Definition: Precursor to the steel guitar, it was invented by the Dopyera Brothers in the 1920s. It's a twangy cousin to the slide guitar. It's played face up with a series of finger picks and a metal bar which is used to fret strings. Bashful Brother Oswald first popularized the instrument as one of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys. Today Jerry Douglas and Mike Auldridge are today's masters of the instrument.
Also Known As: resonator guitar