I always loved the blues and although I am a big fan of electric blues, such as SRV, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and BB King, I have always especially liked the sound of slide guitar. I have tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to master slide guitar playing, and really admire people like Warren Haynes, Duane Allman, Ry Cooder and the countless other blues players that make it look so easy. I purchased this guitar from my Gibson dealer with the hopes of making myself learn to play slide guitar. After that did not happen, I shaved the bridge down so I could play her like a normal acoustic guitar. Often guitars used specifically for slide guitar playing (like this one) have very high action and the strings can be a quarter of an inch off the fretboard as you do NOT actually fret the notes when playing slide.

The history of the Dobro (resonator) guitars can be traced back to the 1920’s when people started to search for a louder guitar. George Beauchamp, a Los Angeles guitarist, took his vision of a mechanically amplified instrument to John Dopyera and his brother Rudy, who were Slovakian immigrants who had already patented several improvements for banjos. John Dopyera perfected a design utilizing three aluminum cones, Rudy suggested a metal body to enhance the amplification, and the National tri-cone resonator guitar was born in 1927.

The next year, John Dopyera left National and began developing a more affordable wood body guitar which had a single-cone and then later in 1928 introduced his invention under the name DOBRO. National responded with its own single-cone guitar and after each side sued the other, they merged in 1932 to form the National-Dobro company. However, with the introduction of the electric guitar sales declined rapidly. Production stopped after World War II until 1967, at which time the Dopyera family members formed the Original Musical Instrument Company and made resonator guitars under the Hound Dog brand name until 1970, when they finally reacquired the DOBRO name.

Gibson Musical Instruments acquired O.M.I. in 1993 and they offer a full line of both wooden and metal resonator instruments today. The DM33 model is available in a variety of finishes (different patterns etched into the metal). This particular instrument has a Hawaiian motif with palm trees etched in the front and the back. The chrome-plated bell brass body, biscuit bridge and 101/2" inverted resonator cone give the DM33 power and punch. Upgraded with the modern player in mind, the radiused rosewood fingerboard and 14 fret neck make this guitar easy to play.