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Electric Hawaiian guitar
Alternate name:Lap steel guitar
Maker: National Dobro Corporation
Date: 1936-1937 ca.
Place Made:Chicago, Illinois, United States, North America
Model: Dobro
Serial No: 1142
SignedLocated on body: DOBRO
MarkingsOn back of neck: 1142
DescriptionThe National and Dobro companies originally produced spun-aluminum cone resonator guitars in the 1920s. In 1935, these competitors merged under the leadership of the original inventors, the Dopyera brothers. While resonator guitars were much louder than all-wood-bodied instruments, they were still no match for electrics, and the National Dobro Company introduced this cast aluminum electric guitar in the Fall of 1935.
DimensionsHeight: 36.5" (923 mm)
Body Width: 5.5" (265 mm)
Fingerboard Length: 19 5/8" (500 mm)
Vibrating String Length: 25" (633 mm)
Body Width: 5.5" (265 mm)
Fingerboard Length: 19 5/8" (500 mm)
Vibrating String Length: 25" (633 mm)
Credit Line: Board of Trustees, 1999
Not on view
Published ReferencesTimothy D. Miller. The Origins and Development of the Pedal Steel Guitar. M.M. Thesis. Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 2007.
Object number: 06756