The Resonator Guitar That’s a Staple in Country Music

The Resonator Guitar That’s a Staple in Country Music. You can find one at any guitar store, and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

Origins of the Resonator Guitar

The resonator guitar is a type of guitar that has a metal cone or resonator attached to the body. This cone amplifies the sound of the guitar and makes it louder. The resonator guitar originated in the 1920s and was first used in country and blues music. Let’s learn more about the history of this unique guitar.

National String Instrument Corporation

In the early 1920s, the National String Instrument Corporation was created in an effort to commercialize a new type of guitar known as the resonator guitar. This innovative instrument was designed to provide Loud volume and clear tone.

The first resonator guitars were developed by John Dopyera and George Beauchamp, who filed for a patent in 1927. Dopyera had previously worked with his brother Adolph to create the Dobro® brand name, which was adopted by the National String Instrument Corporation in 1932.

The Dobro® resonator guitar quickly became popular with country musicians who appreciated its loud volume and clear tone. Its unique sound can be heard on recordings by artists such as The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams. In recent years, the Dobro® has also gained popularity with rock and blues bands.

Dobro

In 1928, the Dopyera brothers created the Dobro (pronounced with a long O as in “bone”)resonator guitar. The Dobro was an innovation on the existing resonator guitar design, with its distinctive round metal body and single cone resonator. This new design gave the Dobro a louder, clearer sound than its predecessors. The Dobro quickly gained popularity among country and bluegrass musicians, and has remained a staple in those genres ever since.

How the Resonator Guitar Works

The resonator guitar is an acoustic guitar that has a metal resonator cone in the body. This cone amplifies the sound of the guitar and gives it a unique twang that is often associated with country music. The resonator guitar was first invented in the early 1920s and has been a staple in country music ever since. Let’s take a closer look at how the resonator guitar works.

The Body

The body of a resonator guitar is typically made of metal, though some are made of wood. The metal body is what gives the resonator guitar its distinctive sound. The metal body vibrates when the strings are plucked, and these vibrations are amplified by the resonator cones.

The cones are usually made of metal as well, though some are made of wood or other materials. The number and size of the cones varies, but most resonator guitars have at least three cones. The more cones there are, the louder the sound will be.

The body of the guitar is also typically outfitted with one or more F-holes. These holes help to project the sound of the instrument and give it its characteristic resonance.

The Sound

The sound of a resonator guitar is produced by one or more metal cones (resonators) placed in the body of the guitar. The cones amplify the vibrations of the strings and produce a unique, buzzing sound that is distinctive of resonator guitars.

The first resonator guitars were created in the early 1900s by John Dopyera and George Beauchamp of the National Guitar Corporation. These early instruments were bulky and difficult to play, but they helped to popularize the sound of the resonator guitar.

In 1927, Dopyera left National Guitar to form his own company, Dobro, and began producing a new style of resonator guitar with a single cone. This design was lighter and more portable than earlier models, and it quickly became popular with country and blues musicians.

Today, resonator guitars are manufactured by a number of companies and come in a variety of styles. They are most commonly played in country, bluegrass, and blues music, but they can be used for any type of music.

The Different Types of Resonator Guitars

There are many different types of resonator guitars available on the market, each with its own unique sound. The most popular type of resonator guitar is the Dobro, which is often used in country music. Other popular types of resonator guitars include the National, the Supro, and the Gretsch.

The Round Neck

The round neck resonator guitar is the most popular type of resonator guitar. It is also the most versatile, as it can be used for a wide range of genres, including country, rock, and blues. The round neck guitar is also the preferred choice for slide guitar.

The round neck resonator guitar has a large body that is typically made of wood, although some models may have a metal body. The metal body guitars are generally considered to be better for slide guitar because they produce a louder sound. The wood body guitars are typically lighter in weight and have more of an acoustic sound.

The neck of the round neck resonator guitar is attached to the body at the 14th fret. The fretboard generally has 20 frets and is made of rosewood or ebony. The nut, which is the width of the fretboard at the first fret, is usually made of bone or synthetic material.

The round neck resonator guitar usually has a single cone located in the center of the body. The cone is responsible for amplifying the sound of the strings. The type of cone used will affect the tone of the instrument. Aluminum cones produce a brighter sound while steel cones produce a warmer sound.

The Square Neck

For country music, the square neck resonator guitar is the most popular type. It is also known as a Dobro guitar, which is the name of the company that first manufactured them. These guitars have a distinctive sound that can be best described as twangy. They are played in a horizontal position with the strings facing up. The Dobro company was founded in California in 1928 and became very popular during the Great Depression era when people were looking for cheaper alternatives to expensive Hawaiian steel guitars. The company went bankrupt in 1986 but was revived in 1987 and continues to produce square neck resonators today.

Another type of resonator guitar is the round neck guitar, which as you might guess, has a round neck. These guitars are usually played in a vertical position with the strings facing down. They are not as popular as square necks for country music, but they are commonly used in other genres such as blues and rockabilly. Round neck guitars generally have a mellower sound than square necks.

The Electric

Electric resonator guitars are a new invention. They function in basically the same way as an acoustic guitar, but with the addition of electricity, they can be quite loud. This type of guitar is often seen in country music, and is played by attaching a pick-up to the soundboard.

Notable Players of the Resonator Guitar

The resonator guitar is a type of guitar that has been around since the 1920s. It is most commonly associated with country music, but it has also been used in rock, blues, and other genres. The resonator guitar is played by a number of notable musicians, including George Harrison, Ry Cooder, and Emmylou Harris.

Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers (born Leonard Slye) was an American singer and actor who became one of the most popular Western stars of his era. He and his wife Dale Evans were also one of the best-known celebrity couples in the United States. Rogers was known as the “King of the Cowboys”, and he appeared in more than 100 films and numerous radio and television episodes of The Roy Rogers Show.

Jerry Douglas

Jerry Douglas (born May 28, 1945) is an American musician who plays Dobro and lap steel guitar. He is best known for his work as a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station and his own band, The Jerry Douglas Band. In addition to his work in bluegrass music, Douglas has been active as a player or producer in many other genres, including country, rock, jazz, and blues. He has won fourteen Grammy Awards.

Douglas was born in Warren, Ohio, and raised in Marathon, Ohio. He started playing Dobro at the age of 8. When he was 14 he performed with the group Johnson Mountain Boys. At the age of 21 he joined J. D. Crowe & The New South where he recorded three albums with crowe over a span of two years (1975–1977). In 1980 he joined The Whites who had moderate success with their gospel-influenced country music. In 1982 he joined Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder which helped to launch his career as a highly sought-after session musician and sideman.

Derek Trucks

Trucks is an American slide guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter who has won a total of 12 Grammy Awards. He is one of the founding members of the rock band The Derek Trucks Band, and his musical style encompasses genres such as rock, blues, jazz, Indian classical music, and southern soul. He has released 11 solo studio albums and is a featured guest on other artists’ albums.

The Future of the Resonator Guitar

The resonator guitar is a type of guitar that has a metal resonator in the body. The resonator is what gives the guitar its unique sound. The resonator guitar is a staple in country music, and it has been used by some of the most famous country musicians in history. The resonator guitar is a unique instrument, and it is only getting more popular.

The Resophonic Guitar

Popularly known as the Dobro, the resophonic guitar is a staple in country music. It’s a type of resonator guitar that typically has a metal body and two cone-shaped resonators. The Dobro was first invented in the early 1920s, and it gained popularity in the 1930s when blues and country musicians began to use it.

The resonator guitar has a unique sound that is produced by the two metal cones. The cones amplify the sound of the strings and create a “resonating” effect. This gives the resonator guitar its characteristic “twangy” sound.

Resonator guitars are typically played with a slide, which is why they are often associated with slide guitarists like Duane Allman and Ry Cooder. They can be playedwith fingers or picks, but many Resonator players prefer to use slides because it gives them more control over the sound.

The resonator guitar is an important part of American music history, and it continues to be popular today. There are many different types of resonator guitars available, so you can find one that suits your style of playing.