Blues, Bluegrass, and Beyond: 1936 National Resonator Guitar at Guitar Center and a Brief History of Resonator Guitars

At the Guitar Center in Robinson Township Pennsylvania playing the 1936 National resonator guitar with a glass bottleneck slide. Photo original.

Recently I have been rekindling my appreciation for resonator guitars. Upon coming across a 1936 National Duolian resonator guitar at Guitar Center, my interest had become sparked once again in resonator instruments. However, before I tell you about my experience, let me give you a brief history of resophonic guitars.

Modern Dean metal-bodied acoustic-electric resonator guitar featuring a biscuit resonator pot and a piezo 'lipstick' pickup. Picture original.

Resonator guitars were originally created in an effort to amplify an acoustic guitar's natural sound before electric guitars were invented. During the early 20th century, acoustic guitars were used in antiquated dance orchestras and brass bands. However, the wind instruments would drown out the sound of the acoustic guitars. In 1927, Slovak luthier, John Dopyera was confronted by a guitarist known as George Beauchamp with a request for a guitar loud enough to play alongside brass and wind instruments. Dopyera and Beauchamp together formed the legendary National String Instrument Corporation in 1927. The first guitars the company produced featured metal bodies and tricone resonators. Tricone resonators consist of three conical aluminum resonators joined by a T-shaped aluminum bar that supports the bridge. In 1928, John Dopyera left National, and started Dobro Manufacturing Company, and began producing resonator guitars called Dobros. In his native tongue of Slovakian, Dobro means "goodness". However, instead of using tricone resonators in his guitars, Dopyera employed a concave resonator known as the 8-leg aluminium spider, which created more sound amplification than National's tricone; could be used in both metal and wood bodies, and proved cheaper to produce. Until the 1940's resonator guitars gained expanding acclaim as other noteworthy companies such as Gibson, Hound Dog, and Regal produced competing models.

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John Dopyera holding a resophonic violin. Picture courtesy of www.wikipedia.com

Resonator guitars proved to be the perfect instrument for those seeking to play 'Hawaiian' and 'Island' music. During the late 1920's and early 1930's the popularity of Hawaiian music played with a steel or slide on a resonator guitar became a fad. As a result, many companies began to engrave island scenes on their metal-bodied guitars. However, the fad soon disappeared leaving an abundance of resonator guitars for sell at cut rate prices. Due to availability and price of these instruments, they became a favorite for country blues artists in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Blues musicians and legends such as Robert Johnson, Son House, Fred McDowell, and Tampa Red developed new styles of guitar playing using bottleneck glass slides made from wine bottles, brass slides, and resonator guitars. The genre of music they created is known as Delta Blues and Country Blues. These musicians along with resonator guitars laid the foundations of blues, which would later inspire famous names in music such as Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones. Look below for a video sample of Delta Blues.

Legendary Blues musician, Son House. Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folk Ways.

Resonator guitars also found a home in Bluegrass music. While the blues-men of the Southeastern United States used mostly round-necked, metal bodied instruments with tricone and biscuit resonators, Bluegrass 'Dobroists' preferred wooden, square necked instruments boasting aluminum spider resonators. The instrument's square neck allowed for the string action to be higher, or in other terms the strings were raised farther off the fret-board. This allowed a musician to use a metal bar called a steel to play the instrument. Josh Graves introduced the resonator guitar into bluegrass by playing his instrument alongside Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. Graves developed a system of finger-picking using 3 fingers that emulated Scruggs's banjo picking style. Other artists such as Jerry Douglas incorporated hard driving rhythms using resonator guitars. Today, the resonator guitar is still a staple of bluegrass music. Look below for a video by Dobro instructor, Troy Brenningmeyer, to hear Josh Graves famous Foggy Mountain Rock.

The Father of Bluegrass Dobro, Josh Graves. Picture courtesy of www.wikipedia.com

As World War II ravaged the world, the American government required National, Dobro, and other companies to end production of their resonator guitars, and instead use their metal in the war effort. When production resumed after the war, the craze of electric guitar ended the popularity of resonator guitars. Postwar resonator guitars were built with thinner resonators and lesser woods, than their prewar cousins. This created a market for prewar instruments and made them more valuable.

Modern Regal Bluegrass Dobro. This instrument features an 8-leg aluminum spider resonator. Photo original.

Click here to view the 1936 National guitar Guitar Center is selling, and to find more vintage instruments.

Recently, Guitar Center has been getting into the market of vintage instruments. The last time I was strolling about the display of acoustic guitars at Guitar Center, as I had mentioned, I came across a 1936 National Duolian steel-bodied, 14 fret, resonator guitar. While the instrument's neck had a few scrapes, this instrument was a gem worth every penny of its $4,000 price tag. The guitar was adorned with an engraved island scene on its brushed steel body. I asked a salesman at the store to remove the instrument from its case so I could try the instrument out for myself. Unfortunately, the clerk left before I had an opportunity to ask him to tune the instrument (I was squeamish to tune it to open G or Vestapol myself, lest the rusty old strings would break). However, even with strings in need of replacement, one could easily tell the superiority of this instrument against that of newer resonator guitars. Its heavier body, thicker neck, and fuller tone boasted of a bygone era. For just a moment, I had the opportunity to hold a piece of history in my hands.

Click here to learn more about vintage National guitars.