Dobro OMI Model 10 Original Hound Dog (1991)
The history of the Dobro Hound Dog guitar is divided into three very distinct production periods, during which its country of origin and manufacturing quality changed radically. The name originated when the Dopyera brothers (original inventors of the Dobro) sold the trademark rights to Semie Moseley of Mosrite Guitars in 1966. Wanting to continue making resonator guitars, they founded the Original Musical Instrument Company (OMI) in 1967 and named their new instruments Hound Dog or Original Dopyera. These are rare, highly collectible, vintage American-made instruments characterized by a raw, rustic, and purely acoustic tone. By 1970, OMI had managed to regain the “Dobro“ trademark, and the name Hound Dog was temporarily discontinued.
Gibson Guitar Corporation acquired OMI/Dobro in 1993. Shortly thereafter, they revived the “Hound Dog“ name as an official model line under the Dobro brand. To reduce production costs, Gibson moved all manufacturing overseas in the mid-2000s and integrated the line under its subsidiary Epiphone.
This particular guitar, made in 1991, is one of the last built purely in the American OMI era. It features a laminated maple body, an aluminum cone resonator in the center, two medium-sized side soundholes combined with three small center holes, and a maple neck and fretboard. Its rounded profile has a comfortable “C“ shape and includes black Bakelite dot inlays.
This guitar was signed by Mick Jagger and Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones in 2016.
