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The pedabro, also ped-a-bro, pedal dobro, or Franklin pedabro, is a custom-built electric pedal steel guitar invented by Paul Franklin Sr. in the mid 1980s. [1]
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2025) |
The pedabro, also ped-a-bro, pedal dobro, or Franklin pedabro, is a custom-built electric pedal steel guitar invented by Paul Franklin Sr. in the mid 1980s. [1]
The instrument as well as its name is a combination of two different instruments (pedal steel guitar and resonator guitar / “dobro”) in one. Basically, it is an electrified dobro with pedals from a pedal steel guitar. Because of that, it is also played similar to a steel guitar but actually sounds more similar to a dobro. [1]
Paul Franklin Sr. had the idea of adding pedals to a dobro guitar, after his son, Paul Franklin Jr. (Steel guitar player) joined in for dobro player Jerry Douglas at a concert. [1]
Some instruments were also built with a second guitar neck but without the dobro guitar body. This second guitar neck can be used by players to create the “usual” pedal steel guitar sound in addition to the pedabro sound.
According to Paul Franklin Sr. about 25 pedabros were built in total. Because of its rarity, it became a collector’s item among steel guitar players. [2] Other instruments custom-built by Paul Franklin Jr. are the baritone steel guitar and “The Box”. [3]
One of the first recordings featuring a pedabro was the 1987 released song "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis. Following the success of this song, the pedabro was used on other studio recordings too, mostly in late 1980s / early 1990s country music. Despite the success of some of those recordings, the pedabro didn’t become as well-known as the pedal steel guitar or the dobro, but is still popular among steel guitar players and country music fans. [4]
Notable songs, albums or performances featuring a pedabro and its typical sound are:
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