The resophonic guitar, as not everyone is aware, is also called a dobro. The two names are often used synonymously, although in reality, when speaking of a resophonic guitar, it refers to a category of guitars to which the dobro also belongs. To better understand the relationship between the dobro and resophonic guitars, it is necessary to delve into their history.
The resophonic guitar, invented and popularized in the United States of America, is a musical instrument classified under number 321.322 of the Hornbostel-Sachs system, belonging to the group of composite chordophones with parallel, plucked strings. Its family is that of the long-necked lutes, and due to its shape and size, it is very often confused with a classical guitar.
An important note to mention upfront: the reason the resophonic guitar is also called a dobro is primarily a legal matter. The Gibson Guitar Corporation registered this type of instrument under the aforementioned name, promoting it to the public with a massive marketing campaign that led enthusiasts to identify this term with the resophonic guitar. Therefore, only chordophones produced by Gibson can strictly be called a dobro; these also feature the distinctiveness of a spider bridge, typical of this production, which allows the instrument to have a sharper sound, facilitating the guitarist’s action.
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History of the resophonic guitar
Since the dawn of the musical discipline, the guitar has monopolized the collective imagination as the quintessential instrument. Indeed, given its relative ease of playing and the great potential it expresses, this title is well justified. At the beginning of the 20th century, musicians began to search for new methods and playing styles, aiming to make originality their distinguishing feature and to stand out over rival artists or bands representing the same genre. The acoustic guitar, however, proved inadequate for this purpose.
For this reason, from 1910 onwards, modern musicians began to express their preference for playing in ensembles, something that the classical or acoustic guitars of the time were unable to guarantee. In particular, they were easily overshadowed by mandolins, which developed a significantly broader and more varied volume of sound. To take charge of the issue and find a way to overcome this demand from musicians, the Dopyera brothers – immigrants from Czechoslovakia to the United States – began working on what would later become the first model of the resophonic guitar.
From the moment of its creation, the instrument began to spread like wildfire across the confederation of States, even reaching Hawaii, where it gave rise to the traditional lap steel guitar, a highly characteristic playing method that involves laying the guitar horizontally and using a metal slide. The spread of the instrument was unstoppable, and the Dopyera brothers even founded a company in 1928 in Los Angeles, the National String Instruments Corporation, bringing to life the spider bridge, which today has become one of the most important components of the resophonic guitar.
One of the brothers then invented the tricone resonator, consisting of a spider bridge with three resonators. The material the resonator was made of was German Silver, a metal alloy. After patenting it, this type of guitar initially became very popular in Hawaiian music.
Due to the crisis of the 1930s, it was decided to reduce the 3 resonators to one, the single cone, also called a biscuit, which one of the brothers, Beauchamp, patented under his own name. The brothers thus left the company and founded a new one, the Dopyera Brothers Manufacturing Company, filing a lawsuit against Beauchamp, which they won in 1933.
The two companies merged, and the National-Dobro was born, but the advent of the electric guitar led to its closure until after World War II, when some of the brothers created DB Original to produce the 3-resonator dobro.
Other companies followed, O.M.I., then Hound Dog, up until 1993, when Gibson acquired the dobro brand.
Today, the dobro or resophonic guitar has largely been replaced by instruments with electrical amplifiers, which solved the issues of weight and maneuverability. The classic models, however, continue to be appreciated and used, especially for collecting or for performances and concerts that evoke American or Hawaiian traditions, a place that has become the home of resophonic guitars.
How the resophonic guitar is made
The resophonic guitar has a body made of maple or mahogany with a rosewood or ebony fretboard that, at first glance, does not differ much from that of more traditional instruments. What makes this variant unique is the presence of a resonator that is placed inside the soundbox. From a construction standpoint, this element can be considered a true speaker, an amplification box made from a small, high-quality aluminum sheet.
The resonator is set into vibration by the strings, which, on the instrument, rest on a bridge not far from the apex of the cone, and in action, it produces the typical and characteristic reverberating sound. Furthermore, the soundbox has traditional shapes but is built of metal so it can be more durable. In this way, the music expressed by the guitar is loud and has metallic tones. The reverb effect is particularly audible, especially on mid-frequencies, and showcases its best peculiarities during arpeggios. It is no coincidence that it became the quintessential instrument of American country music.
How to play the resophonic guitar
Playing the resophonic guitar does not require any particular additional knowledge compared to the classic basics necessary to master the standard instrument. The fingering and the use of a pick, in fact, are identical. The only thing that changes is the substantially heavier weight of the dobro and the need to tune it precisely to prevent the reverb effect from distorting the sound beyond recognition.
After picking up the instrument, it should be rested directly on the right leg, thanks to the small indentation on the soundbox. The left hand is placed on the fretboard, while the right hand goes over the soundbox and has the task of playing the notes. You can see a specific in-depth look at the characteristics of the dobro in the following video.
Types of dobro or resophonic guitar
Although this model is unified in concept, since its creation, the dobro has been released onto the market in different configurations, specifically three.
Tricone resophonic guitar
This type of dobro has the peculiarity of featuring three small T-shaped cones on the body of the soundbox, above which sits the small wooden bridge that supports the strings and allows them to be played. It is the first model of resophonic guitar created and today does not have a particular active use, but rather a very high value for musical instrument collectors.
Single cone dobro with biscuit bridge
Following the instrument’s widespread adoption, the Dopyeras’ National company sought a more economical way to increase production and make it more profitable for the business. The resophonic guitar with a biscuit bridge is the result of these studies: it is characterized by having a rounded peak pointing towards the strings, upon which a small circle is placed that cradles the bridge. Due to the characteristic sound emitted by the dobro and its price accessibility, it spread primarily in folk music, becoming a favored instrument for playing acoustic blues.
Resophonic guitars with spider bridge
The resophonic guitar with a spider bridge is today the most widely known and appreciated, effectively becoming the flagship model for this type of instrument. It is characterized by a cone that rests its tip towards the center of the guitar – right over the soundbox – with a metal bridge shaped much like a spider web to produce a sound beloved in country music. This is the most utilized type of resophonic guitar. In particular, regarding the Italian scene, Ligabue is the most famous example: he made this instrument one of his emblems, and several of the artist’s successful albums owe their popularity to its reverberation effects.