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

[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!

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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).

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

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by Matte

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]

Originally Posted by Sub-D

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by splatt

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

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 ...........