/r/Dobro
This subreddit is dedicated to those who love sliding into notes on a Dobro and making the crowd feel your emotion through playing. Share playing tips, where and how to buy, and anything reso-related. Also, please post videos of you or someone else dominating this under appreciated instrument.
This subreddit is dedicated to those who love
sliding into notes on a Dobro and making the
crowd feel your emotion through your playing.
Share playing tips, where and how to buy, and
post videos of you or someone dominating this
under appreciated instrument.
/r/Dobro
837 Subscribers
pedal order
For those of you using the Fishman Jerry Douglas Aura and a volume pedal, which order would you put them in?
19:39 UTC
Please help identify this Dobro
This is my dad's old guitar and I'm trying to learn more about it. There are no visible serial numbers or numbers/stampings of any kind on the outside. I have not opened it up, and I'd rather not do that if possible. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
13:52 UTC
Any good tips on eliminating pick noise?
my rolls are getting pretty good. Nice and consistent and a decent speed but I'm starting to really notice the sound of my picks against the strings? How'd y'all go about fixing this?
16:45 UTC
How many of you play without picks? Either fingertips or nails?
I’m fairly new and switch back and forth. I don’t plan to play heavy bluegrass so I’m not concerned about a traditional sound. But I’m curious what y’all do?
22:17 UTC
New Jerry Douglas interview
My podcast guest this week is the legendary Jerry Douglas
Jerry joins me again to chat about recording his first new album in six years. It's called 'The Set' and features the band Jerry's been playing with for a decade now.
He talks about what's special about playing with that band (which includes Daniel Kimbro, Mike Seal and Christian Sedelmyer) and why he chose to re-visit some tunes that will be familiar to his fans for this record, as well as new material, including 'The Fifth Season', which started out as a FreshGrass Festival commission.
We also chat about some of Jerry's other long standing collaborations, including Transatlantic Sessions, the Telluride House Band and Alison Krauss and Union Station. Jerry reveals AKUS have not one but two new albums recorded, and also talks about a big change to the line-up, with Dan Tyminski leaving the band.
11:00 UTC
I am Weary
23:28 UTC
Do you curve your finger picks?
Hey, I'm a bluegrass dobro player. Been playing for about a year and half. The other day I borrowed my banjo players finger picks during a jam and his picks follow the curve of his fingers completely, there is bassically no tip that extends off his fingers. I know that there is certanly some personal preference at play here, but what do you all do? Is there a relatively agreed upon standard?
15:02 UTC
Progress so far…
Ok so it’s been nearly two months since I started trying to learn the dobro - I love it but I need to work on my intonation/rhythm. Any tips on nailing intonation?? 🤔🤔🤔
21:01 UTC
Upgrading el-cheapo reso cone?
I'm a guitar player in Australia and would like to dabble in playing some Dobro without spending too much - but they are few and far between here. I did play a Gretsch BoxCar squareneck but it didn't appeal. There was a Recording King Phil Leadbetter that I almost bought but hesitated and it got sold before I decided to jump and the store won't be getting any more in. Lots of googling and I think a used PBS Goldtone or one of the other Recording King models could work but there just aren't any around. I'm mainly a guitar player so don't want to spend too much - the one new PBS I see for sale is just a bit beyond my budget unfortunately.
Now there are a few quite cheap square necks I see online here but I cant play them - I don't live near any of the bigger cities - and was wondering if purchasing cheap reso but then swapping out to a quality cone is worth considering or would this be a fools errand?
07:34 UTC
Best straps for dobro?
My older cloth strap is starting to fray. What are the better leather straps out there?
15:47 UTC
Show your Dobro!
A Christmas gift from my Wife, 1979 square neck.. I even play my acoustic on my lap now.
22:04 UTC
Song Recommendations
So I’ve picked up the dobro after a few years off and started out learning Hymn of Ordinary Motion - I love it…nearly have it down.
Any recommendations of tunes like it I can try next??
17:27 UTC
Need Pickup suggestion/advice
I have a Epiphone Dobro Hound Dog Deluxe round neck that came with the “fishman electonics”. From that I can tell this is just a wire connecting the cone to the pickup jack.
I love the instrument, with the exception that the pickup sounds tinny. I have having to do a massive (-75%) cut on my top end of the mix to get it to sound balanced and not over powered by the treble.
I would like to install a new pickup. What would you all suggest? I have been looking at the “spider bridge” pickup that Fishman makes, but didn’t know if there was a better option that I should look at.
Because of the design of the sound holes I can’t put anything between the neck and the resonator cover, like those thin hum bucker-esc pickups.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
04:38 UTC
Just got my first square neck.
I’ve been looking at the gold tones and other imports when stumbled upon this handmade mahogany built by a local builder. $1000 which was only a couple hundred more than I was anticipating spending so went for it Craftsmanship top-notch and I kind of dig the unique top with figured mahogany. Tone really nice despite my Lackluster skill set.
21:15 UTC
Best value entry level dobro
I’ve been playing guitar and banjo for years, but I have developed a skin condition on my hands/fingers that makes fretting very painful at times sooooo thinking when I have a flareup, I can practice using a slide. Not looking to get cheaply-made import but not opposed to decent quality import. Any recommendations?
18:48 UTC
Lessons or resources for playing out of C?
Hi all! I've been playing dobro about 10 years, but I've never been comfortable playing out of C. Partly that's because the groups I play with just don't play all that many songs in C. But when those songs cycle in, my dobro chops are pretty wanting.
Anybody have any favorite lessons or books or other resources? Or perhaps some good dobro tunes played in C shape to learn from? Or is it more about closed/movable licks than C-shape specific licks? What're y'all doing? Thanks!
17:25 UTC
Did not pack the Dobro.
Went away for the holiday weekend. Missing that Dobro right now.
01:40 UTC
Help identifying strange wooden dobro
09:42 UTC
Do you use a capo?
I recently watched a few good videos by DobroJoe(big shout out! He’s awesome) and he taught a handful of great licks all in closed positions. I started jamming with those and thought, do I really need a capo to change keys? Of course the answer is likely that you want one sometimes. But I’d be curious to hear thoughts.
16:59 UTC
Do you approach playing with an electric band differently than an acoustic band?
I’ve been practicing a lot lately with some electric country backing tracks just to work on some fills and licks here and there, but it seems like everything I play ends up being very bluegrass-y. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing, I was curious if you all approach the dobro differently when playing with an electric band?
17:41 UTC
Slipping Fingerpicks
Thought I’d share a solution I found to keep fingerpicks from sliding off of my old fingers. I Gorilla glued strips of rubber bands on the inside of the picks! Works like a charm!
15:27 UTC
I am Weary
23:59 UTC
Square Neck Boxcar
Just picked up a Gretch Boxcar on EBay for a very low price. I play lapsteel and already have a few nice instruments (newer and vintage) which are all in open D. I often capo with a Charlie Capo for tunes in E, F, and G. I got bit by the bluegrass bug and am working on flatpicking guitar after years of finger style blues playing. I could see going to a hip shot to alter tunings but I think I can find all the rock riffs I need in open G.
I realize this Gretch is not the best instrument but seemed like a good bang for the buck to explore Bluegrass Open G and also the typical standing position for dobro. Right now I have a steel tricone with a nut riser in this tuning but it weighs a metric ton. If I fall in love I can take my time and trade up to something of quality.
I also bought my wife an old Deering Goodtime on the cheap as she’d like to explore that instrument. Once she gets used to the tuning she’ll murder it as she’s a serious classical player with crazy good technique.
Any cheap or free (YouTube) teaching you’d recommend to get some bluegrass licks and techniques going? Any tips for the incoming Boxcar? Best strings?
Thanks all! Happy Sliding!
11:45 UTC
What tunings do you use? When?
I am relatively new to the dobro, although I have been playing slide guitar in standard tuning, open E, and open G for a long time. I am really enjoying the square neck in Dobro/High G tuning, and have been dabbling with open D. They are both so fun. However, I am curious when is best to use each tuning... Is there a standard bunch of styles or keys where one is better over the other?
What tuning(s) do you use? How did you decide which one(s) to play? Do you vary from song to song?
00:58 UTC
Was gifted a Dobro recently. I don't know the finer points & haven't watched much on learning to play. Feel free to give me feedback. I like how it handles vocals, but if you see anything I can work on let me know - this was my first time recording with one & I chose a weird song to start with!
17:23 UTC
Beard Gold Tone PBS vs PBS-D vs PBS-M
posted on r/Bluegrass as well
Time to upgrade the dobro I think. Definitely leaning towards one of these. As far as the look goes I think I like the PBS-D but how it sounds trumps everything and I'm not from a big enough city where I can go out and try a bunch. Anyone familiar? Seems the PBS and PBS-M are mahogany and PBS-D is curly maple? What's the difference in tone?
Any other differences I should consider?
21:38 UTC