OMI, which owned the Dobro name from 1970 to 1993, was actually started by the same Dopyera brothers who founded National and Dobro in the late 1920s. In 1975, at the sprightly age of 80, Rudy Dopyera decided to commemorate the US's upcoming bicentennial by having the OMI factory build a run of resonator mandolins. Unlike their standard Dobro Ampliphonic mandolin model, these mandolins would bear the Safari brand name, they would be decorated with extensive engraving, many would have chromed brass bodies instead of wood, and they'd be limited to just 21 instruments. If you're wondering what any of these details has to do with the nation's bicentennial, I'm as confused as you are.
I recently found one of these Safari mandolins and snatched it up, having previously acquired a wood-bodied Ampliphonic from the same year (1975). Unusually, mine only bears the Dobro name. Between this and a few other features not normally found on the Safaris (adjustable truss rod, 3-piece neck), I suspect that mine was a prototype for the rest of the series. Even if that's not true, it's a very cool and unique instrument. It has slightly less volume than my Ampliphonic, with a mellower tone as well. Still, it's louder than the average conventional mandolin. These spider-cone resonators lack the raucous punch of the biscuit cones used by National, but they make up for it with a very sweet tone and superb sustain. The metal body also imparts a bit of natural reverb, kind of like my tricone lap steel. The intonation is slightly off, as if the fretboard were meant for a longer scale (another indication of a prototype, perhaps) but since there's really only access to the first 11 frets, it's not particularly noticeable. The translucent logo in the headstock veneer has crumbled but the pearl underneath has remained, so I'm going to try and replace it by printing a new on on a transparency sheet.
With the Ampliphonic, just 24 serial numbers apart:
Bookmarks