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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 24, 2022 11:09:47 GMT
So, are the bodies already nickel-plated ? I thought originally they sand-blasted first, then plated ? If your guitars will be done that way, will they be nickel-plated here in the UK ? Dave King sent an old National of mine (one he was making a baritone neck for, circa 20yrs ago) to Vernon Moss Platers Ltd to be nickel-plated. Vernon Moss company used to plate the Beltona guitars - and they did a lovely job on mine - which was a steel body - and they were only used to plating brass bodies. They hadn't done any for years but still had the jigs to hold the guitar bodies, whilst dipping into the electrolye solutions. The owner was more-or-less retired at that point BUT took it upon himself to watch over his son & other workers to make sure my guitar was processed & polished correctly, to get the best possible plating results. Maybe it will turn out great doing it the other though. I'm sure it will be great. If Dave King is doing the etching/blasting, it IS gonna be great ! (and you can tell him I said that !) The bodies are all nickel plated by the manufacturer. The sandblasting will be done by Dave King in pretty much the same way as it was done in the 1930s. The originals were not sandblasted before the plating, because the plating would cover up the design. It is not an easy thing to get right. I took a body to a local sandblasting shop on my local industrial estate and it looks like it's been hit by bullets. The body is a mass of dents and distortions from the intense heat created by the blasting. To get it right on a guitar and just to knock the shine off the plating, takes a very fine spray and a gentle hand. You also need a piece of shiny plated metal next to you (in our case a coverplate) so you can see how far you've gone with the blasting. It is just a gentle skimming with grit, not a blast, and it's not as easy as one might think. I am sure in a few weeks from now Dave and I will be used to it and doing them blindfolded! Vernon Moss were great. They did some work for me back in the olden days. Nice people too. Shine On Michael
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Post by chrisburnuk on Mar 24, 2022 11:14:48 GMT
Just listened/watched the podcast on Youtube - absolutely wonderful story and what a beauty of a guitar!!
Forgive the question, is the changing/swapping of the cone & from Dobro style to National a "simple" task or would it need a luthier..?
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Post by snakehips on Mar 24, 2022 11:27:21 GMT
Hi Mark,
I'm generally less keen on Dobros, as I just love everything about vintage Nationals - BUT this model has always piqued my interest !
I've registered interest in one. I'm just awaiting finding out if I need to pay a deposit to secure one, AND decide if I'd go for a special etched one or not. The non-etched one really does look stunning as it is !
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 24, 2022 11:33:44 GMT
Just listened/watched the podcast on Youtube - absolutely wonderful story and what a beauty of a guitar!! Forgive the question, is the changing/swapping of the cone & from Dobro style to National a "simple" task or would it need a luthier..? Hi Chris, Good timing, I was just catching up with this thread. It is a simple job to swap the cones, but you would need to adjust the saddle and get the string slots in the right positions. This could be done by copying the spacing on the spider bridge saddle. The height adjustment might take a few tries to get it right. I don't think it needs to be done by a luthier, but I do think it might be quicker done by a luthier. Yesterday I did an electrical job in my house. It was not difficult and I did a pretty good job, but it took me four times as long and a lot of swearing, than it would have taken an electrician to do the work. Next time I'm getting the sparks in to do it! Shine On Michael
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Post by leeophonic on Mar 24, 2022 12:10:32 GMT
Michael congratulations,
I can now unzip the mouth and let everyone know what has been in the pipeline for quite a while now, seeing the various prototypes with Dave has been fascinatingly frustrating knowing what was coming but sworn to secrecy!!!
Speak soon
Lee
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Post by chrisburnuk on Mar 24, 2022 14:41:46 GMT
Just listened/watched the podcast on Youtube - absolutely wonderful story and what a beauty of a guitar!! Forgive the question, is the changing/swapping of the cone & from Dobro style to National a "simple" task or would it need a luthier..? Hi Chris, Good timing, I was just catching up with this thread. It is a simple job to swap the cones, but you would need to adjust the saddle and get the string slots in the right positions. This could be done by copying the spacing on the spider bridge saddle. The height adjustment might take a few tries to get it right. I don't think it needs to be done by a luthier, but I do think it might be quicker done by a luthier. Yesterday I did an electrical job in my house. It was not difficult and it is a pretty good job, but it took me four times as long and a lot of swearing, than it would have taken an electrician to do the work. Next time I'm getting the sparks in to do it! Shine On Michael Thanks Michael - understood !!
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Post by wezzywest on Mar 24, 2022 15:01:55 GMT
Michael, congratulations the look stunning and i`m sure sound as good as they look. Are there any sound demo videos in the pipeline, it is almost cruel to release these without. Cheers, Steve.
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bdeivert
Serious MM Forum Member
Posts: 33
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Post by bdeivert on Mar 24, 2022 17:28:05 GMT
Fantastic guitars Michael!
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Post by Michael Messer on Mar 24, 2022 18:21:12 GMT
Thanks for all the kind words.
Yes there will be video sound samples in due course, I promise!
Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on Mar 24, 2022 18:22:08 GMT
Well done Michael š I've never seen this forum so excited!
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Post by simonf on Mar 24, 2022 18:39:01 GMT
My order email has been sent :-)
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Post by tokyo on Mar 24, 2022 19:30:37 GMT
Looks like an Egret.
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Post by snakehips on Mar 24, 2022 19:53:40 GMT
What is an Egret ??
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Post by chrisburnuk on Mar 24, 2022 19:58:28 GMT
Itās a bird mateā¦ think heās referring to the sandblast design
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Post by chrisburnuk on Mar 24, 2022 20:02:56 GMT
Just listened/watched the podcast on Youtube - absolutely wonderful story and what a beauty of a guitar!! Forgive the question, is the changing/swapping of the cone & from Dobro style to National a "simple" task or would it need a luthier..? Hi Chris, Good timing, I was just catching up with this thread. It is a simple job to swap the cones, but you would need to adjust the saddle and get the string slots in the right positions. This could be done by copying the spacing on the spider bridge saddle. The height adjustment might take a few tries to get it right. I don't think it needs to be done by a luthier, but I do think it might be quicker done by a luthier. Yesterday I did an electrical job in my house. It was not difficult and I did a pretty good job, but it took me four times as long and a lot of swearing, than it would have taken an electrician to do the work. Next time I'm getting the sparks in to do it! Shine On Michael Sorry Michael, just a quick follow up.. and apologies if this is a silly questionā¦. so if cones & saddles were āset upā.. theyād become interchangeable when you changed strings for example. Iām not talking every week.. you know every 6 months or so.. as long as cones, biscuit & spider were stored well. Or am I being overly ambitious ? Haha
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