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National made two types of resonator instruments: tricone and single cone models. Tricone instruments have a very sweet and warm tone. This is due to their long decay (sustain) and slight attack. Single cone Nationals are slightly louder than Tricones, and have a sharp (loud) attack with short decay (sustain). Because of this, single cone Nationals sound much like a banjo. Which type of resonator you like may depend on what style of music you like. Many blues players feel the combination of single cone resonator, steel body, and mahogany neck used on the Duolian is the ultimate Blues guitar. The fancier nickel plated brass, single cone metalbody instruments such as the Style O don't have as bluesy a tone as the less ornate Duolian. This is attributed to their brass, not steel, body material. But they sure do look great! Personally, I feel the Tricone's smoother, more complex tone is the best National sound and look! A roundneck tricone (in my opinion) is the ultimate resonator guitar.
How the Resonators Work.
National resonator instruments use very thin aluminum speaker cones, known as "cones", to mechanically amplify the sound of the instrument. This style of mechanical amplification was invented in the 1920's, before the advent of electric instruments. At the time of their invention, they were considered the loudest guitar available. Some National models have a single cone, others have three smaller cones (known as "tricones" or "triplates").
Single Cone National
1 cone
In the single resonator models the convex 9.5" diameter cone has a maple "biscuit" on top of the cone. The biscuit has a wooden maple saddle which the strings pass over, like a conventional acoustic flat top guitar. But unlike flattop acoustic guitars where the vibration of the wooden body creates the sound, in a National resonator instrument the body acts as a speaker cabinet. When the strings are played, the vibration goes through the saddle to the bridge and then vibrates the speaker cone causing it to "resonate" and amplify the sound. Because there is fairly direct transmission of vibration from the strings to the resonator, the single resonator guitar is the loudest of the resonator guitars.
Tricone National
3 cones
In a tricone, the three 6" cones are set in a triangle. Two of the cones are on the bass side, and one on the treble side. Rather than a wooden biscuit bridge, there is an aluminum "T" shaped bridge that connects to the center of each of the cones. A maple wooden saddle sits atop the T-bridge. The vibration from the strings goes through the saddle, which in turn vibrates the T-bridge, and then the three cones. The sound has farther to travel to get the cones resonating than with a single resonator guitar. Thus, that's why tricones are not as loud on the attack. However the sustain is greater, and the tone "sweeter". This is because there are three cones all vibrating together, producing more harmonics than a single resonator guitar.
Vintage National Resonator Collectibility.
As for collectibility, nickel plated Nationals are the most collectible, due just to the "look" of the bright nickel plating. Beyond that, all the Tricone models are collectable, with the fancier styles 2,3 and 4 (all engraved) being more collectible than the plain style 1 Tricone. Be aware that almost all Tricone models came with either a "squareneck" or a "roundneck" (and the necks are not interchangable). This refers to the shape of the back of the neck. Squareneck models can not be played like a standard guitar. They are only usable for Hawaiian or Country styles. Hence the roundneck Tricones are more versatile instruments. Squareneck tricone models are still sought by some Hawaiian-style players. But note Country-style players all seem to prefer wood body Dobro models, not Nationals. Hence wood body National resonator models have limitied appeal and are not nearly as valuable as a metal body Nationals. And square neck Nationals also have little collectibility compared to round neck models. So the most collectible Nationals will always be metal body, round neck models.
Resonator Frets Clear of the Body.
Another consideration with Nationals is the number of frets clear of the body. What this means is, how many frets are accessible for playing before you run out of neck and hit the body. Prior to late 1934, all Nationals had 12 frets clear of the body. In late 1934, National shortened the body of their single cone instruments to give 14 frets clear of the body (note all Tricones stayed at 12 frets clear and were never upgraded). All guitar manufacturers during the early to mid-1930's made this switch in design.
Resonator Single Cone Sound Differences: 12 versus 14 Frets.
The sound of 12 fret and 14 fret National single cones is different. Twelve fret instruments are a little louder since the body is bigger. The "best" generation of 12 fret single cone metal-body Nationals is the 1933 to late 1934 varieties with "rolled" F-holes. Prior to 1933, National straight-cut the F-holes in the single cone metal bodies. Starting in 1933, National rolled the edges of the F-holes making the body stiffer. The stiffer body forces the vibrations to the resonator instead of being absorbed by the body, hence giving better tone. When National switched to a 14 fret neck, all they did was to shorten the body, making it smaller. This made the body even stiffer, but also decreased the size of the body. Hence 14 fret instruments sound and look more "compact". But on the other hand, 14 fret instruments are more playable. It's a trade-off. Personally, I like the early 14 fret varieties with slotted pegheads (pre-1936) as a good balance between playability, looks, and sound. I also like the 1933 to late 1934 twelve fret, rolled F-hole models too, but then do seem less playable because of the 12 fret neck. The pre-1933 single cone models seem very crude to me. Also, when National switched to 14 fret necks they changed to a 10 inch fingerboard radius. Prior to this, most 12 fret necks have a completely flat fingerboard radius (except for some 1934 twelve fret models). This is very uncomfortable to me (though if you play bottleneck this makes little difference).
Other Vintage National Models and their Collectibility.
Post-WWII resonator models, with semi-solid wood or hollow fiberglass construction have some collectability. This is because of their unique design and sound. But they bring even less than wood body resonator models from the pre-war period.
National/Valco Map Shaped Electric Guitars.
Most collectors are first attracted to these map-shaped electric guitars by the way they look. The body shape resembles a map of the United States. Introduced in late 1961 (but not available until 1962) and were made only to 1965. For the most part, these guitars are inexpensive, low-end models. But they have an undeniable "cool" about them, due to their unique shape.
The res-o-glass versions of these guitars (the Val-Pro/Newport models) had their guitar's finish first sprayed into a mold, and was then sprayed with Fiberglass. The two pieces (front and back) were screwed together with five screws entering from the back and going into blocks of maple glued to the inside of the body. Valco called the material Res-O-Glas, which was a combination of polyester resin and glass threads.
All three model lines (Glenwood, Val-Pro/Newport, Westwood) had basically three models. Each model only varied in color and number of pickups/knobs.
The "standard" pickup appears to be a humbucker at first look. But really it is actually a single coil design, but smaller and less powerful than Valco's other pickup designs. Pieces of maple run from the neck joint to the endpin on both the top and back inside of the body. This stiffens the body and provides bracing for the bridge, pickup, tailpiece.
The 3-way tone switch on the single pickup models operates in similar fashion to that of a Gretsch Tennessean. In the first position, the treble is turned off. The second position has the treble full on. And in the third position, the bass is turned off. There are three volume knobs, one for each tone setting, and a master volume.
The three pickup models use the 3-way tone switch as a pickup selector (rhythm pickup, lead pickup, built-into-the-bridge transducer). This is similar to a Stratocaster's selector switch. For each position, there is a tone control (next to the switch) and a volume control (below the pickguard). The master volume is located next to the jack and tailpiece on 1964 models.
The sleek, space-age look of these guitars is enhanced by brightly colored finishes. The pearloid-and-abalone fingerboard inlay used on the Glenwoods is what Valco called its "butterfly pearl" pattern.
The "standard" pickups on these models have a midrangey throaty sound, well-suited to slide playing. The models with a built-into-the-bridge pickup, have a bluesier, twangy sound with more treble. This bridge pickup is close to a Fender sound, but without the sustain.
If money and rarity was NOT an issue, there is only one choice; a vintage 1928 to 1941 National Tricone roundneck. These are simply the best sounding resonator guitar bar-none (regardless of era or brand or model). Their sophisticated sound is simply amazing. The style doesn't really matter; the plain Style 1 sounds no different than the engraved Style 4 (though some claim the plainer Style 1's do sound better because the body is stiffer).
Second place would go the the 1934 to 1936 vintage "Don" single cone models. With a german silver body and a single cone resonator, these are great guitars. Also the 1932 to 1932 vintage Style N is right up there too (essentially the same guitar but with a 12 fret neck).
Of course this is the real world, and money and rarity DO matter. With that in mind, nothing can beat the a vintage 1929 to 1940 Duolian. At $500 to $1500 (depending on condition, originality and playability), not much can beat these. I personally like the 1934 to 1935 vintage Duolians with 14 fret necks and open pegheads.
But vintage Nationals aren't for everyone. You have to be careful when buying one, especially the low-cost Duolians. Warped necks and bad neck sets are common, and expensive to repair. A warped neck on a Duolian will require the fingerboard to be removed, the neck straightened, a truss rod installed, the fingerboard re-attached, a fret job, and the neck re-set. An easy $500 or more repair.
New National Resophonic Reissue Models.
As mentioned above, vintage National resonators aren't for everyone. Vintage Nationals are peculiar, and you have to know what to look for. NEW National resonators have become very popular. They have adjustable necks and sound great. One of the best sounding new National is the "polychrome" tricones. With a steel body and three resonators, these are great guitars. But they are the butt-ugliest things in the world though (what's up with that new "krinkle" finish"?). If you can't get over their looks, the new nickel plated brass body Style 1 and 1.5 are great new Nationals, that look AMAZING and sound great (though they don't sound as good as the new steel body "polychrome" triplate).
A lot of people ask me how good the new reissue Nationals are. I have to admit, they are damn good. And I'm not the only one that feels this way. Since the late 1980's when National was reformed and back in business, their instruments have gotten better and better. At first, when they were only making wood body models, and I wasn't very impressed. But now that they are making metal body single cone and tricone models, their feel and look has much improved (the sound of their reissues has always been excellent). They've improved so much that the reissues have actually caused the vintage National market to flatten. Prices for vintage 1930's Nationals has actually dropped in the past two years because demand for the originals has fallen so dramatically. This has especially been the case for vintage Tricones. This is probably due to the fact that the vintage tricones were much more expensive than vintage single cone models, making the reissues even more appealing.
Other Post-WW2 National Models.
After WW2, National made many non-resonator guitar models. To understand the how and why of this, a short history lesson in required.
In 1935 National and Dobro merged to form the National-Dobro Company. Within a year they moved the company's offices and production to Chicago. There National-Dobro concentrated on electric instruments and amplification, rather than the resonator guitars for which they were known. In 1941, the Chicago Musical Instrument Company (CMI) gained exclusive distribution rights to National's electric instruments. Remember this was the early age of electric guitars, and electrics basically made National's resonator instruments obsolete. But with the December 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor, National's guitar production was ceased by government legislation and its workforce re-trained for War-related manufacturing. In 1943 the remaining stock holders of National-Dobro were bought out by Vic Smith, Al Frost, and Louis Dopyera, who formed the Valco Manufacturing Corporation (Valco is an acronym for Vic, Al, and Louis). When the War ended, Valco re-vested itself into the musical instrument industry and built instruments and amplifiers throughout the 40s, 50s and most of the 1960s.
At the same time WW2 brought a similar fate to Gibson's factory, where as much as 90% of that company's production went toward the war-effort. In 1944 CMI bought Gibson, and after WW2, this set up a link between Valco and Gibson. Until the late 1950s some National-branded instruments used Gibson body parts. So "National" acoustic and electric models could have a National neck and a Gibson body! This can be seen, for example, on National/Valco models that use a J-45 acoustic guitar body, but have a National neck. Or a Gibson ES-175 body with a National neck and National pickup system. All these National models will have the post-war National/Valco metal serial number plate and are considered "Nationals" (not Gibsons).
Timeline of Pre-WWII resonator Nationals.
Years Available, Model Description
* 1927-1942 Tricone silver metalbody (all styles, round and square neck)
* 1928-1938 Triolian metalbody
* 1928-1942 Wood body resonators (all models)
* 1928-1942 Ukuleles, silver and painted metalbody
* 1930-1941 Style O silver metalbody
* 1930-1932 Style N silver metalbody
* 1930-1938 Duolian metalbody
* 1934-1936 The Don silver metalbody
* 1939-1941 Collegian metalbody
Dating Nationals by Serial Numbers.
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