Frets on a dobro giutar

Nickie

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Does anyone know....why are there frets on a dobro guitar?
And...
Has anyone ever converted a dobro to a resonator guitar (played like a guitar, not a dobro, still using a slide on one finger)?
 
Dobro / Resonator = The same thing

:cool:
Hello Nicki :

These guitar have slight difference in the resonating aluminium cone inside , they both operate the same .

That said , you can play slide on either guitar . the difference is how you wish to play it .

Some play a Dobro slide only with the action set high and a big chunky thick neck that traditionally you play seated with it on your , with the action set high or you can get a regular shaped neck and lower the action to your liking so you can play it finger style or with a pick and use regular tuning as opposed to the many different open tunings .

Here's a Gretsch " Square Neck " Dobro played on the lap .
 
This finger style slide playing on a resonator :



Except for the name they are relatively the same and both can be set up for lap playing ( Square Necks do this mostly but not only them )

Finger style or lap , square neck or regular neck like this second Video .

EZ :

HR
 
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Does anyone know....why are there frets on a dobro guitar?

The frets are there to be visual aids if you're playing lap style on a square neck Dobro. A round neck Dobro can be played lap style or regular guitar style and would therefore need frets.

Has anyone ever converted a dobro to a resonator guitar (played like a guitar, not a dobro, still using a slide on one finger)?

Many folks play Dobros as a regular guitar or a slide guitar. My friend Ted has a National metal bodied guitar that he keeps in open D tuning and a round necked Dobro that he keeps in open G tuning. Ted doesn't play lap style, but is a great slide player.
Ted with national.jpg

My son Clay came to a jam and borrowed Teds National and used it to play lap style. Since he often plays slide, Ted keeps his resonator guitars with a relatively high action, so clay had no difficulty playing lap style.
Clay, me & Ted.jpg

The National guitars usually have a biscuit bridge and come in both square neck, for lap style and round neck for upright style. The Dobros usually have a spider bridge and also come in both style necks. The biscuit bridge gives a different (Many will say a bluesier) sound from a spider bridge (Many will say a country or bluegrass sound). Here I am with my friend Reg (a couple of decades ago at a bluegrass festival - note the stubby bottle on the hood of the truck) with his Dobro.
Jim&Reg.jpg
 
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