John Dopyera

Slovak-American inventor and entrepreneur (1893–1988)

John Dopyera (Slovak: Ján Dopjera; 1893–1988) was a Slovak-American inventor, entrepreneur, and maker of stringed instruments. His inventions included the resonator guitar and important contributions to the early development of the electric guitar.2

From Wikipedia’s article on John Dopyera (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jul 6, 1893, died Jan 3, 1988.1

Companies

Early life and education

John Dopyera was one of ten siblings born at the close of the 19th century. His father, Jozef Dopyera, was a miller in Dolná Krupá, Slovakia, to which they had moved shortly after Dopyera's birth. A gifted musician, Jozef constructed his own violins, which were popular in Slovakia for their craftsmanship. Under his father's tutelage, Dopyera built his first fiddle while still a young boy. In 1908, concerned that war was imminent in Europe, the Dopyeras emigrated to California. In the 1920s, Dopyera opened a stringed instrument shop in Los Angeles, where he built and repaired fiddles, banjos, and other wood stringed instruments. Around this time, Dopyera patented several improvements to banjo construction.

From Wikipedia’s article on John Dopyera (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: entrepreneur, inventor.5

Personal life

  • BornJul 6, 1893, Šaštín-Stráže6
  • DiedJan 3, 1988, Grants Pass7

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9