Finally got me a National steel..

[drolling]

I've had the reso bug for a long time and my first was a 50's reso-phonic 3/4 scale solidbody that's a beeotch to tune & has been slowly falling apart for the last few decades.

When Saga began reissuing the Regals I picked up a wooden spidercone roundneck that I still play to this day - but I had to do a lot of tweaking (new bridge saddles, Quarterman cone, etc..) to get it sounding right.

Couple years later, I tracked down a beautiful brass bodied Dobro, but I never really bonded with the guitar - it's got a National-style bisquit bridge, but the cone's a larger (10 1/2") Dobro size, and there's some other design quirks that have kept me from really loving it.

Recently I've had the chance to play tons of new resos - everybody's making them now, and while most have been a dissappointment, one or two were really outstandingly good instruments.. but I've been holding off in hopes of finding something special.

I was visiting an old bandmate in Tdot this weekend past, and I just happned to stumble upon THE ONE.

The shop had a roomfull of different brands & styles, but I kept going back to a no-frills steel bodied Delphi. This's the model that used to be called Duolian or Triolian (depending on the year) untill Gibson bought the rights to the names.

I'm just blown away by the raw sound of this guitar. I A/B'd it against some very fine tricones and a few fancy bell-brass guitars, but the Delphi's got the tone I've been chasing all these years. THAT BIG, HOLLOW GARBAGE-CAN CLANG! fast attack & an even faster decay - no sustain, but lot's of built-in reverb..

Interesting looking, too. National's started making black walnut bodied mandolins w/antique bronze coverplates, and they've decided to do a few steel bodied guitars in this same finish.. It's not a "relic'd" model like their Replicon (style O w/lots of dings, scratches & brass showing thru' the nickle plate) but it is streaked, oxidized & discolored - no etching or engraving on the body, and a plain fretboard w/small round fretmarkers.

AND WHAT A SOUND.. I'm just about to put on a set of Newtone 'National' strings w/a 16 on top so I can bring it down to open D tuning & break out the bottleneck, but I wanted to check in here for a minute to let my fingertips stop bleeding:D

[Resonator_Duke]

Hey, congrats on your Delphi. I own several old Nationals, as well as some new ones. And the Delphi pretty much captures and represents what both the Triolian and Duolian did back in the late 20's/early 30's. I give National a lot of credit for putting out some great quality instruments, and bringing back that NATIONAL resophonic sound that was ignored for so long. Have fun playing it, man. I'm sure once you get those new strings on it, you'll have a hard time putting it down...even if your fingers ARE bleeding. Nationals just make it all worth it.

[drolling]

Welcome to TGP Duke! and thanks for posting..

I was just over at Gibson's site and noticed that they've discontinued all but a couple of their Dobro brand resos. They made a lot of mistakes with their metal bodied guitars- chrome plating (even the Regal's are nickle) non-slotted headstocks on very skinny "shredder" profile necks. It's too bad, really.. Fender's revitalized Gretsch since they took over the line, but Gibson appears to have killed the venerable Dobro name.

And I agree w/your assessment of National Resophonic. They're making great guitars these days. The Delphi's factory set for slide, but the tech deepened some of the string slots at the bridge for fingerstyle. The fact that the bridge cap's now screwed to the coverplate (instead of being welded on) made the job a whole lot faster & easier - it's the attention to those little details that makes all the difference.

The Replicon has a small, discrete hole behind the nut for truss rod adjustment. The fact that they chose not to add a plastic cover's a nice authentic touch. When I first saw it hanging on the wall, I was convinced I was looking at a genuine 1930 style O. I would have loved to bring that one home too!

[Sub-D]

Congrats !
I have been looking and listening for "the one" as well and
though I have found a few that qualify, they were way to pricey.
Nothing Like knowing your patience paid off and you ended up with
the right instrument...cheers on that.......
any pictures?

[Resonator_Duke]

Hey Drolling, thanks for the welcome. I've been coming around this site for a good while, as I work on guitars and amps, as well as work for a pedal company. But, I'm a guitar freak, and have a particular fondness for resophonic guitars. You're right about Dobro...ever since Gibson has taken over, I've seen the quality in their instruments slowly decay and suffer. And in this day and age, why would someone want to pay way too much for a somewhat flawed Dobro, when they can by a fairly cheap, but well built Chinese or Korean made Dobro, and invest and extra hundred bucks for a better cone, and possibly tuners. Be it originals Dobros from the 30's, or all of the Dobros made by OMI...I can honestly say I'd shop for one of those, or buy a cheap one before I'd shell out big money for a newer, Gibson-made Dobro. My '90 OMI-made Dobro 60D is still the best sounding Dobro I've ever played. That's why I can't ever let go of it.
As for National...I was really hoping they'd have reason enough to be at the NAMM show in Austin last month. I looked at a lot of resophonics there, and a lot of them on the cheaper side. Some good, and some not so good. But, National has definitely found their groove, and I can say that they consistently put out great guitars. As I don't like taking out my old ones, my main stage guitar is a '96 Style O that I bought new, just right at 10 years ago. And I can honestly say that guitar has had a ton of stage time, a little abuse from hard-playing, and just a ton of playing time in general. And though it does show some wear, when cleaned up, no one would guess I've played it near as much as I have. I work on all my own resophonics, and I still have yet to do anything to it. I mean, ten years of playing with super-heavy strings, and the thing still has yet to even NEED a fret dressing. I have my action set low enough, as I fret quite a bit, as well as slide, and I still have yet to adjust anything. I have a Style 1 Tricone that's a few years old, that doesn't get near the playing time, but I have yet to find anything to complain about on it as well.
Yeah...I'll still probably invest in a cheaper reso, just to have that I can take with me some places...something I wouldn't cry over if something happened to it. But, even with a new cone, frets, tuners, whatever...hard to compare anything out there to the sound and quality of a genuine National. And as I'm sure you've found out, it's definitely well worth the wait to by what you want, and something of quality, then to maybe have to settle for something less, that you might be somewhat disappointed in.
So, I'm happy for ya, man. Just make that Delphi sing. The worst thing you could do is let it sit there and not get played. Guitars just HATE that! Adios, man.

[drolling]

Congrats !
I have been looking and listening for "the one" as well and
though I have found a few that qualify, they were way to pricey.
Nothing Like knowing your patience paid off and you ended up with
the right instrument...cheers on that.......
any pictures?I'm such a low-tech guy I don't have a digital camera or even a cel phone that takes pictures - but I'd love to post a shot of this guitar.. There's nothing like it on their website as I don't think they've made too many in antique bronze yet..

It's the sound that really gets me, tho'.. And I still track to 1/2" tape.. can't figure out how to do clips. Someday I'll get digital gear in here so's I can show this thing off...

[Bryan T]

Sounds like a wonderful instrument. I'm lusting after a squareneck, baritone Tricone which I'll probably have to custom-order.

Bryan

[matte]

love mine (nickel plated brass body tricone).
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL898/463210/12101210/176961495.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL898/463210/12101210/176961501.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL898/463210/12101210/176961547.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL898/463210/12101210/176961530.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL898/463210/12101210/176961520.jpg

[Sub-D]

That is one nice looking national.......
The reflection of the doorway off the back is trippy.......

[Bryan T]

love mine (nickel plated brass body tricone).

Matte,

You mentioned in a PM that you've been recording a lot with your National. Any music you can share?

Thanks,
Bryan

[matte]

That is one nice looking national.......
The reflection of the doorway off the back is trippy.......national just dropped the cutaway tricone brass joint recently. the sustain and sympathetic vibration(s) are ung#dly.

right now i'm working on getting my fretted/slide thing down. re-learning lots of bengali folk songs, bhajans, etc. my intonation sucks.:) i'll post some clips that won't embarrass the family soon.

[matte]

Congrats !
I have been looking and listening for "the one" as well and
though I have found a few that qualify, they were way to pricey.
Nothing Like knowing your patience paid off and you ended up with
the right instrument...cheers on that.......
any pictures?national is totally on top of their game these days. you simply can't go wrong there. i had a non cut brass/nickel tricone here before i snagged my cutaway joint. it was killing too.

[drolling]

my national (resonator) of choice:
a very early, sh•te-brown delphi.
(late '80's? early '90's?)
but, mine --- tuned down to either C, C# or D --- sustains really, really well.mmmm... taupe.. That's the colour I wanted till I spotted the bronze glowing in the corner - splashes of verdigris & daubs of naples yellow.. smells good, too..

I just slapped on the complimentary strings and it's a completely different bivalve. They leave the factory w/13s, but the guy that tweaked my setup suggested a 16 on top - about the same gauge as the G string on one of my teles!!

Splatt, are you mic'ing your reso or using piezo/mag pickups?

I gummed a $1.49 RadioShack door buzzer to the cone of my cheap regal, but I'd be willing to crack the piggybank for this Delphi.. Don't know about FX, tho' - the guitar already sounds *treated*

[gassyndrome]

What a great photo, and I cant wait to hear it. :AOK

That guitar looks incredible, but how is it theres not a single reflection of the photographer? Very impressive :)

[Sub-D]

I want to thank y'all for increasing the national G.A.S. for moi.......
I can feel the voodoo.............
speaking of beautiful resonators and haunting artists ...........
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/~jbrassil/photos/1-9-26%20um%20chris%20whitley%20close.jpg

[retro]

That's a shame you can't take photo's..but I bet it's a stunner for a reso!

Regarding pups...

This was Alvin Youngblood Harts recommendation awhile ago on TGP...

"Apparently people have been calling up National for a few years wanting to know what pickup I was using. I can't take credit for it though,Bonnie Raitt hipped me to this.You get one of them little 60s Harmony solidbody guitars and take one of the DeArmonds off, put it on the res."

I have an 8 year old Vintage Steel Tri-cone with a Highlander installed that I absolutely love...The new Nats I have played lately have been great...

Congrats on a great guitar!

[drolling]

ha!
story:
i'd played 12-20 different nationals, mostly old ones --- tricones, biscuits, everything --- looking for something very particular, somewhat tonally similar to cw's guitars (pictured, above) that i'd played in the studio, and one of craig street's older ones that i dug, but was too funky.
i'd just done the round of buzzy levine's national collection at the old lark street music (in albany, ny), and was walking out the door.....
buzzy says:
"hey, david, hang on --- wait; there's still one here ya haven't tried --- i got it new, from national, it's been sitting here for about 2 yrs....."
pulls it out of back of store:
ugly as sin:
i play it:
bingo!, i'm in.according to the 'instructions' in the case, most Nationals are now sold within weeks of leaving the factory - apparently the neck's still 'curing' on mine, as it has an '06/06 birth certificate glued insidemostly, i mic it.
for a while, i had this incredibly thin stick-on barcus-berry humbucker that sounded freaking incredible mounted up by the neck:
unbelievable amp tones, w/that thang, but:
it broke.
unfixably broke, at the time --- then i lost it, somewhere in the wide world.
i couldn't convince BB to find me another of that thinness (which they'd apparently stopped making, yrs before), and didn't wanna cut a hole into the body, so.....
i put in a highlander.
it's fine, though i barely use it.OOOH! I have one of those too, but the cord's broken somewhere (design flaw?) so I need a designated jiggler to wiggle the wire when it cuts out every few secondsgood treatments don't hurt none, neither:
whatever works, i say!
dt / spltrclWell OK then! I'm thinkin mr. moog's foogers might be as good a jumping off point as anywhere. Thanks for your encouragement!!

[cbpickin]

Congrats drolling! I bought my Style "O" brand new back in '94 and it has seen a lot of stage/playing time and is still going strong. It has taken a pretty good beating over the years and is broken in just right. I love that fact that all the "relicing" that makes it look like it's from the '30's came from MY fingerpicks and either a brass slide or an 11/16" Craftsman socket. There is nothing being made that compares to a National in the resonator world IMO.
Play that thing!

[drolling]

Congrats drolling! I bought my Style "O" brand new back in '94 and it has seen a lot of stage/playing time and is still going strong. It has taken a pretty good beating over the years and is broken in just right. I love that fact that all the "relicing" that makes it look like it's from the '30's came from MY fingerpicks and either a brass slide or an 11/16" Craftsman socket. There is nothing being made that compares to a National in the resonator world IMO.
Play that thing!Hey thanks cb!! My old resos are 14 fretters, so I've already "personalized" the guitar a couple of times today w/my favorite slide (about a half pound of brass!) - Still getting used to the neck joint at the 12th fret - Thing really inspires an exuberant (sloppy) playing style that would probably have shattered the old tequila bottleneck I've carried around for years..

Fingerpicks, you say? hmm.. I'm sure I've got some kicking around somewheres...

But I've gotta ask you about your choice of amplification. Mics? Pickups??

No hurry.. It's late here and I'm damping as much as I can right now. This guitar's even LOUDER than my gypsy jazz cannon!!

[62Tele]

Congrats on the Delphi - I've had a Delphi and Polychrome Tricone with the Highlander tricone pickup (both great instruments), but these days it's a Vintage Steel Reso Rocket cutaway and it's by far my favorite. I just love the fret access and someting about the combo of the tricone style vents and the single cone that just roars. I don't think I've ver played a bad sounding newer National - great company and really nice people to boot - but I have to say I like the steel and wood bodies best for my tastes.

I also got ahold of one of the new National/Lace pickups (avaiable only through National, not the other lace version). This is a *GREAT* pickup and if you like the old Barcus Berry and DeArmond pickups you'll flip over this one. While it has a magnetic character, it really maintains the tone of the reso. Very feedback resistant and an easy install to boot. The highlander tricone pickup is pretty incredible as well, but the biscuit mounted piezos haven't done it for me to date.

One tone suggestion - play the snot out of the thing. The guitars sound thin when you play them lightly and can sound whiny. I run medium D'Addario flatops, use heavy pyrex slides and play hard with bare fingers and selectively with a heavy thumbpick- for my ears, this gets the best tone. Thick, round and loud (funny, that's how my wife describes me). Very different than the way I approach my Collings OM. If you think about it, these instruments were designed when everybody used heavier strings and played hard to keep up with the louder instruments - makes sense to me that going back to this appproach will optimize the tone of the instrument. Just my $.02.

Enjoy!

[Resonator_Duke]

Hey Sub D,
just noticed the pic you put up of Chris Whitley. To me, one of the most underrated guitar players to come out in the last 30 years. And a guy who undoubtedly took aspects of the National and slide to a new and interesting level. I didn't know Chris all that well, but I opened some shows for him, back around seven or eight years ago. And he was still performing a lot with this particular Triolian. He later just pretty much toured with a couple of vintage Style O's. He was an incredibly nice guy, and we had fun hanging out, talking about Nationals and bragging about our daughters. He let me play around on this particular Triolian, which was his signature guitar from the start. It sounded and played great. And it was cool, because I had my '30 Triolian with me, so we compared the two, and then put my then fairly new Style O up against them. Yeah...some differences, but definitely some similarities. Was kind of funny seeing two skinny, long-haired white boys, bangin' on a couple of old completely beat-up National Triolians. But, it was certainly a blast. I sure do miss Chris, and we lost a great singer/songwriter/guitar player WAY too early. So, it's almost more an honor than a tribute to pull out one of Chris' songs to play onstage from time to time. Hell...I'm playing tomorrow night...might just have to do one, now that I'm thinking about it. And reason enough to take the '30 Triolian out...for sentiment's sake. Thanks for posting it. Good to know other folks out there know and appreciate Chris and his music. Adios.

[cbpickin]

Hey thanks cb!! My old resos are 14 fretters, so I've already "personalized" the guitar a couple of times today w/my favorite slide (about a half pound of brass!) - Still getting used to the neck joint at the 12th fret - Thing really inspires an exuberant (sloppy) playing style that would probably have shattered the old tequila bottleneck I've carried around for years..

Fingerpicks, you say? hmm.. I'm sure I've got some kicking around somewheres...

But I've gotta ask you about your choice of amplification. Mics? Pickups??

No hurry.. It's late here and I'm damping as much as I can right now. This guitar's even LOUDER than my gypsy jazz cannon!!

Yeah, they are LOUD, that's why I love em. I had to get one once I saw John Hammond solo, so I totally adopted his approach. I use a plastic thumbpick, and Dunlop .25 gauge fingerpicks on my index and middle fingers. As far as amplifying, I find the 'ol SM57 works just fine. I have used condensers like my Neumann Km184, Audio Technica 4041, and AKG C1000S, but Nationals are so loud and aggressive, I find the 57 does a good job on solo gigs. With a band it's tough though. I was tempted to put in a Highlander. I have my drummer use brushes, but I still always feel like I need to play hard to be heard.

[Sub-D]

Hey Sub D,
just noticed the pic you put up of Chris Whitley. To me, one of the most underrated guitar players to come out in the last 30 years. And a guy who undoubtedly took aspects of the National and slide to a new and interesting level. I didn't know Chris all that well, but I opened some shows for him, back around seven or eight years ago. And he was still performing a lot with this particular Triolian. He later just pretty much toured with a couple of vintage Style O's. He was an incredibly nice guy, and we had fun hanging out, talking about Nationals and bragging about our daughters. He let me play around on this particular Triolian, which was his signature guitar from the start. It sounded and played great. And it was cool, because I had my '30 Triolian with me, so we compared the two, and then put my then fairly new Style O up against them. Yeah...some differences, but definitely some similarities. Was kind of funny seeing two skinny, long-haired white boys, bangin' on a couple of old completely beat-up National Triolians. But, it was certainly a blast. I sure do miss Chris, and we lost a great singer/songwriter/guitar player WAY too early. So, it's almost more an honor than a tribute to pull out one of Chris' songs to play onstage from time to time. Hell...I'm playing tomorrow night...might just have to do one, now that I'm thinking about it. And reason enough to take the '30 Triolian out...for sentiment's sake. Thanks for posting it. Good to know other folks out there know and appreciate Chris and his music. Adios.
Yea man, he is missed greatly by all that knew his music ..........
Dirt floor still gives me chills, maybe even more so since his passing.
Deep deep soul that man was..........

[Resonator_Duke]

Yea man, he is missed greatly by all that knew his music ..........
Dirt floor still gives me chills, maybe even more so since his passing.
Deep deep soul that man was..........


Yeah, man...there's A LOT of his stuff that gives me chills. And though "Living With The Law" was a milestone of an album, it's some his less mainstream/more fan-appreciated stuff that really gets you. I've been listening to "War Crime Blues" a lot at work. Though he shined in everything he did, to me, Chris in his purest form, was always him, by himself, with just a National and his stompboard. Nothing else. And to lose him at 45 years of age? He still had a TON of song left in him. So, to think what might've been. Certainly was an honor and true privilege to hang out and play with him. And why it works out this way so often in life, I more sadly and selfishly appreciate all of that because he's GONE.
If nothing else can be said, he was one hellava National player, that did a lot of things against the grain, as to what most people have done with a National steel. He could play Bukka White or Tampa Red, note for note, just out of sheer respect. But, though rarely heard, he would play their songs in a way that he still paid his respect, but with eyes closed, there was certainly no doubt it was Chris playing them. Amen.

[drolling]

Thanks so much for the stories & pics, guys! First time I saw/heard a National, it was in the hands of Johnny Winter, and that inspired my to look back & discover artists like Bukka, Tampa and more obscure players like Oscar Aleman - who led me to my lifelong hero, Django Reinhardt.

It would be decades before I laid a hand on a Selmer style instrument, but the local guitar shop recieved a National as a trade in around '69. It was so heavy I could barely lift it and the huge strings seemed a mile off the fretboard. That guitar lay on a dusty shelf above a rack of dreadnaughts year after year - No one around here had any idea how to play it.

I stumbled across Chris Whitley's first album in the cut bin, bought it because of the cover photo of him & his resophonic and became an instant fan. I have most of the CDs that followed, tho' they proved increasingly difficult to track down. He had to uncanny ability to continually reinvent himself, and I do wish he was still here to surprise us yet again.

[ClinchFX]

Splatt, are you mic'ing your reso or using piezo/mag pickups?

I gummed a $1.49 RadioShack door buzzer to the cone of my cheap regal, but I'd be willing to crack the piggybank for this Delphi.. Don't know about FX, tho' - the guitar already sounds *treated*

I made this mic for Australian blues player Kevin Borich (http://www.kevinborich.com.au/).

http://www.clinchfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/Res%20Mic%20600px.JPG

Kev wanted to capture the acoustic sound from the resonator. He's pretty happy with this mic which mounts to the guitar using the existing resonator cover screws. In looks, it's still a very raw prototype, but it sounds good and he's been using it at gigs. It is resistant to feedback and has a strong bottom end. I'm hoping to find the time to turn it into a marketable product later this year. There's a fair bit of work involved in designing mountings that will work with the various different resonator cover designs.

Peter.
ClinchFX (http://www.clinchfx.com)

[jayhawk]

What brand and type of strings are you guys using? I don't remember what I've got on my National; it's some generic acoustic set and they don't sound that great.

Here's a few pics of the guitar. It's a Radiotone Bendaway. I don't think they make them anymore.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/mothra2005/Triumph/IMG_0452.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/mothra2005/Triumph/IMG_0450.jpg

[62Tele]

National puts on D'Addario phosphor bronze mediums if I'm not mistaken. For me, these have always been great and very consistent strings. I Like the Flat Tops on my Reso-Rocket - less string and slide noise but still bright and clear.

[jayhawk]

Thanks, jgm.

[GuitarG]

http://www.catfishflats.com/images/National2.jpg
I'll agree with what everyone is saying about the recent Nationals. This is my 2002ish Style O. I spent many years with a very early 12 fret Duolian, and while the Doulian had some definite mojo about it, the Style O is clearly a better sounding and playing guitar. The low register tones from this guitar are unreal.
Here's tune from my band's upcoming album featuring this guitar.
http://www.catfishflats.com/Sounds/album/Airport%20Blues.mp3

[jackaroo]

1931 Duolian.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/jack_devine/IMG_0622.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/jack_devine/IMG_0628.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/jack_devine/IMG_0601.jpg

The sound is just glorious. Pure blues bark, but also has so much beauty in it. Lots of overtones and character, no buzzing, great intonation and character. I can sit and just listen to one note and hear like this whole series of overtones that are just so amazing. I have a new model tricone style 1 and comparing the two is a lot of fun. The Duolian has more bite and volume but has less sustain. The tricone is a more polished, polite sound, but the guitar feels spectacular- very smooth and "piano-esque" for lack of a better word. The '05 tricone intonates a little better and sounds good with a capo as high as the 7th fret. While the Duolian has a gorgeous, dry and airy sound with a tight yet full low end, but sounds best open or capoed to the 5th fret.

The feel of the two guitars is so different it's kind of funny. It reminds me of playing an old LP jr and an newer LP custom back to back. The solidity, precision and heft of one vs. the raw tone, brash character, lighter feel and more "budget" construction of the other.

The '31 is currently set up with medium action that gets a little high as you go up the neck. Perfect for either slide or regular blues playing. The guitar has been in open G for about a month and sounds better than the Tri for Delta and raw stuff. The Tricone stays in D primarily and sound great there and excels at the chord melody arangements I've been futzing with in that tuning for about a year.

I'm just overwhelmed by the character of this particular instrument. I've played about 20 other single cone guitars before and since picking this one up, and I know I've really got something special.

Resonators rule!

[GuitarG]

Great looking Duolian jackaroo. Thanks for sharing the photos.

[bluesmain]

Great snag bro! I bet she sounds great! Sound clips ?:JAM

[jackaroo]

The guitar is on a few tracks on an upcoming album. I don't have anywhere to post 'em. But I'll see if the artist will let me share them in advance.

[riffmeister]

Jack........looks SWEEEEEEEET!! (and snarly, LOL!)

It is not hard for me to imagine you coaxing some great tones out of that baby.

[drolling]

What brand and type of strings are you guys using?Newtone "National"s on the Delphi - My first set of this brand & they do look & sound a lot like D'Adarrio phosphor bronzes, tho' they feel slinkier (and they're .016!) ... I like 'em!

On my brass-bodied Dobro 33H, I'm currently experimenting w/heavy gauge nickel/steel electric strings (Dean Markley 'Jazz', IIRC) and they sound surprisingly good. I've got an old Barcus-Berry reso p-up taped on there, and the bronze strings didn't sound at all balanced.

On the 3/4 scale solid body National Reso-phonic, I've got some silver-coated 'gypsy' type mediums (Savarez Argentines .011s). I'd like to go heavier, but this old guitar's got no trussrod. I totally wrecked the neck on a short scale electric National of the same vintage with beefy strings, so I'm not taking any chances..

Great pics BTW!!

Keep 'em comin!!

[clemduolian]

Can we say MOJO? My '31 Sears Duolian (5 sets of holes on the cover). Photos don't really convey how psychedelic the duco finish has become over the last 75 years. http://www.troutstudios.com/duo2.jpg http://www.troutstudios.com/duo1.jpg Keep slidin', Clem