Dobro
31Also known as: Dopyera Brothers
UnclaimedDobro is an American resonator guitar brand founded in 1928 by the Dopyera brothers — John, Rudy, Emile, Robert, and Louis — along with partner Vic Smith. The name is a contraction of "Dopyera Brothers" and doubles as a Slovak word meaning "good," giving rise to the company's early motto: "Dobro means good in any language." The brothers' single outward-facing resonator cone design was developed...
$379.00 - $499.00
in Resonators Rank
$498.00 - $799.00
in Resonators Rank
$379.00 - $499.00
in Resonators Rank
$199.97 - $499.00
in Resonators Rank
Dobro is an American resonator guitar brand founded in 1928 by the Dopyera brothers — John, Rudy, Emile, Robert, and Louis — along with partner Vic Smith. The name is a contraction of "Dopyera Brothers" and doubles as a Slovak word meaning "good," giving rise to the company's early motto: "Dobro means good in any language." The brothers' single outward-facing resonator cone design was developed as a louder, more affordable alternative to the tricone and biscuit-bridge instruments produced by the National String Instrument Corporation, where John Dopyera had previously worked.
The brand changed hands several times over the decades before being acquired by Gibson in 1993 and eventually placed under its Epiphone subsidiary for manufacturing in Nashville, Tennessee. Key models include the Hound Dog series — the Hound Dog Roundneck, Hound Dog Deluxe Roundneck (with Fishman electronics), and the Hound Dog M-14 Metalbody with a bell brass body — as well as the Phil Leadbetter Signature squareneck resonator. The word "dobro" has also become a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar, a testament to the brand's lasting influence.
Dobro resonator guitars are closely associated with bluegrass, country, and roots music. Jerry Douglas, a 14-time Grammy winner described by The New York Times as "Dobro's matchless contemporary master," is the instrument's most celebrated modern player. Earlier pioneers include Josh Graves, who developed the bluegrass resonator style by adapting Earl Scruggs's three-finger banjo picking to the instrument, and Bashful Brother Oswald, who introduced the Dobro to country music through his work with Roy Acuff beginning in 1939.
Dobro has 18 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Resonators, Solid Body Electric Guitars, and Acoustic & Acoustic-Electric Basses. Their gear is featured by 26 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Folk, World, & Country. Notable users include Kid Rock, Eric Clapton, and Billie Joe Armstrong.
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