Unusual reso the seller is calling a National??

[gaucho]

Anyone know what it is? E-Bay link

[Michael Messer]

Hi Gaucho,

I am only guessing here, but it looks like it could have started out as a Melophonic faux resonator guitar. It has been refinished, the National hand-rest is not original and neither is the tailpiece.

Anyone else?

Shine On
Michael

[Brad Bechtel]

They could have stuck an Apple logo on it and called it a Macbook. That would have been just as valid.

They were wise to start with a low minimum bid and see what the market would pay for it. I wish good luck to the successful bidder.

[pete1951]

I think Michael is right on this one, it could be cheap, but as a UK resident the postage would be more than I would want to pay for the guitar!
So, overpriced,
understrung
And, overthere....

PT

[petej]

The action looks pretty high to me,probably one of the reasons why its understrung not much breakangle
petej

[Brad Bechtel]

It appears to be a refinished 1950s Beltone "resonator" guitar. See this Reverb.com listing:
reverb.com/item/2200954-vintage-pre-war-beltone-resonator-late-30s-oddball-dobro-national-knockoff

This is a 1930’s Beltone Resonator guitar, modeled after the Dobros and Nationals of the same pre-war era. The pre-war Beltone was an "in-house' brand of a New York city distributor named Perlberg and Halpin. Beltone was a private label and the distributor would place minimum quantity of various models with bodies likely made by Harmony or Regal, the same makers who did some of the wooden bodies (El Trovador, Trojan, etc.) for National, in Chicago.

This guitar, however is larger than any typical Dobro or National being 15.25” wide Slightly wider than a typical Martin 000 size) across the body. (Typical resonators are 00-sized, just a bit more than 14” wide.) It fits in a 000 case, though it is not being sold with a case.
What makes this guitar even more interesting is that rather than a metal cone, Beltones used a PAPER cone with a wooden bridge system somewhere between the National biscuit and the Dobro spider. Paper cones were used, so as not infringe on Dopyera/Dobro patents. Competitors like Beltone were trying to come up with something cheap that sold like a dobro but wouldn't end up in court. (Dobro had sued Shireson company (”Hollywood” brand resonators) around 1931 for patent infringement on the cone design and it dragged thru the courts slowly for years. Finally around 1935 the case was won by Dopyeras. they spent $12,000 court costs to end up with a cease and desist order for Shireson to stop making that style metal cones---and got to inherit their warehouse stock of cones (inferior quality) which barely returned $500 when they sold the aluminum to a scrap yard. There is no connection between pre-war Chicago "Beltone" and current "Beltona" resonator manufacturers. There are very few pre-war Beltones available in the vintage market. This is not an instrument for gigging, it is better suited to a collector looking for oddballs to complete a collection of Resonators, or for songwriters/bottleneck players/recording artists seeking an interesting, mellow tone that is not nearly as brash or loud as a Dobro or National but that does have its charms.

This guitar is all original. There are no cracks or repairs. Finish is original and very thin lacquer similar to old dobros. Black paper cone is original. For this model, Beltone likely used a National coverplate, and the Beltone logo was painted (white paint shot thru a stencil) onto the (very cool) “gumby” headstock. The guitar has a 14-fret (to the body) neck which would place it in the later ‘30s, as older guitars had 12-fret necks. The neck heel is actually very similar to a Gibson style shape. The string height is fairly high, but this guitar is intended to be used for bottleneck slide playing and the action is good for that. Scale length is longer than a typical dobro too... +/- 25”.

[Deleted]

The f-holes look very similar to a regal Angelus or a regal model 19 (see PRS&S p 114).
But I'm going for a 'melofonic'.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=%27melofonic%27+resonator+guitar&newwindow=1&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=713&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiEy7jq3t_OAhUkJMAKHUH3CoUQ_AUICCgD

[gaucho]

That's was my thought too when I saw it.

[Deleted]

This thing has been bid up to almost $900 so far. What's the deal?

[pete1951]

I guess it's a case of 'Buyer beware'. Though I would like to think NRP now have a responsibility to protect the National bit of the name and try to point out the disruption. Is that possible? Have Ebay any power to point out branding mistakes?
PT

[Deleted]

"Is that possible? Have Ebay any power to point out branding mistakes?"

Yes, you can put in a complaint to ebay about false advertising - but its tricky as there are lots of confusing categories. I've done it a few times, with limited success.
TT
edit: I just 'complained' - see what happens...

[Deleted]

eBay used to enforce misleading ads...once I in a listing title I was pulled over for calling somethin "like a" whatever... Now it seems they are so desperate for listings people drop the word "Gibson" or "fender" in ad titles when they are not, and it goes unchecked...

[Brad Bechtel]

I sent my description of the guitar as published above on August 26th to the seller via eBay. His response was "thank you for the information", but he did not change anything about his auction.

I wish good luck to whoever spent nearly $900 USD on an imitation resonator guitar.