National Dobro Serial Numbers
1967-1974 OMI Dobro: 101 - 401 1967-1970 402 - 712 1971 713 - 1427 1972 1428 - 2296 1973 2297 - 2372 early 1974 1974-1979 OMI Dobro: Y (#)### D configuration. Y is last digit of the year (if this number is '3' it is actually 1974). 3 or 4 numerals in center are instrument ranking for year starting with 101. D is body type: D=wood, B=brass, M=steel or mandolin.
Resoguit.com since 1997, for all., specifically the chapters on National, Dobro, Valco. The 1975 vintage Model 60 OMI dobro that I play has the serial number D.
Could maybe fit if body code could be first character? But then there are too many number characters. 1980-1988 OMI Dobro: 8 (#)### yD configuration.
8 is the decade of manufacture (8=1980s). 2 or 3 or 4 numerals in center are serial number for year. Numeral y before letter is last digit of year.
Last character is body type: D=wood, B=metal. Doesnt fit because the body type character is first. 1988-1994 OMI Dobro: A# #### yyD configuration. First letter (and numeral) is style. Numerals in center are instrument ranking. Yy is last two digits of year.
Last character is body type: D=wood, B=metal, H=Hounddog, P=solid peghead. Doesnt fit because the body type character is first (D style) and because the year would be 96, outside of the '88-94 code. 1995-1997 OMI Dobro: A(A) (x)xxx yy configuration. First letters are style. Numerals in center are instrument ranking. Yy is last two digits of year year.
Doesnt fit because the first 2 arent letters, there is a letter then a number 1998-current Gibson Dobro: 8 digits ymmddrry configuration First y is last digit of year. Mm is month dd is day rr is rank last y is decade. I'm having trouble decoding the serial number on my dobro.
I'm wondering the year. Its a d style, wood body. Windows 8 Lite Iso Download here.
Some codes i've seen say the last 2 are year digits, but the guy i bought it from said he bought it new in the 80s. This serial number doesnt conform to the 80s code either. Any help is appreciated. I'm pretty sure the 96 is the year it was made.
The 073 is the 73 one made in the D5 series. 1-800 4 GIBSON can confirm this. Customer service is open 24/7. This one will be easy if it's a 96 model, Gibson bought OMI in about 93-94 OMI guitars the last letter was either a D=wood, B=metal, H=Hounddog, or P=solid peghead First letters are style. Numerals in center are instrument ranking.
Yy is last two digits of year year. So yours is a D5 series, the 73rd one made for that year of 1996.
I think the guy is lying to ya and a 5 in the D5 might even be a coded model #. Pretty much what Mikeo says, the Dobro name was bought by OMI and then Gibson (or maybe different order). Besides the Hound Dog I don't think Gibson is doing much with the brand today but it would be worth checking with them.
I know that older Dobro serial numbers are a bit of a can of worms to find anything out about them. I happen to own a 1932 and a 1980 OMI Duolian. Most traditional dobros were spider bridge and had 12 frets but they did make a few biscuits and 14 fretters. Also most dobros were woodies but again, they built a few metal bodies.
We tend to thing of National and NRP as the manufacturer of metal bodies biscuits but obviously yours is the exception. There are a couple of resonator specific discussion forums - here is one and you might contact the guy who runs this site. Pretty much what Mikeo says, the Dobro name was bought by OMI and then Gibson (or maybe different order). Besides the Hound Dog I don't think Gibson is doing much with the brand today but it would be worth checking with them. I know that older Dobro serial numbers are a bit of a can of worms to find anything out about them.
I happen to own a 1932 and a 1980 OMI Duolian. Most traditional dobros were spider bridge and had 12 frets but they did make a few biscuits and 14 fretters.
Also most dobros were woodies but again, they built a few metal bodies. We tend to thing of National and NRP as the manufacturer of metal bodies biscuits but obviously yours is the exception. There are a couple of resonator specific discussion forums - here is one and you might contact the guy who runs this site Back when I bought my 33H, National I don't think was making wood bodies. They could have been, but I didn't have there catalog. Dobro made both wood bodies and metal bodies.
I bought my 33H right out of the Elderly catalog, when it was kind of a cheap newspaper catalog bound with a couple of staples. My first 33H came in with a dent in it and I sent t back to Elderly.
I spoke with the women that ran OMI, and she sounded very old on the phone. I heard many of the OMI were relatives of Dopyera family and they could have been. I was told it really wasn't a dent, but a welding flex mark, which happened in the manufacturing and welding process. My F60 is a Nashville made one. I bought it from a shop outside of Knoxville. It'as a round neck wood body, and there's not much call for a round neck woodie in TN.
It was not very costly, but sounds amazing. The last of the Dobro's were the Houndogs, which were initially made in the USA, then they went overseas Gibson makes no Dobros these days, and no banjos. I think there missing the boat on this too,but I head a lot of the tooling was destroyed or damaged. I bought a F5G mandolin last year and it sounds amazing. National makes a few wood bodies, Deering makes a killer banjo.I was at a local bluegrass fest a few years ago and one of the shops (not local) had at least a dozen nice deering banjos to choose from. The guy was begging to sell almost anything and didn't want to transport them back home.
He had a very lovely Deering Boston 5 string and 6 string I was looking at, which he was selling for under a grand. I almost ran to the back, but I can't play the banjo yet. I actually don't know enough about the banjo to make a decision. I do know a few guys in the area that could give me lessons.
I'm still working on the mandolin. With a similar dating, I have the same question (and experience in buying a used Dobro) as Scottdcol, the first post in this thread. Aspekte Mittelstufe Deutsch B2 Pdf. I purchased the dobro, with a Dobro logo case about 10 years ago.
I was told it was the last year before the company was sold to.OMI? This is what is stamped onto the end of the headstock: D 12 017 96 The D is very small in size compared to the numbers, in fact it might be something else. However, it is a wood body. I hate to think that I was lied to about the date of manufacture. Can Scottdcol or anyone tell me more about it?