Dobro is a renowned American brand of resonator guitars, now owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary, Epiphone. The name “Dobro” has become a general term for wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitars, thanks to the company’s long history and influence. Initially, the Dobro brand was known for producing resonator guitars with a distinctive single outward-facing cone, designed to compete with the tricone and biscuit-style resonators from the National String Instrument Corporation. Over time, Dobro also expanded into electric lap steel guitars and other resonator instruments like mandolins.

The Dobro company was founded in the late 1920s by the Dopyera brothers—John, Rudy, and Ed—who were Slovak immigrants. John Dopyera, alongside George Beauchamp, had previously worked on amplifying guitars with resonators at National. When Dopyera left National in 1929, he started the Dobro Manufacturing Company with his brothers, and the name “Dobro” cleverly combined both “Dopyera brothers” and the Slovak word for “good.” The company quickly became a competitor to National by offering a louder, more affordable resonator guitar with an innovative design where the bridge rested on a spider-shaped support over the cone.

By the 1930s, Dobro had merged with National, forming the National-Dobro Company. The brand continued to evolve, even as ownership changed hands multiple times. After World War II, Dobro guitars were no longer produced by Valco, but the Dopyera brothers revived the brand in the 1960s. The Dobro name passed through various owners before being acquired by Gibson in 1993, where production shifted to Nashville. Today, Dobros are manufactured by Epiphone, though they were no longer listed on the brand’s website as of 2023.