By Chris Rourke
What began as a garage project has struck a chord as the hallmark product for a Gunnison business that serves guitar players throughout the country – some of them having pretty “big” names in the music industry.
The “Dobrato” is the brainchild of Kent Viles, owner of Castle Creek Guitars on Main Street. It is a resophonic guitar – an acoustic instrument known for the sound produced by its spun-metal cones and many times referred to as a “Dobro” after its inventor. But this guitar has been outfitted with a vibrato tail piece – typically found on an electric guitar. The vibrato, also known as a “whammy bar” allows musicians to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords with their pick hand for various effects. In the evolution of the instrument, Viles has most recently added a “b-blender” to the vibrato, allowing a musician to slide a b-note up to a c-sharp.
“I had a Frankenstein model that I built and rebuilt, and changed things to the point that I finally got it satisfactory and it was working,” said Viles. “After I built a number of them, I got quite efficient in the design. It’s a unique concept that nobody’s evercombined.”
Until now, sales of the Dobrato have grown organically as Viles has tinkered with the design. He began with a metal body, progressing to wood. With the latest modification to the vibrato, Viles has settled on his final prototype. He plans to introduce it publicly in January at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show in Las Vegas. Viles believes the number of instruments he’s sold so far through word-of-mouth is a hint of what’s to come.
“That’s a great indicator for me of the potential for the growth of sales,” said Viles. “The NAMM trade show … that’s a good place to get our feet wet and start understanding how to sell through trade shows and build some dealer base.”
Despite his slow and steady approach to selling this instrument, it seems each of the 100 Dobratos he made last year have made their way into professional musicians’ hands. Word of this newfangled product reached Nashville through singer-songwriter Dean Dillon, who owns a ranch in Gunnison. Grammy award-winning singer Kathy Mattea also stumbled upon the Dobrato while she and her husband happened into Viles’ shop while vacationing in Crested Butte, just up the road. From there, the word spread.
The list of owners contains some pretty big names – Jimmy Buffett and songwriter-producer Mac McAnally. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Mike Gordon of Phish each have a Dobrato. And Jay Joyce – who is currently Grammy Award-nominated for producer of the year – has appeared on several albums playing the instrument. You can hear him playing it on “Painkiller” by Little Big Town and “Platinum” by Miranda Lambert.
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“(Joyce is) going to note it in the liner notes (of each album) as a specific, unique instrument. That’s really awesome exposure,” Viles said.
Additionally, Viles is exclusively selling his guitar in Nashville’s Corner Music store, which is frequented by many A-list musicians.
Viles isn’t looking for mass production of his invention. He wants to keep interest high by selling it in a limited number of stores. And he believes he can avoid the backlog that tends to follow “boutique-built” products by relying on a network of manufacturers that he’s put together. One of those manufacturers – Recording King of San Francisco – puts great detail into producing the Dobrato bodies, something Viles counts on in the production process. The other parts of the guitar are also individually manufactured, but it is Viles that does all the assembly and fine tuning – saving time, but guaranteeing quality. He said his goal for completing an instrument is two days.
Viles believes the future of the Dobrato lies in the wood-body version – only a few of which have been produced. Most of his models have been fashioned out of brass or steel. The wood-bodied Dobrato has the attention of producer Joyce.
“Keep me posted on the wood bodies,” the producer wrote in a letter to Viles. “In the meantime I am back to digging this Brass Dobrato more than ever. Thanks for your help and your art, Kent!”
At the end of the day, Viles hopes to put his product in the hands of more than just professional musicians. At $1,800, the Dobrato is not out of the reach of the hobbyist, he said.
But even as the Dobrato gains popularity among musicians of all levels and genres, Viles insists on the intimacy of production and the uniqueness of his product.
“It’s still a cottage industry,” Viles said. “I can see who has purchased them and it’s from every style of music – people looking for more of a unique voice in an instrument.”
Chris Rourke lives in Gunnison and tells people that she works for the Gunnison Country Times when, in fact, she secretly sneaks out of the office most days to go ride her horse.
