Melobar Guitars

Back in 1967 Walt Smith of California went to work building guitars. He knew John and Rudy Dopyera and learned how they made Dobro guitars.

Melobar Mosrite

Later he learned a lot about building guitars from Semie Mosley when Mosley started building Mosrite guitars. He was living in Ojah California at the time.

Interestingly, Walt Smith was encouraged in his effort by his friend Leo Fender.


As we know Mr. Fender started out building steel guitars and was a big encouragement to Walt.

He then returned to his hometown and started building his own brand of unique steel guitars. He named them Melobar guitars.

Melobar accoustic

The first instruments were wooden student models with positions engraved on the fretboard.

Smith built a metal version of this guitar.


However he was unhappy with the completed instrument. 

He kept some of them and had his son take the rest to the county dump. 

Many of these guitars were salvaged by dumpster divers.  This guitar has been unofficially designated as the Melobar Dumpster Guitar. His son, Ted Smith, mentions in a reply that his father was furious with him until his passing in 1988.

Melobar Rosac

Walt's claim to fame were the electric steel guitars he made, which were meant to be played like Dobros; standing up.   These were solid body guitars made so the boday tilted at a 45° angle from the neck.

Because Melobar guitars were all handmade there are subsequently few. Probably around 1,000. Not only are they unique, but rare as well.

Many well-known steel players have a Melobar in their collection. Players such as David Lindley, Rusty Young, and my favorite steel player, Cindy Cashdollar all own a Melobar.

As his family got older, Walt instructed his children and grandchildren in the craft of luthery.

Walt renamed his venture The Smith Family Music Company.

At first Melobar Guitars started with six string lap steels. The product line soon expanded to include not just six string instrument, but eight string guitars as well.

Tomahawk

By 1991, after Walt's death, Ted Smith had taken the company reigns 1996 and introduced the Rattler six string guitar and the Tomahawk eight string.

Rattler

The Rattler was built as an entry-level instrument. These were both sit-down lap instruments.

Another instrument developed that same year was the Supersteel, that came with interchangeable double and triple neck stands.

In 1998, Melobar added a Fiberglass resonator guitar to the line-up. These models were produced in six, seven, and eight string versions.

That same year Melobar/Smith Family Music add a double neck instrument called the Tele Steel Guitar.

Telobar

The Tele Steel Guitar is reminiscent of Junior Brown’s Guit-Steel. The top neck is a guitar neck and the bottom-angled neck is a 10-string steel guitar. Walt Smith had a preference for 10 string guitars.

Possibly the most well known Melobar was the Skreemer. This is the one with a Flying Vee shape and an angled neck, designed to be played standing up. It was offered in a six or seven string version.

The Melobar X-10 is a 10-string Explorer shaped guitar that is made to be played in a standing position.

The Melobar Powerslide was indeed a unique guitar. It came with 10 strings and was shaped like a Gibson Explorer, but the body was soft.

Smith Family Music made a Mosrite Melobar model that came in sunburst or white. This guitar was based on the Ventures guitar.

Walt Smith died in 1991. His wife, Mildred Smith, and son Ted Smith kept the company going. They built over 1000 instruments, including lap steels and Melobars.

A family business is a tough to run. I know since I ran one for 27 years. Profit is hard to come by. Good employees are hard to come by and great ones even harder.

Mildred Smith passed away, so it was up to Ted and his son Marc to seek some financial backing. Jim Frost of Black Canyon Guitars and an investment group from Sweet, Idaho became backers of Melobar.

However, it may have been too late. The factory they were leasing did not renew their lease. This forced the new owners to close up shop.

I have read that Jim Frost and Ted Smith attempted to resurrect Melobar in 2008 with a company called Hardway Manufacturing.

Ted Smith has entered into the world of sales and is promoting a book he has written about cold calling.

Melobar/Smith Family Music is no longer in business. But for a while they produced a truly unique and unusual guitar.

Update!  ere is a wonderful link that I have come across from Ted Smith.









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