1932 Dobro Model 27 Black
Dobro Model 27 c 1932 | $1625 | (v2108) In 1928 John and Rudy Dopyera left their brothers and the National Company in California to form the Dobro Corporation. These two patented and marketed a 'spider' type resonator setup, different from that of a National. By 1932 Dobro sales were good, so the brothers licensed Regal in Chicago to begin manufacturing the wood bodies for their Dobro and other branded resonator instruments. The metal parts were supplied by Dobro and the wooden parts by Regal. Based on the patent number stamped on the cover plate, this guitar dates to the 1932-33 time period.
The Model 27 was an entry level guitar, but shared the same innards as the more expensive offerings. The body is made from plywood, and painted black with, oddly, a sunburst on the back and neck. This is the fourth black Dobro Model 27 we've offered, but this iteration is actually pretty rare. The neck is made from poplar and carved in a 'V' shape. The fingerboard is an ebony replacement of the 'ebonized' original, with a carbon fiber rod installed for stiffness. Both original and replacement boards are a 10" radius. The head stock sports the Dobro decal.
The body measures 14 1/4" across the lower bout. Scale length is 25". The fingerboard measures 1 13/16" across at the nut and string spacing is 2 5/16" at the saddle.
The guitar retains its original cone, spider and cover plate. The tuners, tailpiece and end pin are original. The finish is the original paint.
We recently reset the neck to a steeper angle to allow for better playing and break angle over the saddle, which provides optimal sound. The fingerboard, saddle and frets are replacements. The finish is original but shows signs of use from time. There are a numbe of nicks and scratches but overall remains a snappy looking guitar.
The action is set at about 5 & 6/64" and the guitar plays smoothly. This is a solid guitar that plays well, looks cool, and provides the classic 'high and lonesome' Dobro sound.
Comes with a soft case.
Check out the sound clip!
Cash, checks, PayPal, money orders or bank wire. We don't accept credit cards at this point.
We ship usually within a day of payment. International customers, we are not CITES certified. Any guitar with CITES-protected materials (Brazilian rosewood, ivory et al) shipped outside the US will be shipped at the risk of the buyer.
Forty-eight hour test drive on all instruments..if not to your liking, return for refund minus shipping costs.