ROB ICKES FIRST DOBRO

Description

ROB ICKES’ FIRST DOBRO. The 15 time Dobro Player of the Year and 2 time Grammy winner had to start with something and this was it. I bought the Dobro from Rob for 0 when I was taking lessons from him in 1991 at The Fifth String in Berkeley before he moved to Nashville. He told me that he and his brother bought it from a guy in Santa Cruz. Also included are the instruction materials Rob gave me including several of his hand written tab transcriptions, as well as two tapes with recordings he made for me at the end of each lesson to help me practice, and a Ron Tipton slide that he got for me.
I did a little research and it looks like this wood body Dobro resonator guitar is from the early 1930s as it has square tuner slots, cover plate screws located at the numbers of a clock, and a dot at the 17th fret. Serial number is 5123 which places it at 1933, California made. It has a round neck and round air holes with screen covers. It includes two nuts, one tall for lap style and one short for regular guitar. Everything including the cone is original as far as I can tell. It is fully functional and sounds great. It has several scratches and small chips but no dents or dings. See pictures. The case appears to be original with simple felt lining and handkerchief replacing the broken handle (Rob described it as “funky” when he sold it to me). It has been stored in its case in my closet for the last several years, but it belongs in a museum. 00 opening bid, no reserve.