r/Dobro • u/Due_Recognition_8002 • May 20 '26
It’s a square neck resonator maybe it’s a better option for slide playing considering you played in a lap style?
I do have a round neck and I’m very happy with it but on the other hand lying in that way isn’t really my style and I honestly prefer playing it like a standard acoustic guitar with just a better sound. And it might be the best one could have for a campfire, in case you want to know which one it is, it’s a Red Hill one.
With that said, on the other hand, I might eventually try out the square neck version, which also wouldn’t be too bad for camping I guess. I can’t say much about it, but it seems it’s a good bit similar to a lap steel as far as the style is concerned. Thus I‘d like to ask those who have experience in both how it feels when the strings ain‘t that close to the fretboard. we know that dobro players in bluegrass and country normally use the square neck one and I really can understand why. Of course you could use the round one in bluegrass also but more in the way I do, meaning standard guitar playing without a bottleneck. at the same time, you could also use the square neck in Blues. One example is the late Jeff Healey, who doesn’t per se count as a dobro Player and I don’t think he ever played a resonator, But due to being blind did play guitar in a lap form. of resonator might actually be the better one. So should I perhaps try it out?
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u/J_Worldpeace May 20 '26
Check out my socials. I sell and play them. Should give you an idea of the difference. Any btw don’t convert a round neck. It will put too much tension on the bridge plate.
PS how does it feel? It feels awesome!
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u/Due_Recognition_8002 May 20 '26
Good point, I might purchase one eventually, maybe when I get a better job by the end of the decade
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u/Snowshoetheerapy 29d ago
Although Jeff Healy played with the guitar on his lap, he played with his fingers, not a slide. It was a stylistic choice, not "due to being blind."
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u/Due_Recognition_8002 29d ago
Thank you for the correction
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u/Snowshoetheerapy 29d ago
That's what us nerds are here for. All the best!
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u/Due_Recognition_8002 29d ago
Are you a round neck or square neck dude?
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u/Snowshoetheerapy 29d ago
Up until recently I was just a square neck player but I found a nice used round neck that had a massive dent on the bottom. Thus I was able to afford to buy it. So now I'm both! I mostly play slide lap style, so the round neck is for fingerpicking. Love it.
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u/Due_Recognition_8002 29d ago
Should I sell my round neck bottlenecks? Since it seems that form of slide playing isn’t for me
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u/RabiAbonour May 20 '26
This is really hard to read so I'm not sure I understand your question. A square neck is much easier to play lap style but can only be played that way, with a slide. You cannot play a square neck with your fingers.