1931 Sears Duolian

[gaucho]

 Thanks to Rik Besser for an awesome Duco finish and set up. Plays even better than it looks! There was no original finish visible on the guitar when I found it. Rik matched what he found under the fretboard flap.

[thebluesbear( al)]

Hi all
a fantastic job !!! what else can be said ?

al

[resotonic]

Awesome guitar/finish; cover plate is real cool.

[vastopol]

What a beauty!

I have the real opposite: stripped long ago, shocked many times in his hard life, probably jumping on freight train, and rambling in the boot of a Model T miles around on dusty roads without any case...(if the first owner choosed the cheaper National, I could figure he doesn't have the few bucks for a case) but looks like his sister, ...from the country.

Did you notice if yours was made with the square holes under the coverplate?
(I'm talking about the four "Hooks on plate" holes)
Or only the standard nine round screw holes, aside the four added for the special coverplate?

Thanks for sharing this details, it could be helpful!

[tractorking]

I have a Sears Duolian, R 47. It only has five holes in the body for the five coverplate screws and holes - no extras - so it was made from the start intended to go to Sears.

[Michael Messer]

I must have missed this thread in January, I think I was out on the road. Rik has done a beautiful job. I wish I lived nearer to him, I would get a couple of guitars refinished. I'd also get my Volvo done!

Shine On
Michael

[Andymccann]

Mr M I would pay good money to see a Duco finished Volvo

[gaucho]

May 16, 2019 6:55:04 GMT vastopol said:

What a beauty!

I have the real opposite: stripped long ago, shocked many times in his hard life, probably jumping on freight train, and rambling in the boot of a Model T miles around on dusty roads without any case...(if the first owner choosed the cheaper National, I could figure he doesn't have the few bucks for a case) but looks like his sister, ...from the country.

Did you notice if yours was made with the square holes under the coverplate?
(I'm talking about the four "Hooks on plate" holes)
Or only the standard nine round screw holes, aside the four added for the special coverplate?

Thanks for sharing this details, it could be helpful!

This was never set up for a hooks on coverplate. Just the 5 regular screws. Mine was stripped bare as well. Here it is in it's bare nekkid phase...

[vastopol]

The duck seems to prefer the Duolian than the Triolian too.

Thanks to all of you for looking under your coverplates (if any other Sears lovers want to contribute, I had to say: no screwdriver was needed!!! the "hooks" holes are visible by a close looking between the lip and the cover...)

This guitar was transcended by Rick Besser, ...in his time sold for twenty nine dollars...she looks very smart!

Is it the R297 ?
It is a phenolic fingerboard?

In matter of serial numbers, I bring my humble contribution to Mark Makin, because I've located a few ones that weren't in the book when it was published.
Hope it could be useful, but i'm sure the listing was growing bigger since.

R75 /striped,(big unacurate screws added)

R 83 / Stripped, new inacurate fingerboard, big +screws added

Mine: R126 / stripped, No ribs, (hooks holes under the plate), thin gauge steel body, phenolic fingerboard, big dent in one side (the only place where the original painting wasen't stripped, so I can see the typical muddy brown duco).

R 297 / Stripped, no ribs

R 345 / Mint Ribs (strange "Y" stamp aside the serial number and pat pend...seen on Kummer's website)

R 534 / Geen/gold duco, Ribs

R 543 / Green/gold duco, Ribs

R 567 / Dots added

R 600 / Green metalic base with pearly yellow varnish

Sorry because I wasen't aware of the value of each details when I collected it, color, ribs, hooks or not...

When I bought mine R 126, the Sears cover seems to be unapreciated as not looking like a "real" National, and the fact she haven't any Mark or decal.
But for me this odd looking has a great power, the CD "Bottle, knive and steel" was one of my favorite when I was a Kid, I spend hours to look this picture and listen...and Robert Petway's too.

Like every guitar player, I think "mine she's more beautiful" of course! No matter what you say!

These models might been bought by someone who can't come in town, too far, or too broke, somewhere in the sticks; the effects of the crash came slowly in rural areas, so he spend 29 dollars just before he couldn't no more...
(I'm always thinking this one might have been filled with blues or rural music.)

The thin gauge steel body could be easier for stamping those hooks square holes?
So my body may come from a Triolian batch...
I wonder if the others hooks on models are thinner...in steel bodies, I can figure it could be otherwise on brass bodies, somewhat tender than steel?...
But I've read somewhere they give an end to the hooks around 1932...but R126 seems to be made in 1931...
If I think about those hooks holes, the Sears batch could be a good opportunity to recycle the bodies unfitable with a standard coverplate.
That wy I am scrutinising every Sears coverplate...probably in vain, as anything weird could happen in those days.
We 've seen many mongrels and one of a kind.

Few numbers of guitars fitted with an upside-down standard coverplate could be found, Robert Petway's is the only Sears 12 fret body fitted that way, others examples are 14 frets bodies, like the one one the "Bottle,knive and steel".
www.google.com/search?hs=Tjf&channel=fs&q=bottle+kinve+and+steel+CD&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=ubuntu&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2gd_b0aLiAhUKTBoKHWLHBLQQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1301&bih=647#imgrc=DMeq2vH98takNM:

It also happens in Style O, Triolian and Duolian, twelve frets.
Some nine screws standard plates wheren't drilled by the normal scheme, they turn the plate before drilling to fit the holes already made in the body.
(Well it's not clearly upside down, it gives an idea of the production schedule).
(Seen on a green duolian with hooks holes, saddly I've lost the serial number)

Later they probably found a batch of unsold sears coverplate and fit them on 14 frets bodies, and sometimes upside-down, in this case they had to put six screws on, because the midle one fall under the coverplate!
(B223 piano finish quareneck show this).

Another crazy detail on 14 fret sears coverplates: sometimes there's two bigger holes in each five groups of holes...it's the case for the "Bottle knive and steel" one,...to add more confusion those holes aren't in the same line! (I've seen a piano finsh one and some stripped examples too along the years but only on 14 frets body)

This special coverplate design tend to drive me nuts...why?...How?...