circa 1935/40 DOBRO M35 – Fiddle Edge
It’s well established that metal body DOBRO resonators were made by DOBRO in Los Angeles California and Regal in Chicago Illinois only between 1935 and 1940, that’s it and they were all fiddle edge.
And my oh my is this guitar a stunner, all original with no excuses. Second one I have been fortunate to find and offer.
This example is the sought after “sunburst” finish with the segmented F holes. And like all metal DOBROs of this era it has the 14 fret neck with a bound Brazilian rosewood fret board (some have the red bean wood). All on a comfy V shaped mahogany round neck. Cool engraved Kluson tuners and the gold metal flake paddle head stock only known to be on some of the M35s.
The finish on the neck of this one was chipping off, so luthier Ross Teigen (he’s a genius) amalgamated the finish to reform and tighten up. Great job, no finish added or taken away and now smooth and comfortable. Along with that work was a neck reset and set up. The inspection was amazing and revealed that astonishingly nobody had messed around inside this one and the cone, spider bridge are all original, un damaged and intact. No funny business found.
The construction of the Regal/Dobro metal body was quite different than National guitars. Regal/Dobro tops and backs were fastened to the sides with a unique rolled method that required no soldering. The resulting lip around the edges gave rise to the name “Violin Edge” or “Fiddle Edge” as it was known around the factory. This construction method was only used from 1935 to 1940. All later model metal Dobro’s which were in production by Gibson from the 1970s to the present are easily identifiable because they lack this fiddle edge. The small holes seen are factory original for a pick guard bracket, most examples we’ve encountered came with these and like this one, most pick guards are long ago lost.
These metal body spider cone resonator guitars differ from the metal body National Style O Single cone resonators in that (we believe) they project a crisper, more clear volume. The haunting sound of a spider cone is what both blues and country slide players seek.
All work of absolutely stunning caliber with action set for finger style slide play by even the most accomplished of players.
Not many of these vintage resonator guitars out there in such honest condition. This one even has it’s original case that it came with as shown in the catalogs.
This is a truly magnificent musical instrument.
Watch one of the country’s very best reso players, Frank Corso give her a ride in the videos.
Year: ca 1935-1940
Manufacturer: National / DOBRO Guitar Company
Model: M35 Dobro Guitar
Case: Original Hard
Color: Sunburst
Condition: Excellent
