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Post by blenderbender on Dec 23, 2014 23:05:03 GMT
RE: "Its been on ebay for a long time - probably since the dopyeras collection sale (whenever that was)."
Not so....I owned the guitar since about 1975 or thereabouts. Me and my buddies were busking in a bar in the Alaska boonies and I got to talking to one of the patrons. I was playing a newer metal body dobro at the time. The guy I was chatting with remarked that he had an old wooden guitar with a resonator hanging in the shed. I had expressed an interest in a wood bodied dobro and the guy said if I wanted it I could have it. I accepted his generous offer and a few months later made the trip to his place in Anchorage to pick it up. I was hugely disappointed when he pulled the guitar from the shed wall. That was no wood bodied dobro by my standards. But I masked my true feelings and presented him with a case of Budweiser in exchange for his gift. Neither of us had a clue about the guitar at that point. It was probably a couple years later that I peeled the resonator off of it and peeked inside only to find scrawled in pencil the markings of John Dopyera himself. That did manage to catch my attention. It was several years later that I gleaned the little bit of information in Bev King's "The Dobroist Scrapbook" regarding it's rarity. I'd sure be interested to know how it came to Alaska. The fellow that gave it to me was getting on in age and he didn't recall how it came into the family other than he got it from his Dad if I remember correctly.
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Post by blenderbender on Dec 23, 2014 21:59:40 GMT
Thanks.... that's exactly it.
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Post by blenderbender on Dec 23, 2014 11:56:17 GMT
I've been poking around trying to figure out how to subscribe to threads to no avail. Can someone please point out how to do this fairly simple thing? Thanks!
Gary
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Post by blenderbender on Dec 22, 2014 22:47:10 GMT
"Then again, it only needs to be sold once." I meant to attribute this quote to Brad. But I think Michael concurred in essence..... Gary
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Post by blenderbender on Dec 22, 2014 22:42:33 GMT
Hi folks.... you can believe the details. I still have the email from John Dopyera's son at least confirming the gist of my story regarding this reso. Yes, perhaps the asking price was high considering it's condition, as declared in my eBay description. But as Michael said, it only needs to be sold once. Patience paid off as it was just recently sold for a 'best offer' not far from the asking price. I'm sad to see it go as I do believe it was a special little guitar, but as I was neither playing it or otherwise making any good use of it, I am happy that it went to someone who will pay it more homage. And now I can afford that Koa Weissenborn that will get played. Happy holidays to all!
Gary
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 7, 2011 1:29:48 GMT
This tailpiece is apparently a bit different in that the button tops are relatively flat and there is no space under the button top to engage the string. Therefore I submit that the only way to string this is as I have done...... I've been wrong before however. Gary Attachments:
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 19:05:28 GMT
Hi Michael.... yes, I play it occasionally, not nearly what I used to. Regarding the strings on top of the tailpiece buttons, I'm a little confused as they have always been there and I see no other way to string it. The underside of the buttons appear to be swaged side of a rivet so to speak and would be a rougher surface. I'll look more closely next time I have the strings off. Near as I can tell the body is symmetrical. Maybe my camera makes it look a little off. I'll take some more pics when I get a chance and post them here.
Gary
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 18:51:48 GMT
Forgot to mention that Mr. Dopyera was right when he said it was probably just suited for Hawaiian.... lacks any kind of big, round sound more typical of the larger boxes. The short scale makes it a bit challenging also.
Gary
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 18:46:03 GMT
Didin't mean to send that first one... have a keyboard issue here. Anyway, the top is 5/64'' and the bottom is 3/16'' thick. The sides seem to be of sawn lumber as there are vertical saw marks on the inside (I can see through the soundholes), and the side thickness varies from shoulder to body. By feel it seems to be about 3/8'' to 1/2'' thick around the shoulder and narrows down to something less than that towards the upper bout. I can't tell you more than has already been mentioned. I've had this guitar for nearly 40 years and only began to learn something about it when I discovered it in Bev King's 'Dobrosist Scrapbook' years ago. She knew nothing more than she wrote in the book. George Gruhn passed my questions off to Walter Lord who didn't know anymore. If I ever remove the resonator cover again I'll take some more pictures inside, but at this point I don't have time to deal with that. Hope this helps a bit.
Gary
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 18:33:01 GMT
Hi Tymus.... by neckstick do you mean steel reinforcing rod? It does not have that. The body is 2.25 inches deep. Top is 5/64''
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 1:06:09 GMT
and yes, spider and squareneck as suggested
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 1:03:11 GMT
oops.... that's Dopyera
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Post by blenderbender on Sept 6, 2011 1:01:47 GMT
Hi folks.... this little reso is my guitar and I posted on "collectors weekly" site. I'm attaching a photo of the inside where it is written in pencil "made by John Doperya March 1, 1940 The Guitar House 3201 W Florence Ave. Los angeles, Calif." If John moved to Grant's Pass prior to 1940 then I can't account for the discrepancy, but his son John E Doperya, in an email, did reflect that he recalled seeing a Penetro on his Dad's bench. He didn't state whether that was in California or Oregon. The Penetro isn't missing the sound hole screens as it never had them. This was a feature of the production Regals. The guitar has a 23" scale. Attachments:
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