Dobro master Jerry Douglas’ first solo album in seven years, The Set mixes old and new compositions painting gorgeous rural landscapes with his amazing band. Cello and violin mingle with the best dobro player in the land, along with a sublime cover of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
There’s nothing quite like you playing a resonator with a cello.
They’re both reedy and vocal. It’s a good combination. I love playing in this band (laughs).
What’s the difference between a dobro and a resophonic guitar?
They’re the same thing (laughs)! There was a big scare years ago. Dobro got tired of people calling everything that looked like a dobro a dobro, so they had to come up with another term.
Dobro is like Kleenex. Paul Beard, Tim Scheerhorn, and other great luthiers are building resophonic guitars based on the Dopyera Brothers’ model. I still call it a dobro because “resophonic” doesn’t roll off the tongue. At this point, there isn’t a Dobro maker. Gibson bought Dobro and squandered it. Personally, I would like to buy the name and forget it. There are so many guitars that are better than the original, but they don’t have that sound. The Dopyera Brothers got so lucky. They got that sound with the same circumference that we use now. It was invented in 1927.
What gave you the idea for The Set?
People were asking, “Where can I find all these songs?” So, I decided to cut our setlist. I wanted to [record] songs that people hadn’t heard in a long time. This band does those songs. I wrote “From Ankara to Izmir” 30 years ago and originally cut it with lap steel, drums, electric bass, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The way I do it now really opens up the song.
When you write a song and record it the first time, you don’t know it. You haven’t played it 200 times and created a personal relationship with it. It’s just notes and an arrangement. But it becomes liquid – it moves, and as a band, we know what each of us is doing. We’re like one instrument instead of four.
I wanted to cut a record that had a bunch of songs you couldn’t get anymore. I was on a label in 1981 that doesn’t have my recordings. A lot of my early Rounder Records stuff disappeared, and it was tough to get the music. So, I cut a record on my own, started my own label, and own it all. We can play our set, then you can buy the vinyl or CD if you like, and take us home.
But there are newer songs, as well.
I added stuff like “The Fifth Season.” I thought it was important for the guys to have a song on the record – three new songs that no one had ever heard, so it’s a band record.
Was “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on your setlist before the album?
No. I’d never played it, but it laid so easily on the guitar. It fits the instruments so well, and it’s such an iconic melody. I played it with Eric Clapton during the Transatlantic Sessions in London. He’d never played the chorus because he’d always sung it. I love the song, and it fits right in amongst the other numbers.
What brand of resophonics do you use?
I play Paul Beard guitars. He makes everything – the cone, the cover plate, and all the metal parts, plus the woodworking. I’ve played a lot of resonators – R.Q. Jones in the ’80s and early ’90s, and Scheerhorns, which are beautiful, like furniture. I now have three signature models through Paul, and the one I play most is called the Black Beard. It’s mahogany, but the tone is different. It’s amazing.
Paul is building me a baritone, so I’ll be able to go down to open D. I have a double Hipshot on my signature guitar that can change tuning from G to a drop D; the B drops to an A and the third string drops from a G to an F#.
What’s next?
I’m just looking for the sound and haven’t found it yet. I’m chasing something.
This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
