The 1980s might make you think of acid wash jeans and hair metal, but probably not acoustic resonator instruments, right? Well, despite what music dominated pop charts in those days, the Dobro brand—under the ownership of Original Musical Instruments (OMI) in Huntington Beach, CA—produced some classic-sounding, high-quality resonator family instruments throughout the 1980s. Originally introduced in 1970 as "Ye Olde Wooden Dobro," the Model 60 was the flagship of the Dobro brand under OMI ownership. Known as the "Uncle Josh" model (because Uncle Josh played one), it features a 24-1/2" scale and Dobro's signature single-cone resonator with a spider bridge. This design goes back to when Dobro began in 1929, and the Model 60D-S has a wooden body made of laminated Maple, which gives it a warmer, mellower sound than its metal-body cousins. Originally introduced with a square neck—intended for Hawaiian-style playing—this new resophonic instrument would come to be known as a "Dobro." And its unique, hound-dog sound would become instrumental to bluegrass, country, and Americana music. By 1988, the Dobro brand had changed hands a few times, but the instruments themselves didn't look, sound, or feel very different from how they did in the '30s. This 1988 Dobro Model 60D-S features a square neck and a fitting slotted peghead. It shows some wear and tear from the years—most notably the resonator cover plate in the picking area and the back of the headstock/neck, which show some small finish chips (see photos). There are some minor scuffs and scratches around the edges of the body, but not too much to argue with, considering its age! This 1988 Model 60D-S is everything you need to bring the authentic resophonic Dobro sound to your quiver. The extra tension of the dobro open G tuning drives the resonator way more than a resonator guitar, so you get plenty of volume and punch to cut through a bluegrass band. The original tuning machines still hold tuning nicely. It includes a good quality TKL hardshell case.
