How to restring a dobro
On a square-neck dobro the strings don't touch the wooden top at all. They anchor in a metal tailpiece, pass over a saddle set in the spider bridge, which rests on the aluminum resonator cone, and run up a slotted head to guitar-style rollers. The cone is held in place mostly by string pressure, so the way you change strings matters more than on a regular guitar.
Dobro open G, string by string
Square-neck resonator guitar, from the 6th string (lowest) to the 1st, at A = 440 Hz.
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | G2 | 98.00 |
| 5 | B2 | 123.47 |
| 4 | D3 | 146.83 |
| 3 | G3 | 196.00 |
| 2 | B3 | 246.94 |
| 1 | D4 | 293.66 |
How to use it
- Read the guide through once, then tick each step as you do it. Progress is saved on this device.
- With every box ticked, the page scrolls down to the tuner. Pick each open string with the steel off the strings and turn the key until the needle centers.
- Tap Start over to clear the guide for your next change.
Help and explanations
When you finish, the tuner at the bottom opens on open G, from the lowest string: G2 98.00 Hz, B2 123.47 Hz, D3 146.83 Hz, G3 196.00 Hz, B3 246.94 Hz and D4 293.66 Hz, at A = 440 Hz.
Keep tension on the cone
Take all six strings off at once and the spider bridge and cone can shift or rattle, and the coverplate may need to come off to set them right again. Change one string at a time and the cone stays seated. If you want to clean under the coverplate, do it as a separate job, then restring with the cone centered.
Square-neck dobros take heavy gauges for the steel bar and the high action. D'Addario's EJ42 resophonic set runs .016, .018, .028, .035, .045 and .056, phosphor bronze on the wound strings. The tension table published by the retailer Steve's Music lists 27.5 to 40.0 lb per string, heavier than a light acoustic set, which averages about 27 lb per string: that load is what drives the cone.
Do resonator guitars need special strings?
A square-neck dobro tuned to open G does: a regular acoustic set is too light at G2 and buzzes under the bar. A round-neck resonator that you play fretted like a guitar can use ordinary acoustic sets in standard tuning. Check what your instrument was set up for before you change gauge, because the nut slots are cut for the strings it came with.
Tips
- Change strings in the order 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3, outside to inside, so the load on the cone stays balanced while you work.
- Tune open strings with the bar resting off the strings, then check a few positions under the bar with the strobe tuner.
- If a string rattles after the change, check that it sits in its saddle slot and that the coverplate screws are snug, not over-tight.
Frequently asked questions
How do you change strings on a dobro?
One at a time: slacken the old string, unhook its ball end from the tailpiece, hook the new one, lay it in the saddle and nut slots, pass it through the roller hole and wind it over the top of the roller, then tune it to its note in open G.
What gauge strings for a dobro in open G?
A typical square-neck set is .016 to .056, like D'Addario's EJ42: .016, .018, .028, .035, .045 and .056, for G B D G B D.
What are the notes of dobro tuning?
From the lowest string: G2, B2, D3, G3, B3, D4, from 98.00 to 293.66 Hz at A = 440 Hz.
Can I take all the strings off a resonator guitar?
Better not: the cone and spider are held in place by string tension. Change one string at a time; if all must come off, note the position of the cone and bridge first.
How many wraps on a slotted-head roller?
About two to three wraps for the wound strings and three to four for the plain ones, winding over the top of the roller so the string leaves it toward the nut.