National Bluegrass 35

[resotonic]

Has anyone had experience with the National BG35 or the Airline (Supro?) Folk Star? These were the 2-piece fiberglass bodied single cones from the mid '60's, I believe.
I've tried the Eastwood copy and was not impressed...but I like the idea of collecting an original (if it's a good player - that would be a bonus!)

[Michael Messer]

Hi Resotonic,

The Eastwood copies are not actually copies, they just look similar. Fibreglass National & Supro Folkstar, Bluegrass 35, Composite and Airline ResoGlas, are lovely guitars. They are not as loud as proper Nationals, but they have a great sound and feel more like an electric guitar to play. They also work well as electric guitars because they don't feedback. Get one!

Shine On
Michael

[resotonic]

Thanks Michael; you are a wealth of knowledge & experience!

[Michael Messer]

My pleasure.

Shine On
Michael

[Michael Messer]

I know of a very nice Bluegrass 35 for sale in the UK.

Shine On
Michael

[Deleted]

...and a Folkstar presently at Guitar Center in New Jersey USA...

[preacherman]

Hi, I own a Black Folkstar and it is a very nice guitar,

The necks on these can be angled by the screws under the studs at the back of the body.
There is a considerable amount of Alu inside the neck, so it is worth to check it's as straight as you want it to be.

My only other concern when buying was to check the res-o-glass body for cracks, repairs or structural fatigue.
It is essentially a fiberglass top and back sandwiched together with a trim in between, there is also wooden internal strutting.

I hope this is of some help.

Oh yeah I had owned the Eastwood too (check my Avatar)
Its greatest flaw is it's mostly solid body.... Avoid

[resotonic]

I've managed to purchase a '65 Bluegrass 35 and I really like it. The adjustable neck with a new set of MM 16 - 59's = a nice slide guitar. I was pleasantly surprised to find an old Barcus Berry pickup mounted on the biscuit (this was not mentioned in the sale ad). Even tho there is no Vol control, it has good sound, but needs some 'dirt' added to the mix to tone down the treble (IMHO).
I had to hunt down some 'tulip' button strip-type Kluson tuning machines to bring it back to stock (makes the head stock pretty wide to fit in the case). I'm waiting for a repro body badge to complete.
The chicken foot cover plate is in good shape as are the body and neck.
Someone removed the zero fret and moved the nut closer to the fret board. This doesn't change the scale.

I too had the Eastwood and liked the guitar except for the very low output thin-sounding piezo, and the fact that it was fairly quiet unplugged..

[resotonic]

Couple of pics...the 'badge' on the upper bass bout is a foil repro, unlike the original metal badge.If anyone knows where I can get an original, please let me know!!

[resotonic]

Took a couple of years to install a new National raw brass chicken foot cover plate that I painted using various spray paints, including textured. Also added a humbucker (painted up like a Nanaimo bar); no Vol control. The previously installed Barcus Berry on the biscuit was way too harsh for my ear. The brass cover plate has a slightly milder tone than the original steel plate. When I ordered the plate from National I assumed it would be another steel plate; I was surprised it was brass, but I prefer it.