Luthier Tim Scheerhorn is well-known for pushing the boundaries of resonator guitar construction, and this Brazilian rosewood and spruce instrument is a great example of his custom work. Resonator guitars and standard acoustic guitars may share a similar body shape, but they produce sound in different ways. A standard flattop guitar relies on top and back vibrations to create tone, but a resonator guitar’s body functions more like a speaker cabinet, providing an environment for the cone to produce sound. Resonator guitars tend to be built with maple or mahogany so it’s unusual to see one built with one of the exotic tonewoods associated with flattop acoustics, such as the Brazilian rosewood used to build this instrument (serial number 574). Played by Peghead Nation Dobro instructor Mike Witcher in this video, the guitar has a rich, balanced tone. “It embodies all the wonderful tonal and physical characteristics we’ve come to admire about Tim’s extraordinary craftsmanship,” Mike says.

You can study dobro with Mike by enrolling in his Beginning Dobro and/or Dobro Workshop courses on Peghead Nation.

SPECS: Squareneck resonator guitar. Spruce top. Brazilian rosewood back and sides. Mahogany neck. Ebony fingerboard. Quarterman cone. Schoonover spider. Maple bridge with ebony caps. Scheerhorn coverplate with removable palm rest. Waverly tuning machines. scheerhornguitars.com

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