Gold Tones seem to be excellent instruments and about half the price of low end Gibson Dobros . There are a number of custom builders that are very competative with Gibson's high end instrument price wise and most of them sound better. So for those of you who care continue to collect vintage Dobro's but the new customs is where it's at.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 29 Apr 2006 4:26 pm

Glad mine's an OMI ...

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Hawaiian Steel Stuff
The Casteels

Ed Altrichter · Post by **Ed Altrichter** » 29 Apr 2006 8:28 pm

Mine's an OMI too. Are we sitting on a goldmine now ???

Ed Altrichter · Post by **Ed Altrichter** » 29 Apr 2006 8:31 pm

kiddin' .

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 30 Apr 2006 2:57 am

So Gibson was making about 15 different model Dobros®, and now they are only making 3 models?
That's a mighty big cut in production, but Henry(Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz)has bought out bigger instrument companies and shut them down completely.

Lee Gillespie · Post by **Lee Gillespie** » 30 Apr 2006 3:46 am

It definately is a crying shame, that a company that has produced the highest quality instruments for so many years is pulled to the its present level by a greedy CEO and mismanagement. Lets hope they boot those upper turkeys out, and let the company return to its roots, of making top quality musical instruments. Thats what Harley Davidson did, and look at the company today. Lee

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 30 Apr 2006 4:57 am

Who needs Gibson to produce dobros? Look at all the fantastic custom builders, the high end imports (Beard-Wechter), and all of the lower end imports.

The entire range of price & quality is covered. You pretty much get what you pay for.

Quite honestly, if OMI were still in business today, and made the same guitars that they had in the past, don't you think that they wouldn't be edged out of the market?

I think today's "dobros" are much better than what they made years ago.

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 30 Apr 2006 5:23 am

Is anyone really surprised that they are discontinueing a lot of models? with the price VS quality issue they have had for the last several years I am not.As steel players OUR inst. are not inexpensive but,in general these days they are all pretty good quality. If I am gonna pay 2 grand for a Dobro it had better be much better quality than the pacific rim imports....from what I have seen latley many ( Gibsons) are not. I wonder if the few models that are still well made will be enough to carry them? Have you checked out the prices on Gibson mandolins latley?
$22,000 for a "distressed" Master model
F5?....I dont know what these guys are smokeing but they should take just one hit and put the joint out next time!

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73 PROII,8&4, Steelking, Hilton pedal, USA Tele, Fender Twin,Peterson tuner,Tut Taylor Reso's and Twang to the Bone!!

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 30 Apr 2006 6:29 am

To be fair about the quality issue, it's been suspect since the late 1920's. One of the frustrating things about Dobro(tm) back in those years was the variation in craftsmanship and sound between consecutive S/N's.

Every OMI guitar I ever saw shipped with a plastic nut, non-descript inserts and some of the worst tuning machines available.

Even so...I'm one that believes that the market is better off with a healthy competitor. I'm saddened to see some of those models go.

For sake of full disclosure:
I work for Beard Guitars

YMMV

HowardP

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 30 Apr 2006 8:06 am

There is no shortage of competitors.

I didn't even feel that Gibson was much of a contender anyhow. I haven't heard of many people who have purchased from them. Certainly, if a newbie inqired on any forum, they were steered away from Gibson.

IMO, Gibson's stratagy was to use the Dobro name, along with famous player's names to push their product instead of really researching the market and trying to improve upon the original design & quality.

This is a case where independent builders had a huge effect on the sale of Gibson's Dobro. Gibson dropped the ball.

I commend Paul Beard for developing and filling the need in the area of a great quality guitar at an affordable price. This is what Gibson should have done if they took the market seriously, or had more astute people in the r&d department.

For the sake of full disclosure,

I do not work for Paul Beard, and Howard Parker owes me three sets of strings....

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 30 Apr 2006 8:26 am

Quite honestly, if OMI were still in business today, and made the same guitars that they had in the past, don't you think that they wouldn't be edged out of the market?

I was just jokin' about the OMI ... because it "sports" a "Non-Gibson" Dobro name on the headstock ...

But in all fairness ...

I ain't no "Dobro guy" ... so my opinion means very little here ...

But I took my OMI Dobro to Paul Beard's old shop a few years ago for his "upgrade" ...

When it was finished and he brought it out ... he was quite pleased with the sound ... even though the C6/A7 setup I furnished him (specific gauges/flatwounds) ... were quite "alien" to him.

Shoulda tried it while you was here ...

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Hawaiian Steel Stuff
The Casteels

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 30 Apr 2006 8:48 am

I cudda ben sumbuddy, I cudda ben a contendah!

Patiently waiting for Gibson to call up with a buy-out offer. Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm.....

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Half-assed bottleneck and lap slide player. Full-assed Builder of resonator instruments.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 30 Apr 2006 9:11 am

For the sake of full disclosure, I'd like to say that I'm just reading this thread, and I don't know squat about the subject.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 30 Apr 2006 9:22 am

I have two OMI dobros. I've had them for over 30 years. I also have a mid 90's Gibson Dobro that I bought on ebay. While they're good, they are no match for what is being built today, not including the low end imports.

Perhaps if the Gibson Dobros were in the $1200.00 - $1500.00 range, they might have had a place in today's market.

BTW, in 1973, I bought my first Dobro (OMI).....$175.00 (and I had to borrow $100.00 from a buddy)......and yes, I paid him back....

[This message was edited by HowardR on 30 April 2006 at 10:25 AM.]

Website · Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 30 Apr 2006 9:51 am

I own a 1993 Dobro® Hound Dog, round neck with nut extender. For what it is and what I paid for it, it's a good guitar. I remember the recently discontinued Hound Dogs selling for around $800 a few years back; the most recent list price I see is $1,200!!! I agree that Gibson has priced themselves out of the market - the quality of their instruments does not reflect the prices asked for them.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 30 Apr 2006 10:52 am

I heard the Dobro line will be moving to China or Vietnam....can't remember which.
Too bad one of the "american inventions"..... the Dobro or Resonator/Resophonic/ Ampliphonic ect ect guitar, going to slave labor and low quality....for now atleast.

Rick A ...I would be more proud to own a OMI instrument . It *issed me off when Gibson took the Dobro logo and put the Gibson name on it. With all Gibson has done in the past 5 years or so I think they will get everything they deserve in the long run.

Hopefully before Gibson completely ruins the Dobro name they will sell it . I would like to see something good done with it and save it from being known as an inferior guitar.... they could be on top right now if quality was an issue.
Todd

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 30 Apr 2006 2:41 pm

I have two OMI dobros.

Why doesn't that surprise me ...

BTW, in 1973, I bought my first Dobro (OMI).....$175.00

Yeah ... but did yours come with this niffty hat ...

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Hawaiian Steel Stuff
The Casteels