Dog Creek dobro player crafts music, finds new joy
JESSE CAMPBELL/ashe mountain times
Leonard Brooks carefully hones his craft of constructing homemade resonating guitars from the comfort of his Crumpler shop.
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Originally published: Jun. 17, 2011
Last modified: Aug. 26, 2011
Last modified: Aug. 26, 2011
Jesse Campbell
While stroking the unfinished body of one of his handmade
resonating guitars, craftsman Leonard Brooks compares the toughness of the wood to the surrounding
Blue Ridge Mountains.
“The walnut is a tough wood to work with,” Brooks said. “It's like the peaks and valleys of the mountains. The hard grain stands up and the soft grain lays down.”
Brooks, who admits to not having a musical background, has attracted the attention of professional acts nationwide for his prowess in making the guitars.
What started out as a side hobby for the Dog Creek real estate agent, who suddenly found an influx of time with the downfall of the housing market, has now given him the chance to show off his craftsmanship at nationally renowned music showcases.
Nine months ago, Brooks began to tinker with a kit to build his own resonating guitar. Although he has played intermittently for the past four years, he never considered himself to be a serious musician. But with some woodworking experience and plenty of time, he felt he could make his own.
Before long, he was purchasing even more equipment and spending more time in his shop, turning raw lumber into works of art.
A resonating guitar, also known as a Dobro to some musical cliques, is primarily played in Bluegrass and Blues bands.
It resembles a traditional acoustic guitar with the exception of having what looks like a hub cap on the front of the instrument. The cone and other unique components of the instrument work together in creating mechanical amplification.
What sets his guitars apart from the rest, Brooks says, is an added brace he installs in the bottom of each guitar to offset the effects of the 200 pounds of pressure that are constantly pulling at the instrument's body, which in time can create an elliptical shaping of the sound hole.
Each finished guitar takes about 70-75 hours to complete, he said, but he is known to work on as many as four at a time.
His budding enthusiasm for wood working and his renewed love for the Dobro has been accelerated by the encouragement of professional musicians who have praised his work and offered to help in endorsing his product.
Perhaps his biggest opportunity in promoting his one-man operation will come at this year's Resno Gat festival in Wilkes County on July 11. Billed as one of the largest gatherings nationwide for Dobro players, this will be the first time that his work will be on showcase for the general public.
“I'm hoping I don't get my feelings hurt,” said Brooks, referring to feedback from professional players. “But I don't think I will. I've had some high-end people tell me that (the guitars) are fantastic.”
Long term, Brooks hopes to have the time and equipment necessary to craft up to 30 guitars a year and maybe “turn a decent profit.
“I would just love to have something occupy my time and enjoy doing going into retirement,” he said. “I'm just loving the work aspect and the people I've met. I'm real tickled with where I'm at [with the instruments].”
For more information on Brooks' resonating guitars, click to http://www.leosdobros.com or email him at lbinashe@gmail.
“The walnut is a tough wood to work with,” Brooks said. “It's like the peaks and valleys of the mountains. The hard grain stands up and the soft grain lays down.”
Brooks, who admits to not having a musical background, has attracted the attention of professional acts nationwide for his prowess in making the guitars.
What started out as a side hobby for the Dog Creek real estate agent, who suddenly found an influx of time with the downfall of the housing market, has now given him the chance to show off his craftsmanship at nationally renowned music showcases.
Nine months ago, Brooks began to tinker with a kit to build his own resonating guitar. Although he has played intermittently for the past four years, he never considered himself to be a serious musician. But with some woodworking experience and plenty of time, he felt he could make his own.
Before long, he was purchasing even more equipment and spending more time in his shop, turning raw lumber into works of art.
A resonating guitar, also known as a Dobro to some musical cliques, is primarily played in Bluegrass and Blues bands.
It resembles a traditional acoustic guitar with the exception of having what looks like a hub cap on the front of the instrument. The cone and other unique components of the instrument work together in creating mechanical amplification.
What sets his guitars apart from the rest, Brooks says, is an added brace he installs in the bottom of each guitar to offset the effects of the 200 pounds of pressure that are constantly pulling at the instrument's body, which in time can create an elliptical shaping of the sound hole.
Each finished guitar takes about 70-75 hours to complete, he said, but he is known to work on as many as four at a time.
His budding enthusiasm for wood working and his renewed love for the Dobro has been accelerated by the encouragement of professional musicians who have praised his work and offered to help in endorsing his product.
Perhaps his biggest opportunity in promoting his one-man operation will come at this year's Resno Gat festival in Wilkes County on July 11. Billed as one of the largest gatherings nationwide for Dobro players, this will be the first time that his work will be on showcase for the general public.
“I'm hoping I don't get my feelings hurt,” said Brooks, referring to feedback from professional players. “But I don't think I will. I've had some high-end people tell me that (the guitars) are fantastic.”
Long term, Brooks hopes to have the time and equipment necessary to craft up to 30 guitars a year and maybe “turn a decent profit.
“I would just love to have something occupy my time and enjoy doing going into retirement,” he said. “I'm just loving the work aspect and the people I've met. I'm real tickled with where I'm at [with the instruments].”
For more information on Brooks' resonating guitars, click to http://www.leosdobros.com or email him at lbinashe@gmail.