Dobro Tuning

[Mairena Red]

Hi Michael,

As you may recall from previous contributions to this site, I'm the proud owner of a Regal RD45. It's a round neck model and I bought it originally to play bottleneck blues Spanish style. However, having brought a Dobro style guitar, I thought it would be fun to learn how to play a bit of bluegrass Dobro and I bought the Jerry Douglas and Cindy Cashdollar tuition DVDs at the London Resonator Centre on a recent trip to London.

Both were an absolute revelation, thought the Cindy Cashdollar DVD is probably more suited to absolute beginners like me. However, both DVDs recommend the use of "Dobro tuning" i.e. GBDGBD. I currently use a set of 15-56 Michael Messer National red label strings and normally have the guitar tuned in open G (DGDGBD). Am I likely to damage the neck by tuning up to GBDGBD? I'm also having difficulty finding a Stevens Bar both locally and in London. Any idea where I can buy one off the net?

All the best,

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

[Michael Messer]

Hi Joe,

The Newtone National strings 15 to 56 gauge are absolutely fine for Dobro G tuning (GBDGBD) on square neck instruments. On a round neck instrument, I would recommend that you tune it up to GBDGBD and after playing it, tune the bass strings back down to DGD. I did this for years on a 1930 Style O with a round neck and no truss rod, and it was fine. If you are worried and want to leave the guitar in GBDGBD, just go a bit lighter on the bottom, or get some Newtone strings for Weissenborn Hawaiian guitars. They are 15 to 56 but with thinner cores, this brings them up to pitch at lower tension. All these things are a bit like driving a car and feeling when to change gear, you just know when it feels right.

RE: Stevens bars...The LRC sell them....I think. Otherwise Elderly and numerous other online stores. Personally speaking, I use a Hawaiian bullet for country Dobro, I prefer it to the Stevens style bars. It is more fluid and better for slant chords, and if I want to do 'pull-offs' I just flip it over and use the other end. The best bars available these days appear to be the Scheerhorn ones Elderly sell these I think), closely followed by Lap Dawg, which is marketed by Jim Dunlop. I have a couple of old Stevens bars which are pretty nice, I am sure they turn up on eBay....most things do!

I know that Rob Ickes sells Scheerhorn bars from his website. If you are into Dobro playing you should listen to some of his music. His band is Blue Highway....check out Midnight Storm, it is a wonderful album (a must have album!). His solo stuff is pretty cool too....check out Slide City.

Keep in touch & let us know how the Dobro playing comes along.

Shine On
Michael.

[LouisianaGrey]

I'll plug my current favourite the Smith bar,which is bigger and heavier than the Lapdawg, but cheaper than the Scheerhorn. Jim Heffernan sells them on his site at www.jimmyheffernan.net/

If anyone's interested in lap style, by the way, Sally van Meter is over in the UK next month and will be doing some workshops in Glasgow and Manchester - probably in the London area too. Email me off-list if you want to know more.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Pete,

Is Sally doing any shows, or just workshops?

Jim Heffernan is a great Dobro player. I first saw him play in Nashville in the late 1970s, I believe the band was Raintree (?)... and sometime in the mid 80s in Nashville I bought a great album of instrumentals by Jim called.....wait for it....."Dobro".

Shine On,
Michael.

[LouisianaGrey]

Michael,
She's playing at Didmarton bluegrass festival (2nd -4th September www.didmarton-bluegrass.co.uk/) but other than that as far as I know it's mainly the workshops. There's no dates announced on her website although she's over for a month or so. If I hear any more I'll let you know.

[Michael Messer]

Thanks Pete,

Shine On,
Michael.

[Mairena Red]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the swift response, you are a true star. I will follow your advice on tuning up and down as I would still like to continue to play bottleneck blues in open G and open D between attempts at getting my head around some bluegrass licks. I imagine that tuning up and down will shorten the life of my strings but it's a small price to pay for prolonging the life of my guitar . I may give the Weissenborn strings a try if I find that the guitar is spending more time in the higher tuning. I suppose the ultimate answer is to buy a square neck Dobro style guitar but that will have to wait for an improvement in my playing (as well as the thumbs up from She Who Must Be Obeyed).

Re the Stevens bar, I tried the LRC when I was over in July, but they had none in stock. They were also out of King slides, which is a shame as I was keen to try them out. I will check out Elderly and the Rob Ickes site and experiment with both a Stevens bar and a Hawaiian bullet. Incidentally, thanks for the tip about the Smith bar, Pete, I will try one of those as well.

Re music, thanks for the tip about Rob Ickes, I seem to remember that you recommended him on an earlier thread along with Jerry Douglas and some of the earlier players like Bashful Brother Oswald and Josh Graves. I will check them all out. I´ll be Nashville bound in no time ;D.

All the best,

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

[Michael Messer]

Hi Joe,

Always a pleasure to advise a budding Dobro player!

I spoke with Ron at LRC yesterday....the King Slides are now in stock.

Shine On,
Michael.

[Richard]

Joe
I can sell you a Stevens bar, with virtually no slides on the clock - I just did not like it from the word go....... let know.

[Deleted]

I posted a thread a few weeks back entitled "Slippery Little Customer" in reference to my inability to get to grips, quite literally, with a Hawaiian bullet. Alas, no magic solution was forthcoming other than practice ...

I have persevered since then and I'm finding it much easier, even in this sweaty weather. I think its partly down to developing muscles my left hand never knew existed and partly that I'm now taking the weight on the strings more rather than holding it up all the time.

So, I guess my advice would be not to disregard the bullet straight away. I get on with it much better than the Stevens bars and the tone, on my dobro at least, is better than glass (sorry Ian, if you are reading).

[Michael Messer]

It does take practice to use a Hawaiian bullet, but I believe it is worth it in the end. However...numerous modern Dobro players would disagree.

Funnily enough, while thinking about your comments, I don't really remember going through the learning curve of using these tools. I just grew with them naturally. The first time I went to Gruhn Guitars in Nashville in 1978/9, George gave me a Stevens bar & a Hawaiian bullet made by Dobro. I just went from there playing with both tools until eventually I stopped using the bar. The fact that my technique is text book correct, is only because I did what was comfortable and gave me a good tone.

You really do need a metal bar/bullet/slide...to play lap style Dobro, lap steel, or Hawaiian guitar on a Tricone. I know one or two folks are using glass bullets and getting a good tone, but there are always exceptions to every rule.

I wish I understood cars as well as I understand slide guitar, I wouldn't have spent the last two hours yelling at my mobile phone in the street!!!

Shine On,
Michael.

[Mairena Red]

Richard,

Thanks for the offer, I will contact you directly by e-mail.

All the best,

Joe