Today, October 12, 2026, 100 years from the day that Slovakian immigrant John Dopyera filed his first patent application in the US for a resonator guitar, a new web site has been launched online celebrating the achievement, and the rich heritage of the Dobro company built by Dopyera and his brothers.
The resonator or resophonic guitar was so synonymous with the Dobro company in the 20th century, that for many years every such instrument was tagged as a “dobro,” regardless of the manufacturer. That still holds true today, when the instrument is widely described as such among players.
In short, what is referred to as a “dobro” is a wooden-bodied guitar, typically with a squared-off and much thicker neck, and a resonator installed in the body. The resonator is essentially an aluminum speaker cone driven by the vibrations of the strings by a bridge that is mated with the center of the cone. Some are strung like a regular guitar, but most have the strings raised considerably off the fretboard, and are played with a bar or slide.
The Dobro brand is now owned by Gibson, who manufactures under that trade name, but there are many other fine builders of high-quality, professional-grade resophonic guitars all over the world.
The Resonating Heritage web site (dobroheritage.org) is a project of Peter Gašpar and Henrich Novák, which has as part of its mission to have the the resonator system of acoustic musical instruments officially added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Slovak Republic.
They plan to trace the heritage of the instruments from the Dopyeras forward, and are asking for assistance from resonator guitarists, fans, and historians worldwide. On the site are links to submit video tributes in support of this effort, and to share the site with your friends and followers.
Best of luck to Peter and Henrich in having the Dobro guitar so recognized in the Slovak Republic!
