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Post by Pickers Ditch on Mar 24, 2018 8:41:58 GMT
I've been called a resonator nut case but this one takes the biscuit..... 1932 National Duolian for your delectation on Reverb.com  |
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 24, 2018 9:10:22 GMT
This guitar has been floating around for a while and is overpriced at £2000 GBP. It would be an easy restoration job and in the hands of Rik Besser it could be returned to its original glory. Apart from the hole drilled in the side, it looks pretty clean.
Shine On
Michael
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Post by creolian on Mar 26, 2018 14:22:38 GMT
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 26, 2018 17:13:12 GMT
That could certainly do with a bit of TLC. I think it is a little over-priced, but from looking at those photos, with a good restoration job it could be a great guitar. Another one for Rik I would say!    Shine On Michael |
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Post by creolian on Mar 26, 2018 18:00:22 GMT
That could certainly do with a bit of TLC. I think it is a little over-priced, but from looking at those photos, with a good restoration job it could be a great guitar. Another one for Rik I would say! Shine On Michael Hello Michael, PD, all... A bit of irony in that we have concurrent threads discussing new guitars made to appear old... And this with old guitars made to look FREAKY ;0 Being that both here are '32 Duolians, any thoughts on what a 1932 duolian needing a ground up resto should fetch price wise? Yeah, I'm having a bit of a time telling myself this is nothing I want to even consider... But what if Lightning' touched it? it is in Houston After all. thx, Jeff |
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Post by Pickers Ditch on Mar 26, 2018 20:16:57 GMT
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Post by rbe on Mar 26, 2018 21:33:34 GMT
Michael, I am honored that you have mentioned me twice in one thread. It makes me think that I might be doing something right.
I think these guitars are overpriced. The thing is, from pictures, you can't really tell if they are even respectable. You can see the finish and some of the details, but you can't really make an assessment of the issues related to playability, neck issues, the cone, the integrity of the fretboard and the frets, damage to the body, etc. It has been my experience that guitars in this condition are rarely setup well. That is probably because the cost of getting that done is disproportionate to the value of the instrument. You spend a bunch of money getting it dialed in and it still looks the same. You can't get your investment out of it.
The multi-color 12-fret is way, way, overpriced. And that thing that was attached to it has created some problems.
The red one is closer too what someone would pay for it. I see it possibly selling for $1,500. That is still high to me. Someone who wants a vintage National could probably justify the price to themselves. I don't see the person who buys it sending it to Marc Schoenberger to get it setup and dialed in. Just the $150-$200 for shipping made that unlikely.
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Post by creolian on Mar 26, 2018 23:05:26 GMT
Hello Rik, I'm sort of new to resonator guitars and am finding them fascinating as well as appreciating the "sound" and maybe the volume considering my ears. I appreciate your contributions here and willingness to share your experience and wisdom. Thanks ! I have more interest in player guitars and not so much the collectible aspect... No doubt I appreciate the inherent mojo in a vintage instrument but I think they are all individuals and I'm now keeping my ears and eyes open for that "one" in a metal bodied national style. The thought of a custom made guitar using the metal parts from an old one with a new neck (a little thinner than the almost two inch standard) is something I've thought about. Being reticent to talk specific numbers is quite understandable but I'm tempted to offer a thousand or so with intent of only using the metal, put another two into it and have a nice player. Travesty? Worthwhile ? Any thoughts? Thanks, all best Jeff Sorry Pd, I'll buy ya an ersta po boy at the Acme  |
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 27, 2018 7:40:36 GMT
Hi Jeff,
I shouldn't jump in because you have asked Rik a question, but I am sure his answer won't be far from mine. Rik is absolutely right that it is impossible to know from just seeing the photos what actually needs doing. However, if you can get it for $900/$1000 and you are prepared to get a knowledgeable luthier to do the work, then you could end up with a playable guitar. The problem, which I am sure Rik will also tell you, is that it is virtually impossible to find a luthier with Rik's skill and experience that could do this work and only do it for a couple of hundred dollars.
Shine On
Michael
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Post by Pickers Ditch on Mar 27, 2018 8:29:32 GMT
Jeff, do I sense a road trip west coming up?
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Post by bonzo on Mar 27, 2018 9:48:15 GMT
Hi everyone, I'll put my tuppence worth in as PD has asked and it may be of interest. I'll start where many of us must have, with my dream of owning a vintage national. Seeing them selling for loads of money here, and not wanting to get involved in the shipping and import tax hassles of buying in the States, the whole idea of ever owning one was well on the back burner! I did bid on a duolian a while back but after thinking I had won it lost out to automated bidding which I knew nothing about. It went for £1300 and the guy that bought it posted that all he did was put new strings on it and it played fine. Aaaaargh! Then the guitar known as the charity shop duolian came up and I was determined not to miss out. With advice from you guys and especially Michael I bid and won the guitar. I had managed to have a look at it and it was a right mess! I got it for £840 which I think is common knowledge, and figured if I had to spend a similar amount on it I could end up with a nice guitar. As it turned out the guitar was totally original with the exception of the finish. Having only held a national once or twice before I was a bit nervous about doing much to it. But with advice and help from you guys i did clean it up and refinish the body, and ended up with a great guitar! I followed Michael's advice to leave anything original alone which I managed to do. But the finish was so bad,no sign of any original paintwork I decided to refinish with a gold specialist paint effect, something I have experience with. It all turned out very well, and I got lots of compliments from forum members, which meant a lot to me. Bottom line is that there are Nationals out there, and while realizing I was lucky, I would say that if you can buy at a good price, and at least do any preliminary work yourself you might get a result! Hope this is of some help, best wishes to you all, John
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Post by creolian on Mar 27, 2018 14:18:47 GMT
Hi Jeff, I shouldn't jump in because you have asked Rik a question, but I am sure his answer won't be far from mine. Rik is absolutely right that it is impossible to know from just seeing the photos what actually needs doing. However, if you can get it for $900/$1000 and you are prepared to get a knowledgeable luthier to do the work, then you could end up with a playable guitar. The problem, which I am sure Rik will also tell you, is that it is virtually impossible to find a luthier with Rik's skill and experience that could do this work and only do it for a couple of hundred dollars. Shine On Michael Hello Michael, I shouldn't of jacked the discussion... Enthusiasm trumps reason once again.  Just to clarify; I meant a "couple thousand" Im not looking for cheap as much as a guitar that I plan on playing and keeping for the duration. Plan is to sell off most of the Electrics and ride off into the sunset with a couple of acoustics... My big problem is having trouble parting with any guitar. PD, it just so happens the trip west has been on the books as I'm scheduled next week to help bring some horses to Vinton La which is 70% of the trip. I do a few trips a year in that direction as well as east toward Kentucky and the Carolina's... I peruse the classifieds on those routes pretty regularly. Dreams of being "the Guitar Detective " finding the Grail and all that All best, Jeff |
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Post by rbe on Mar 27, 2018 16:59:10 GMT
Jeff,
Sorry I didn't get back sooner. I agree with Michael. If you can purchase that guitar for around $1000, that would be a good place to start. To me, it is an amount that makes more sense to the condition of the instrument being offered. It would be nice to know if the cone is original. The tailpiece does not look to be. The seller is going to have to be pretty motivated to drop the price $700, so you may have to hang in there with it. One thing is, it is an early 14-fret with a mahogany neck. Those were not around for very long. Let me know if you have any more questions or need any guidance through a purchase. You can always contact me through the email for my website. I check texts and emails more often than I check in here.
Rik
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Post by bonzo on Mar 27, 2018 17:00:37 GMT
Hi Jeff, sounds like your route might have more chance of finding a National than driving around south east England!
Good luck with the search! Part of the fun is in the looking!
Best wishes to you all, John
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Post by bonzo on Mar 27, 2018 17:13:48 GMT
Just saw Rics post. All true. Trouble is the cheaper the guitar is the more people become interested. There will come a time when 'gut feeling' will have to come into it! Then you'll make your move (with some educated research behind you!) and hope it turns out ok.
Best wishes to you all, John
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