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| Looks like I may still owe $20, so, schtum! |
DOBROS and NATIONALS; OLD SCHOOL HEAVY METAL
I GREW UP IN JOHNNY WINTER COUNTRY. When Johnny wasn't tearing open the sky on a reverse-body Gibson Firebird, the pride of Beaumont, Texas was frequently seen and heard with a crazy metal guitar which sounded like a garbage can strung with barbed wire. Well, I had to have one. And I wasn't about to let the fact that I'd never seen one (or know what one was) stop me. I ordered a shiny Dobro decorated with clouds and palm trees, sight unseen, all sales final. Thirty years later, here's what I know now that I didn't know then:
DOBRO IS MERELY A BRAND NAME,
one derived from the names of John DOpyera and his BROther, Rudy, who,in 1927, introduced a metal acoustic guitar with 3 aluminimum "Speakers". The design was, and is, called a Tricone, and the new company was called "National". Dobro brand actually came a bit later.
OLD-TIMEY COWBOYS DIDN'T PLAY 'EM
Watch any Civil-War horse opera. Bet your spurs that the cowpokes will ride into Deadwood to the strains of a National steel guitar. Ironic, given that the Tricone, introduced in the era of the Deusenberg, was an Art-Deco technological marvel. Amps didn't exist yet, so this was the last word in MECHANICAL amplification. Dig into a Tricone with metal fingerpicks, and you'll unleash a roar sufficient to overpower any Martin D28 or Gibson J200.
OLD BLUESMEN DIDN'T PLAY 'EM
As soon as tube amplifiers became viable, Nationals and Dobros were rendered obsolete in matters of loudness. Under the bed they went, awaiting the blues resurgence of the late 1960's, when their greasy, back porch Delta vibe was just the ticket for suburban bluesmen.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY STEEL GUITAR. EVEN IF THE GUITAR IS MADE OF STEEL.
"Steel guitar" is a technique. The squareneck guitar lays in your lap (or on a stand) and is played with a solid bar (or "steel").
What most of us play is "Slide".
THEY'RE TOUGH TO AMPLIFY
Mic 'em. Preferably with a phantom-powered condenser mic in a solo setting.
SM57s are okay, but SIT STILL!
AUDIENCES LOVE THEM
RECORDING ENGINEERS LOVE THEM
CHICK SINGERS LOVE THEM
OTHER ACTS ON THE BILL LOVE THEM
It's like showing up to the gig with a Labrador puppy.
CHOOSE YOURS WISELY:
LAP vs CONVENTIONAL (square/round neck)
BLUES/HAWAIIAN , vs BLUEGRASS/TRAD COUNTRY (Tricone/Biscuit with metal body, or Cone and Spider with wood body)
EASE OF PLAY/ACCESS, or MAXIMUM VOLUME/SUSTAIN (14 fret solid headstock, or 12 fret slotted).
That's about all you have to think about. Except thumbpicks, fingerpicks, slide material, steel type, and microphone/ amp issues. Oh, and open tunings.
Nice Blog Sherman! Really liked the story on the White Falcon! About the National Story: some real Bluesmen did play nationals, including Tampa Red(first to record with a Tricone in 28'), Bo Carter, Son House, Booker White, and Peetie Wheatstraw(better known for piano), just to name a few. Even though the Tricone model was introduced first, the single cone models(Duolian, Triolian, and style O) we're the models that saved the company from the great depression.
ReplyDeleteAbove post from Brian "Hash Brown" Calway. Thanks for the elucidation!
ReplyDelete@Hash Brown-did you ever DJ or work with KNON radio station in Dallas? I used to listen to Don O(rtiz) on Friday nights and every once in a while there was mention of a "Hash Brown" but it's been a long time. I'm really getting an education here. I thought Dobro's and National's were two different types of guitars and that "Cowboy" Jack Clements of Sun Studios in Memphis was the pride of Beaumont, but what do I know. By the way Sherm, I picked up a small jewelry box full of picks at a garage sale a long time ago but the finger picks are too small. They're probably so old that they are worth less than I paid for them but if the shoe fits you just became Cinderfella.
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