Resonator guitar
A resonator guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more metal resonators rather than by a wooden guitar belly.
Resonator guitars are of two types:
- Square necked guitars designed to be played in steel guitar fashion.
- Round necked guitars which may be played in either the conventional or the lap steel position.
The bodies may be made of either wood or metal.
History
The resonator guitar was developed by John Dopyera, seeking to produce a guitar that would have sufficient volume to be heard alongside brass and reed instruments. The first models featured three conical aluminium resonators joined by a spider, and were produced under the brand name National from 1927.
In 1928, Dopyera left National to form Dobro, a contraction of Dopyera Brothers, with his brothers Rudy, Emile, Robert and Louis. They released a competing resonator guitar with a single perforated bowl-shaped resonator, which produced more volume. National countered with a single resonator model, while continuing to also produce the tricone design which many players preferred for its tone. After much legal action, the companies merged to form National Dobro in 1932. However all production of resonator guitars by this company ceased after the Second World War.
In 1967, members of the Dopyera family formed the Original Musical Instrument company to manufacture resonator guitars, first branded Hound Dog. In 1970 they acquired the DOBRO® name, and the brand was recreated.
The company was acquired by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1993.
Other resonator instruments
As well as resonator guitars, resonators have been used on:
See also
External links
- The Dobro story at the Gibson site.
- National page at a collector's website.
- Dobro page at the same collector site.
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