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Old 12-17-2016, 06:56 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: The Isle of Albion
Posts: 22,068
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Hi, I've played Dobro square necks for many years - since about '75, but only had about three (four?)
They are the "spider cone" design.

My current one is a 1999 Gibson made one - so whilst it looks fine, they were (are?) built with the seat in the wrong place making the intonation about 1/4" out. They also have dreadful cones - which is the heart of the beast.

The bodies are plywood/laminate and are mostly just the housing.

Fortunately Beard make compensating spiders and cones to correct the build errors.

Beard and their cheaper Goldtone square necks are remarkably good,as are the Scheerhorn designs now offered by National.

I also play bottleneck and have had a Far-eastern made Tricone - which was very playable - nice neck, but tonally and volume wise was not a patch on the real thing.

I went for a National Style "O" Deluxe which was ,as they say, a "cannon" - very heavy very , very loud - bell brass body, maple neck, and , f course the biscuit cone arrangement.

As it really was too loud (and heavy) for what I needed I swapped it for a wooden body "Estralita" which is lighter and has a milder one.

These are my National and Dobro.

I don't know anything about the newer Gretsch branded jobs, apart from seeing on played by a busker ..and it wasn't very loud.
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Silly Moustache,
Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer.
I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom!

Last edited by Silly Moustache; 12-17-2016 at 07:01 PM.
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