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VIDEO: DIY Dobro Ideas... from Mailboxes to Paint Lids!

Posted by Shane Speal on October 19, 2018 at 8:57am in Feature Articles

Get that ol' Son House tone!  Here's some ideas for creating your own DIY Dobro... whether using a mailbox, inserting paint lids in your cigar box or even using actual resonator cones.   

I show you several instruments from my own collection in the video below.  Hopefully they inspire you to make your own clanging blues machine this weekend.

Thanks to sponsor, C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply and their new Hubcap Reso Cones.

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  • Andy Main October 23, 2018 at 9:36am

    Three of my Resonator Projects I have build

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    • Kigar > Andy Main October 24, 2018 at 7:31pm

      Super cool horse shoe headstock!

      • Andy Main > Kigar October 25, 2018 at 8:34am

        Thank you.

        This Fretless Cookie Tin Guitar sounds really nice.I sold this Guitar on a Blues Festival in Germany.

    • the anonymous pick > Andy Main October 24, 2018 at 4:03am

      ;-) I hope the  relation of "soap bar " pickups , on a " wash board" guitar  .. is not lost . :-)

      • Andy Main > the anonymous pick October 24, 2018 at 12:48pm

        The Relation is lost...The Washboard Lapsteel is only for dirty Blues ;-)

  • the anonymous pick October 21, 2018 at 3:42am

    And , i cant forget.....the bachelor pad....

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  • the anonymous pick October 21, 2018 at 3:27am

    I've made a few witch resos , using - a  goatskin tambourine (and microphone spring ) with  oven drip plate  sound holes .- A trash can bottom from the dollar store ,  - Inner  reso on the Gothicka (last pic )  is  actually a set of  brass  flowers  i found .They ring nice .

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  • Paul Craig October 20, 2018 at 12:58pm

    I made a Gas Can 4 string guitar that has an awesome reso sound to it, but after you made the "Pizza Dough-Bro" I made use of some guitar parts an a aluminum skillet that never got used in the kitchen to make my "Strat-O-Rez" guitar.

    The Strat-O-Rez guitar has a hidden benefit in that the aluminum skillet actually nullifies the 60 cycle hum from the single coil pickups. I didn't know it was the aluminum doing it til I read a write-up by Bill Lawrence(famous pickup making guru) about the effects of metal base plates, covers and pickguards on pickups.

    I recently stumbled upon a couple of old record turntable platters that are made of aluminum. They are around 11" diameter, but have a second inner diameter of 9" allowing you to trim away the outer material for a smaller cone. They have a spider bridge bracing already molded in and many have sound holes in them for projecting acoustically.306721829?profile=original306723028?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024306724312?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024306725413?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

  • John Sawyer October 20, 2018 at 1:23am

    Love it, Shane!... Have you tried a hammered resonator made from a #10 food can lid?  

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    • jeff weins > John Sawyer October 20, 2018 at 11:48pm

      John, my current project, acoustic tin can resonator, using a hammered #10 can lid. jeff306719682?profile=original

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