John Dopyera
Encyclopedia
John Dopyera (1893–1988) was a Slovak
-American
inventor and entrepreneur
, and a maker of stringed instruments. His inventions include the resonator guitar
and important contributions in the early development of the electric guitar
.
in Dolná Krupá
, Slovakia
. Gifted in music, Jozef played and constructed his own violins; the makers of which were popular around Slovakia for their craftsmanship. Under his father's guidance, John built his first fiddle still in his boyhood days in Dolná Krupá. In 1908, the Dopyeras emigrated from Slovakia
to California
, USA sensing a war would erupt in Europe. In the 1920s, Dopyera founded his own store in Los Angeles
where he worked making and repairing fiddles, banjos, and other wooden string instruments. Around this time, Dopyera patented several improvements on the banjo.
promoter George Beauchamp
approached John Dopyera. It was the era of silent movies, in which a piano and sometimes orchestra supplied live sound at cinemas. Beauchamp made a request; he asked Dopyera to make him a guitar loud enough to be heard over other instruments. Dopyera set to work, and over the following months invented a guitar with three aluminum cones mounted underneath the bridge, an amplification
scheme similar to the diaphragms inside a speaker. The instrument was 3-4 times louder than a normal acoustic guitar and had a rich, metallic tone, as though it were being played in a large metal basin. It became known as the resophonic guitar (sometimes called National or Dobro). Joined by his brothers Rudy and Emil, as well as a group of willing investors, Dopyera founded the National String Instrument Corporation
. The resonator guitar initially sold well, but eventually met with enormous success becoming the staple in jazz clubs and movie houses across the US. Several years later, the brothers separated from the corporation and founded Dobro
(the name they also gave to the instrument), their own company, a play on words derived from the "Do" in Dopyera and "bro" from Brothers. The word also means "good" in Slovak, fitting well with their promotional slogan: Dobro means good in any language!.
is also noted. The Dopyera brothers later moved to Chicago
, where they made millions of dollars with the Valco
music company and other business interests. John elected to stay in Los Angeles and continue making instruments. He was never rich, and was famous only among a small circle of people who knew he had invented the resonator/resophonic guitar. He died at the age of 94 in 1988, having registered some 40 patents.
, a week-long gathering of resophonic guitar enthusiasts including some of the best bluegrass, blues, and Hawaiian guitar players in the world. The last Dobrofest was in June, 2008. In addition, there is a small museum in Trnava called the Dobro Hall of Fame.
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, and a maker of stringed instruments. His inventions include the resonator guitar
Resonator guitar
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion...
and important contributions in the early development of the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
.
Early life
John Dopyera was one of 10 siblings born at the closing of the 19th century. His father, Jozef Dopyera, was a millerMiller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
in Dolná Krupá
Dolná Krupá
Dolná Krupá is a village and municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava region of Slovakia. It is located in the Danubian Hills at around 12 km from the city of Trnava.The important sights in the village are:* the Saint Andrew church, built in 1807-1811...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Gifted in music, Jozef played and constructed his own violins; the makers of which were popular around Slovakia for their craftsmanship. Under his father's guidance, John built his first fiddle still in his boyhood days in Dolná Krupá. In 1908, the Dopyeras emigrated from Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA sensing a war would erupt in Europe. In the 1920s, Dopyera founded his own store in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he worked making and repairing fiddles, banjos, and other wooden string instruments. Around this time, Dopyera patented several improvements on the banjo.
Middle years
One day in 1925, vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
promoter George Beauchamp
George Beauchamp
George Delmetia Beauchamp was an inventor of musical instruments and a co-founder of National Stringed Instrument Corporation and Rickenbacker guitars....
approached John Dopyera. It was the era of silent movies, in which a piano and sometimes orchestra supplied live sound at cinemas. Beauchamp made a request; he asked Dopyera to make him a guitar loud enough to be heard over other instruments. Dopyera set to work, and over the following months invented a guitar with three aluminum cones mounted underneath the bridge, an amplification
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
scheme similar to the diaphragms inside a speaker. The instrument was 3-4 times louder than a normal acoustic guitar and had a rich, metallic tone, as though it were being played in a large metal basin. It became known as the resophonic guitar (sometimes called National or Dobro). Joined by his brothers Rudy and Emil, as well as a group of willing investors, Dopyera founded the National String Instrument Corporation
National String Instrument Corporation
The National String Instrument Corporation was a guitar company that formed to manufacture the first resonator guitars.-National resonator guitar designs:...
. The resonator guitar initially sold well, but eventually met with enormous success becoming the staple in jazz clubs and movie houses across the US. Several years later, the brothers separated from the corporation and founded Dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
(the name they also gave to the instrument), their own company, a play on words derived from the "Do" in Dopyera and "bro" from Brothers. The word also means "good" in Slovak, fitting well with their promotional slogan: Dobro means good in any language!.
Later years
In 1932, working together with the guitar player Art Simpson, Dopyera invented a new type of guitar design later recognized to be first ever industrially produced electrified Spanish guitar in the world. Dopyera also invented a string-gripping device on acoustic guitars, the forebear to that on all guitars today. Dopyera's later patents included resophonic additions to nearly every string instrument, continued patents for the designs of banjos and violins, including the very unique Dopera Bantar, which was a cross between the 5-string Banjo and 6-string Guitar. The Dopera Bantars, though extremely RARE were used by a few influential artists of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan. As illustrated with the Bantar, John removed the " Y " from the Dopyera name, when labeling his new instruments, as he reasoned that " Dopera " was easier for the public to understand and pronounce. A patent for an electric violinElectric violin
An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
is also noted. The Dopyera brothers later moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where they made millions of dollars with the Valco
Valco
Valco was a manufacturer of guitars, guitar amplifiers, and other musical instruments from the 1940s through 1968. Only other relatives alive today live in Staffordshire England.- History :...
music company and other business interests. John elected to stay in Los Angeles and continue making instruments. He was never rich, and was famous only among a small circle of people who knew he had invented the resonator/resophonic guitar. He died at the age of 94 in 1988, having registered some 40 patents.
Legacy
The Dobro resonator guitar was fundamental to the evolution of bluegrass music. The design cut through all musical boundaries, however, proving equally at home in folk, rock country, blues and jazz. In 1992, Slovak blues guitarist Peter Radványi co-founded the Dobrofestival in western Slovakia's TrnavaTrnava
Trnava is a city in western Slovakia, 47 km to the north-east of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a kraj and of an okres . It was the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishopric . The city has a historic center...
, a week-long gathering of resophonic guitar enthusiasts including some of the best bluegrass, blues, and Hawaiian guitar players in the world. The last Dobrofest was in June, 2008. In addition, there is a small museum in Trnava called the Dobro Hall of Fame.