DOBRO 12-String Resonator Guitar - Moseley Era - Ultra Rare Collector/Player Model

1966 Moseley/Mosrite Dobro Electric 12 string guitar

“Columbia Electric” Extremely Rare Collector/Investor-grade, electric acoustic DOBRO 12-String Resonator Guitar.

It is ribbon-grained, African Mahogany (Sapelle) with a double-bound Indian Rosewood fingerboard. Semie Moseley of Mosrite took over the Dobro operation from the Dopyera brothers in 1966. Their factory was based in Gardena California. The first instruments that Mosrite made were assembled from original Dopyera parts in the Gardena factory. Semi phased in his own components and concepts. After about 12 months, Mosrite relocated the business to Bakersfied. The early guitars from Gardena have the serial number on the top of the headstock. Bakersfield built instruments have the serial number stamped into the last fret on the top of the body. This rare 12-string is Serial No. 511127 stamped into the top of the headstock. We've only seen 8 other 12-string DOBRO electric guitars in the last 47 years.

This instrument is in very good Condition. It has never been oversprayed or refinished. There are small dings & scuffs, but none through the finish. Overall it shines. It comes in a non-original, hard shell case.

It has a Mosrite neck for bottleneck style play. Tyical to Mosrite necks, there is a stainless steel screw on the back which adjusts the neck angle, making it easy to change the action height to suit your personal style.

Mosely was well known for his pickups & necks; this guitar shows why. It’s neck reminds me of his electric guitars, great action on a thin profile, really easy to play. And the pickup shines like few others. I dialed in sustain like “Running on Empty” & clean like Hawaiian, Country or Bluegrass. When boosted, I controlled feedback like I’ve experienced with few pickups. And Duane Allman/Derek Trucks/Warren Haynes tones are there as well. Pretty darned versatile & impressive.

The electronics are clean and the volume/tone pots work, spin freely and have no static. The pickup cover looks new. The neck is a zero fret and the action is low, although easily adjustable. I use a slide with no problem.

In our opinion, Moseley/Moserite Dobros are the best of the modern era Dobros. Semie Moseley was a master of his craft & combined attributes of his brand to Dobro bodies in ways that improved an already great guitar.

Mosrites are collector’s items today. The first three 1963 production-line guitars, originally sold to Rich, Moles and Edwards, are said to be worth $30,000 each.

These 12 strings are quite hard to come by. You can research this model and find some recently sold on Reverb for $4000.

“They really represented some of the finest craftsmanship in guitar-making anywhere,” said Artie Niesen, owner of Bakersfield’s Front Porch Music, and a collector who owns more than 100 Mosrites. “They were great guitars.” Semie Mosely purchased the company that manufactured Dobros in 1966. And then produced a larger, thick larger, thick gospel-acoustic model (Semie gave away dozens to churches across the country); the Serenade acoustic; and the electric Californian, which had a Mosrite neck and a Dobro body. He lost rights to the Dobro name in 1968. The Columbian 12 string with it’s custom design is a rare model that is highly prized. It has a Sapele African Mahogany body with a D style resonator & cover plate. Semie only made a few with these particulars and that was in 1966.

Check youtube for examples of the sound; I particularly like Roy Rogers, he’s even got a video wherein he talks about his 12 string Dobro.

Veteran Slide Player Extroidinaire Roy Rogers said, “When I found a 12 string Dobro, I was in 7th Heaven. I hadn’t even known they made any. They are extremely rare. Now I play it more than my other guitars. I love the sound it gives.” It plays like a dream. The tonal quality is unmistakable.

I highly recommend listening to Roy’s Live at the Sierra Nevada Brewery CD. He also has a great instructional DVD on playing bottleneck slide. I agree with Roy. I’ve had or played more than 850 slide guitars & this has some of the best tones I’ve heard. As previously stated, it is quite rare. And well worth having as the sound is quite unique. I am also impressed with the construction quality and choice of materials. And of course, only a very few were made.

The cone shape resembles the cone patented in 1931 by George Beauchamp, which was the subject of a patent infringement dispute. (A little more history here:) Beauchamp & Dopyeras initially partnered National Musical Instruments. In 1928, John Dopyera left the company and signed over all patents in disgust. Despite Beauchamp's later claims, Beauchamp did not invent the resonator. John Dopyera already had evidence of patents for banjos in 1923 and 1925 for passively amplifying the sound of stringed instruments. In April 1927, John filed a design for a patent for a tricone resophonic guitar. The Dopyera brothers started making tricone instruments by hand under the National name. Disgusted with some of his partners, but not stupid, the Dopyera brothers had already been working on a patent with a single cone. The patent was filed under John's brother Rudy's name in 1929. This guitar became known as the Dobro. They named it Dobro, short for Dopyera Brothers, it also means "good" in Slavic. The Dobro was just as successful as the National Resonator guitar and much more economical to produce than the National Tricone. Beauchamp had to answer the challenge by making a National single cone resonator based on the Dopyera's patent. His unethical behavior led to a patent infringement dispute with Dobro and, ultimately, his dismissal. Beauchamp later went on to develop one of the first electric guitars with Adolph Rickenbacher.

The wood bodied 12 string sound is distinctive to this guitar out of all other models of Dobros. This is a very fine as well as rare guitar.

*Please see our other listings and store for many other Vintage Lap Steel Guitars and Amplifiers. We currently have Alamos, Bronsons, Dickersons, Dobros, English, Epiphones, Fenders, Gibsons, Kays, Maestros, Magnatones, McKinney, Nationals, Oahus, Rickenbachers, Sho�Bud, Supertones, Supros, and White Lap Steels.* 

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