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Post by Bill Stig on Apr 27, 2007 0:00:49 GMT
A number of years ago I bought a single cone bell brass round necked Dobro from Frailers guitar shop for a seriously cut down price. Frank had seen me lusting over it for months when he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I knew even less about resonators at the time than I know now, and I still have some questions about it that hopefully someone can answer. The serial number is u3 154 92 B - according to the vintage guitar info website that makes it a 1992 OMI Dobro. It has the "wild rose" pattern that I've seen on some Nationals.
Was this guitar marketed with a name?
Did any original Dobros use the "wild rose" pattern?
The vintage guitar info website says that OMI Dobros are not collectable.
Is there any reason for this?
I've heard that the guys at NRP left OMI as they were unhappy with the quality control but this guitar is a different league than a similar Gibson Dobro I've seen. The chroming certainly isn't as good as it should be on the cover plate but it sounds and plays beautifully.
I'd appreciate any information as all I can find concerns square necked wood body OMIs and that " they're not collectable".
thanks,
Bill
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Post by Mark Makin on Apr 27, 2007 9:05:45 GMT
Hello Bill
The "wild rose" engraved Dobros (metal bodied with spider cones) were always known as Model 36. If it was sandblasted like a Style O - it would be a 33. If it had the "Lily of the Valley" pattern - it would be a Model 75.
These were strictly National patterns in the 1930s - Dobros had their own Art Deco and Floral patterns on the Model M14, M15 and M16.
OMI was put together in the late 1960s as a new "family" venture for the Dopera family. They originally operated out of Long Beach producing wood bodied "Dobros" (except that they were not at that time allowed to use the name - it was owned by Mosrite) called "Hound Dogs. By the mid 70s, having re-acquired the name they were making metal bodies again like the old Nationals. The earliest have very small f holes, like those on tenor guitars and the later ones (through the 80s-90s) have regular Duolian-type f holes.
I, myself, visited their second factory in Huntingdon Beach in 1977 (just after the Doperas death) and had a long talk with Ron Lazar (Dopera nephew) who was the MD. He was anxious to save costs and cut any corners he could to get a more profitable product on the market. He unreservedly had "no time" for the "old ones". On Rons death, the company was in the hands of Dopera family accountants Mr & Mrs Lizak. Again it was a profit making exercise, not a quality product exercise. Don Young told me later that part of the reason that their expertise finally left the company was the lack of investment support to allow them to improve the product. Thus National Resophonic was born.
This, of course, was still a long time ago. Although the product at the time in the 70s and 80s was not very highly respected - they are still a far better product than those from the present "Gibson" years. (IMHO)
Any help?
Mark
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Post by Bill Stig on Apr 27, 2007 9:47:02 GMT
thanks Mark, that's great information.
This guitar has a biscuit bridge, not a spider bridge and is engraved so would it still be a Model 36?
Another question I forgot to ask is that there is a Barcus Berry pickup on the guitar like the one pictured in the Tin Can Alley section of this forum posted by Alan. it is fitted with a chromed output. Were these factory fitted or added later?
Bill
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Post by Mark Makin on Apr 27, 2007 10:05:38 GMT
Hello Bill
The 36 was a cone resonator. The 36-1 was a spider resonator, the 36-S was a squareneck spider resonator and the 36-12 was (guess what!) a 12 string.
I dont know what electric pickups were fitted in these. In the 1980 price list when your guitar originally cost $912 - a pick-up cost $44 and $88 fitted
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Post by lee holliday on Apr 27, 2007 10:59:15 GMT
The post war Dobro history is a very twisty road with some interesting scenery in between the desert landscapes!
The OMI period pre Gibson (Kamakazee) gave birth to some interesting models, Tricone under a single cone coverplate!
I have had a few models from the 80,s & 90,s lastly the Zepher which I sold through Ron & Mel (Dohh!), a mahogany special (Jerry douglas prototype) and an unusual custom squareneck which when opened up by Dave King had some scribbling inside by some guy called Don Young?
There are some really interesting models out there although most need a replacement nut (plastic!) and a good setup (budget issues always the handicap), I see this period as the untapped seam of models waiting to be discovered. Search out the more unusual custom models and for not too much outlay as they are still cheap compared to the modern rubbish (sorry Gibson but revisit the back catalogue, double cyclops anyone!)
Regards Lee.
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 27, 2007 12:36:24 GMT
 Sam Germing doing an 'Elvis' with my OMI Dobro 33 in 1981 (notice the silver gaffa tape holding a jack plug. I think I fitted a Barcus Berry on the biscuit, if my memory is correct). I sold the guitar in 1983, by which time I owned a National Duolian and a fiddle-edge Dobro. I will return to the fiddle-edge Dobro in another thread.....  Here is a page from the catalogue that came with the model 33 in 1979. Shine On, Michael |
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Post by Alan on Apr 27, 2007 15:17:37 GMT
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Post by Brad Bechtel on Apr 27, 2007 16:40:52 GMT
I was finally able to scan a Dobro® catalog and put the results into Adobe Acrobat format. I believe this was from the mid to late 1970s, but there is no date anywhere on the catalog that I can see. Page 1Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6I hope this will help some of you out there with questions as to which Dobro® model guitar you have. |
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Post by Colin McCubbin on Apr 27, 2007 17:22:20 GMT
Hi Brad, Thanks for that! I always loved the 'truth in advertising' about these OMI instruments as so well described by the copy writer in the second to last line of the back page of that catalogue. "The metal guitars have a funky tinny sound..........." Ron Lazar and Co certainly 'told it like it was' about their product!  |
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Post by Colin McCubbin on Apr 27, 2007 17:33:39 GMT
Bill Stig, "but it sounds and plays beautifully" I just realized that what I wrote in my post above, somewhat in jest, could be taken as a 'put down' of your guitar. If so please accept my apologies! The OMI instruments were generally made on a strict budget, and as such can be greatly improved by some tlc in the setup department. You may have been lucky and received an instrument that the importer/shop had spent time on, or, indeed you may have had the instrument worked on over the years. The OMI company might even have made an extra effort on this one instrument since Frailers were an important UK guitar store at the time. Anyway, it sounds like you have a great playing instrument, I'm glad you like it!  Colin |
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Post by Bill Stig on Apr 27, 2007 18:39:55 GMT
Thanks Brad
there it is - model 36.
It would be interesting if anyone else has any catalogues for OMI - its always harder to find out about instruments that are deemed not to be collectable - a Kay catalogue from the 1950s would be interesting so I can find out more about my Kay lap steel.
Dont worry Colin, I didnt take it the wrong way, Im very thick skinned - some people have told me that some of my guitars are crap that others love. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Id much rather someone was honest than try not to hurt my feelings.
Frailers sold me the guitar 2nd hand - it may have had some work done to it, its 100 times better than the Gibson version. The only other OMI guitars Ive tried are wood body square necks that did sound "tinny" to my ears. I do own a Gibson dobro which is a pile of poo but, funnily enough, records quite well.
Apologies for the lack of apostrophes in this post - strange things are happening when I try to add them.
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 27, 2007 20:45:22 GMT
Hi Brad,
Welcome to our forum.
Thank you for your links to the catalogues. Very much appreciated.
Best wishes,
Shine On,
Michael.
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Post by Colin McCubbin on Apr 28, 2007 1:08:31 GMT
That OMI sales brochure is the same one that I have, and is, I believe the only one they ever issued. As you note, it has no date.
If you can, plese start a new thread and post a pic of the Kay, you never know, one of us may have the info somewhere...
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Post by Michael Messer on Apr 28, 2007 13:51:13 GMT
Somewhere hidden away in my house is a wonderful instruction leaflet that came with my model 33 - 'hello, I am your new Dobro....don't leave me in the sun or polish me with Ajax'....type of thing! I'll hunt it out and post it on this thread.
Last night I found some recordings of me playing the Dobro 33. All these years later it sounded pretty good. That giant cone certainly has a unique sound. I was pleasantly surprized by the tone of the guitar on these recordings. I remember Taj Mahal, Johnny Winter and one or two other well known players, using them in the 70s and 80s.
Sometime in the early 80s I ordered a new cone for my Duolian. When it arrived packed in a Jiffy Bag 3 or 4 weeks after I ordered it, it was squashed as flat as a pancake! I called OMI and they were sure it had been packed properly, but agreed to send me another which arrived safely. Then a year or two later I ordered a Dobro type cone from them and exactly the same thing happened, only this time they took more convincing before sending another. If my memory serves me correctly, I paid something towards the second one. They just weren't used to shipping cones across oceans and continents back then. I probably had to book a 'person to person' to call them!
Shine On,
Michael.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2007 15:46:45 GMT
There was another earlier catalog which has all the same pictures but different prices, and a different back page. The picture of the Dopyera's with the little story is on the back of it.
With the catalog you have shown there was also a flyer of their Solid Body Instruments.
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