Best Professional Dobro
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If you are a lover of country music, blues, bluegrass, and other related music genres, you will probably know a few things about dobros. Generally, a dobro is a special kind of acoustic guitar that comes with a metal resonator. The main benefit of this resonator is to ensure that the sound produced by the musical instrument is amplified. A dobro is sometimes referred to as a resonator guitar.
What are the Best Professional Dobro?
Unlike the normal acoustic guitar, the resonator of a dobro replaces the soundhole. As a result of this, the amplification of the sounds of the instrument is unaffected by its shape.
Notably, the first dobro was designed by John Dopyera. The name “dobro” came from Dopyera brothers, in recognition of the efforts by John Dopyera and his brothers.
Types of dobros
If you would like to buy a dobro, you need to note that there are two common types. The first type is known as round-neck. The player will hold this type like a guitar. Also, it is often used for blues. The second type is the square-neck dobro, which features 1-centimeter springs. To play this type, you have to lay them on their backs so that the strings can face up.
Body material of dobros
Another crucial factor to consider when buying a dobro is the body material. Typically, the body materials of dobros are usually made of metals or woods. While the metal bodies tend to produce a louder sound than the wood, they are also known to be heavier. Therefore, you have to decide whether you want louder and brighter sound at the expense of heaviness.
7 Best Professional Dobro Reviews
1) Gretsch G9210 Boxcar Square-Neck Resonator Guitar – Natural
Manufactured by Gretsch Guitars, this dobro is one of the favorites of musicians that play bluegrass. It features the original Gretsch design like many other products from this brand.
It boasts of having a square neck that is attached to an astounding mahogany body. The neck itself is made with mahogany while the scale length is measured to be 25 inches.
The Gretsch G9210 Boxcar Resonator also has the traditional-style F-holes. At this center of this resonator guitar, there is the unique Gretsch Ampli-Sonic resonator cone.
This cone is specially made with hands in Eastern Europe by experienced craftsmen. The material used for the cone is pure aluminum that guarantees sonic projection and top-quality volume.
The product dimensions of the Gretsch G9210 Boxcar Resonator are 47 x 8.2 x 20.2 inches while its weight is 9.85 pounds. Although this resonator guitar has a case, you have to buy it separately.
2) Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog Round Neck Resonator Guitar
Epiphone Dobro comes with an eye-catching open sound well design that goes a long way in ensuring the tone is ideally balanced. This resonator guitar features a metal cone as well as nickel-plated hardware and fan pattern cover plate. As a result of these features, this dobro produces an overtone that looks like a bell.
Similarly, it offers a greater projection than what a regular acoustic guitar is capable of producing. This musical instrument also provides a warmer sound that you get from the majority of resonators available today.
Epiphone Dobro has a Radiused fingerboard that eases the process of playing it. Another major feature of this product is Tusq nut. This resonator guitar has a weight of 6.5 pounds as well as dimensions of 40 x 15 x 4.3 inches. If you need a dobro for bluegrass, Epiphone Dobro is one of the excellent instrument you can get.
3) Gretsch G9220 Bobtail Round-Neck Mahogany Body Resonator
This product is an excellent acoustic round neck dobro. Its neck, sides, and tops are specifically made with durable mahogany. It also features a padauk fingerboard as well as hand-spun cone Fisherman Electronics 2-color sunburst.
The design of this product ensures that each player enjoys an exceptional feel as they play. Its round neck makes it one of the choicest kinds of resonator guitar for those that play ragtime blues, country blues, and Delta blues.
One of the most important features of this product is the Gretsch Ampli-Sonic resonator cone. This cone comprises 99% pure aluminum; hence, this instrument offers awesome volume and quality.
It is worthwhile to note that the shipping weight of this product is 10.35 pounds whereas the dimensions are 20 x 7 x 48 inches. Just like most other products from Gretsch, the Gretsch Bobtail Round-Neck has a limited warranty that lasts for 1 year.
4) Recording King RM-991-S Tricone Resonator, Squareneck
Recording King RM-991-S is a tricone resonator that comes with three different 6 continental cones and Rosewood fretboard. These cones are responsible for superb loud tones that are transferred via the body of the musical instrument.
The cones are placed strategically – one of them is found on the treble side while the base side holds the remaining two. The placement of these cones provides an EQ balance that has a greater, warmer sound. The neck is made with Honduran mahogany. The tricone of this resonator guitar is created with nickel-plated bell brass.
Also, the instrument has a T-shaped bridge that features a maple and ebony saddle. There is a connection between the bridge and every cone in the center. This allows the vibrations to travel from the saddle to the bridge whenever you strike the strings. The dimensions of the product are 39 x 14.4 x 3.5 inches whereas the weight is 9 pounds.
5) Gold-Tone Paul Beard Signature Series PBS-D Squareneck Resonator Deluxe Guitar
This dobro is one of the premium products designed by Paul Beard, an iconic instrument manufacturer. Having a total length of 38 1/2", the Gold Tone Paul Beard Signature Series PBS-D Deluxe Guitar comes with the perfect size that makes it easy for you to handle and play.
This product is handmade and capable of delivering a top-notch tone. The original USA Beard cones and Spiders are used for designing the bread open sound body of this resonator guitar.
Besides, its Wood Finish-High Gloss Tobacco Sunburst adds elegance to its overall look and feel. Seasoned luthiers assembled and set up this musical instrument; hence, you are guaranteed quality playability and tone. It weighs 5.5 pounds and has dimensions of 41 x 4 x 14 inches.
Other features of the Gold Tone Paul Beard Signature Series PBS-D Deluxe Guitar include maple sides and back and an ebony fingerboard. All these features combine to give you a fantastic resonator guitar.
6) Recording King Roundneck Resonator Guitar
The sides, top, and back of the Recording King Roundneck Resonator Guitar are made with high-quality mahogany. Additionally, this musical instrument features a 12-fret neck joint and a well-constructed parallelogram sound well that deliver excellent sound quality as you play awesome tunes with it.
This dobro has a classic look because of its vintage sunburst finish, rounded sound holes screens, the traditional round-neck style, and slotted screws. The Continental cone of this instrument is spun with hands by professionals; hence, you are guaranteed a true resonator tone that can beat most resonator guitar that you can find in the market today.
Besides, the Recording King Roundneck Resonator Guitar has Grover turning machines that are designed to make sure that the strings never go out of tune. The dobro also has sufficient due to the ebony saddle and bone nut that it comprises. This product has a weight of 7.7 pounds and dimensions of 38 x 14 x 4 inches.
7) Danelectro '59 Acoustic-Electric Resonator Guitar Black
The Danelectro '59 Acoustic-Electric Resonator Guitar provides some of the best features that you can find in a professional dobro. It features a design piezo that is found in the cone, which is not common in the majority of the resonator guitars. This guitar has a unique 59 DC Shorthorn shape hollow body that will catch the attention of anyone seeing it.
Also, the plate cover is made with diamond and this material boosts the instrument’s tone and piezo output. The 56 Lipstick pickup of this resonator guitar also improves the quality of the tone.
To make sure that you can determine how you want your dobro to sound, Danellectro '59 Acoustic-Electric Resonator Guitar has special controls for pickup blends, tones, and volumes.
The dimensions of the resonator guitar are 41 x 17 x 3.5 inches while the weight is 5.79 pounds. To keep your dobro safe in good condition, consider buying its beautifully designed case.
Choosing the Best Professional Dobro
In a nutshell, you have now seen many professional dobros available in the market. After considering the various major characteristics of the dobros, it is reasonable for you to also take a look at their accessories.
The strings can determine whether you will enjoy the dobro or not. Without a doubt, the set of strings of the resonator guitar will contribute significantly to the consistency and originality of its tones.
In addition to the strings, a crucial accessory for your resonator guitar is the guitar case. The case protects your delicate guitar and ensures that you can use the instrument for an extended period. Sadly, the majority of the dobros available today don’t have guitar cases.
Nevertheless, they sell cases that are particularly designed for each resonator guitar. Therefore, you should see the guitar case as an accessory that you must buy to enjoy using the instrument.