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Post by snakehips on Mar 11, 2024 12:37:22 GMT
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Post by snakehips on Mar 9, 2024 17:06:38 GMT
Hi again ! Not that I ever saw this guitar in person (I was offered it for sale though), is this vintage National Style 97, by a retired Dentist friend in England, a lovely chap (used to see him at the Colne R&B Festival, every August Bank Holiday). His one was the one that had a replacement neck made & fitted by Mike Lewis, of Fine Resophonics. Here is a picture of the back of the guitar. As far as I can tell, there is a thin etched (but not coloured) border, just in from the edge, and some parts of the Hawaiian scene are etched but not coloured - the outer edges of each coloured areas, the top two thirds of the volcanos, etc. So, I think that implies the whole guitar was etched with the Style 97 etching pattern, then large portions (but not all) of the etched areas were painted over : Attachments:
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Post by snakehips on Mar 9, 2024 16:55:26 GMT
Hi there !
I've no idea about the paint/enamel but after a while National (and the same with National Resophonic) stopped doing the coloured enamels and just did etching of the Style 97. It is my understanding that all the Model 97's were etched first, then painted/enameled. I presume this would give a better surface for the paint/enamel to adhere to.
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Post by snakehips on Mar 9, 2024 14:29:47 GMT
Hi again !
I was sure I had seen a youtube video of one of these guitars before, and being quite surprised it sounds fairly good.
I did a search on youtube for National New Yorkers and found this :
Curiously, now I think it looks the same as the guitar you have seen for sale BUT with a different bridge AND what looks like possibly the original control knobs. If the knobs are not original, they are a darn side closer in appearance to the original knobs (see the originals on that Reverb listing again !).
THEN, I saw the other youtube video - possibly by the current owner of the guitar, now selling it.
I'm not convinced the guitar has done the best job possible, restoring the guitar - or whether it was even needed.
To be fair though, the pickup sounds fairly OK on both videos. Did you notice in the more recent video, the guitar feeding back quite a few times ?? I suspect the pickup has quite a weak signal - so the guy has to turn his amp quite high, just to get half-decent volumes.
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Post by snakehips on Mar 9, 2024 10:31:15 GMT
Hi there ! I used to have one of those exact models. No, it’s not either guitar model that Memphis Minnie had. The tuners have either had the buttons replaced, or the actual set of tuners under the metal covers have been replaced. What I do know though is that a “standard” modern Kluson 3-on-a-strip set of tuners fit these guitars and the original National metal covers fit over completely - and no one will be able to tell you have fitted modern, dependable tuners. I’d definitely want him to record a snippet of the “raunchy tone” because the guitar pickup tone on my guitar was very thin and low signal. In fact, despite loving my guitar, I sold it because the pickup was so useless. Despite that, I bought a fairly cheap 1942 National Princess, about 18months ago - basically the same guitar but with F-holes and the same pickup. Unfortunately, the pickup in this one was even worse ! I have always hated bridge pickups - I always play the neck pickup, or at most, both pickups, if they have them, or the middle pickup, if three pickups. A bridge-only pickup leaves you limited to a trebly tone only, in my opinion - which is another big reason I sold my New Yorker. Condition of the guitar for sale : it looks heavily worn, in the playing area - a turn off for me personally (especially if spending that amount of money). I really don’t think the scratch-plate is original. It should be black with a white wide outer band - basically a larger white layer under the top black layer. If you really fancied a guitar like this, there are one or two others online in much better, and original condition. The link below is one I’ve been lusting over, for quite a while, but still just managing to say no to, for all of the above stated reasons about those pickups. This is the one to go for if you really wanted one of these guitars. It looks ALL original to me, other than the original screw-on connecter on the bass side has been removed (and sympathetically the hole filled in) - and a jack socket has been placed in the usual treble side. It’s VERY difficult to find those screw-in connector cables - and they stick into your arm anyway ! A daft idea in circa 1940-42 ! Here it is : reverb.com/uk/item/73179705-early-1940-s-national-new-yorker-electric-archtop-blonde?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20304708451&utm_content=campaignid=20304708451_adgroupid=_productpartitionid==merchantid=101084551_productid=73179705_keyword=_device=m_adposition=_matchtype=_creative=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADRxZYWM1D7fwWgXMXf7xAS6s939N&gclid=Cj0KCQiArrCvBhCNARIsAOkAGcXF_ilMIUjmb90tmMivBbvR0O68hcRz3bZLlojK3UmyVwGIwH9RNboaAqSsEALw_wcB
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Post by snakehips on Mar 8, 2024 15:27:22 GMT
Hi again !
This one, restored by someone else, took a totally different approach - new wooden neck but headstock veneered with the front of the bakelite neck headstock transplanted/veneered on. Lovely idea BUT that would have involved a serious amount of drill/cutting through the original bakelite neck. I hope the guy that did that wore a hazmat suit with positive pressure filtered/purified air to protect himself from a serious amount of noxious, carcinogenic fumes created !!!
It sounds pretty good anyway.
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Post by snakehips on Mar 7, 2024 17:51:05 GMT
Hi there !
Some pictures would REALLY help us. Having said that, it may well need a neck reset.
The original saddle slots may have been cut deeper & deeper to try & compensated for the neck pulling up, from decades of string pull. That raises the action, causing the owner to cut the saddle slots deeper. The strings end up too close to the coverplate itself - and virtually no break angle over the saddle.
Does the guitar sound more like a banjo than it should ? Does the guitar have poor sustain - especially with a slide, up the neck ?
If so, it definitely needs a neck reset. Some need a replacement cone too BUT resist the temptation to do that unless absolutely necessary. IF a luthier suggests replacing the cone, MAKE SURE you get the cone back - because sometimes you can work on it (an acquired art itself !) to possibly be viable again.
Photos photos photos !!!
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Post by snakehips on Mar 6, 2024 23:47:23 GMT
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Post by snakehips on Mar 6, 2024 16:57:06 GMT
Hi Bignatz, By "the original Style N", maybe you should read this, as I think you may be meaning the original idea/version for the Style O, in early 1930 (a 3-piece German-Silver body, with no engraving or etching, AND with a Tricone style mahogany neck) : markmakin.co.uk/style-n-or-style-o.htmlYes, they are very rare, but I stick to what I said before about all Nationals are cool :
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Post by snakehips on Mar 5, 2024 12:23:00 GMT
Hi Bignatz !
Style N's, with the Iveroid headstock veneer, look cool - just that wee bit different than the usual Nationals - aesthetically . But beyond that, they are no more fancy to play, and don't really sound any different.
OK, unlike most nickel-plated brass Nationals, they have a mahogany neck, instead of maple, BUT as EVERY National can sound a bit different, depending on the condition of the original cone (if it has it), or what sort of replacement cone there is in there, AND what the neck angle & break angle over the saddle is, what type of strings you are using etc etc, a Style N is just as good as any other National single cone.
They are all cool but none, in my view, are worth lots more money than another, unless we are talking cosmetic & structural condition. They are all good ! I have bonded with some Naionals more than with others - and couldn't really tell why I preferred some more than others.
The ones I didn't bond with as much were 12-fret, rolled F-hole Nationals - a Duolian and a Polychrome Triolian. I think it was the neck shape, and the results from neck resets, rather than any other reason.
You could finally get a Style N ........ then not like it all that much - and wonder what all the fuss was about, having to get one !
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Post by snakehips on Mar 4, 2024 13:20:32 GMT
Hi there !
Do you ever get days where you completely forget how you used to play a song ?
I haven't played my ukuleles much in ages - partly because I had opened up my Beltona 5-string Tenor reso uke as there was a rattle, and I had decided to put new strings on it while putting back together. Actually, I remember now - I had tried a set of steel strings on the uke, as I wanted to see what it sounded like - and see if it had better sustain with a slide than the nylon strings (which it did).
I kind of put the new set on, decided I didn't like the set/brand I tried (a bit thin sounding & not very loud) - and for some reason, the intonation was now WAY off. Had I damaged the uke with the higher tension metal strings ???
Anyway, that seemed to put me off playing my reso uke for a while. Also, I seem to prefer my Concert 5-string uke (non-reso, but still Beltona - a wooden top & fibreglass back&sides).
So, last night, I finally decided to restring the Tenor reso uke & see if I figure out why the intonation was way off. Couldn't see anything wrong structurally. I think I sussed why the intonation was well off ! The Beltona uke's saddle is not dead centre across the biscuit - and I had obviously put the biscuit & cone back in the uke the wrong way round !!!! With everything the right way round, the uke has good intonation again. Doh !!!
Anyway, after LOTS of string stretching, I wanted to try the song (I made up) shown in the video below (on my concert uk), but with my newly sorted reso uke.
Nope, I can't for the life of me work out what the hell I'm playing !!!
I have the uke tuned like a regular concert uke - gCEA, but with a separate 5th string tuned an octave lower than the re-entrant G 4th string. Basically a string from a Low-G tuning set.
If you think of it like a guitar, capo'd up to the 5th fret, it's the equivalent of Dropped D tuning - so I'm supposed to be using regular D-shaped chords plus some hammer-ons & pull offs. Damned if I can remember how to play it !!!
Does anyone else have tunes they used to be able to play, but now can't remember how ???
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Post by snakehips on Mar 3, 2024 10:40:16 GMT
Bonzo - when I tried with boiled water, the plastic did not soften enough - it just slightly sagged. This was not enough softening to completely remould around my silicon mould. I could wrap it around my mould but there was enough spring back that I knew it wasn't softened enough.
Maybe I'll try again with water boiling in a pan, as I'm sure that as soon as I pour some into a cup, it might drop to 90 C or something within seconds ! May need the FULL 100 C.
The fingerpicks tend to come shaped as a circle around your finger. However, my fingers - especially my middle one - is more a curved-corners rectangle.
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Post by snakehips on Mar 2, 2024 21:17:42 GMT
Many thanks for this Pete !!! Never seen the full footage before. Muddy Waters is on great form here. On the first tune he plays slide (Country Boy), he keeps the tone pot of his Telecaster WAY down, for the first of his solo, then pulls it up a little for the 2nd version, then up full towards the end of that verse & volume up full for his final verse of solo, knocking the audience dead !!!
If I were in the Rolling Stones, I’d bloody turn up on time, for the start of the gig, and not disturb things taking to their table in front of Muddy, mid-performance !
It’s interesting watching this, seeing John Primer, as a younger man. John Primer, is the one playing a Fender Telecaster, with a humbucker in the neck position. I played two gigs with John Primer, back in 2018, with me on piano, for the Edinburgh J&B Festival.
Ooft ! At the end of Long Distance Call, when Muddy is trying to shout out a few lines , supposed to be solo (singing), Ronnie Wood is nearly spoiling proceedings by playing ad-libs that don’t fit. Somehow, Muddy Waters manages to sing through it though. Phew !
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Post by snakehips on Mar 2, 2024 19:58:03 GMT
Hi again !
Well, I dropped some finger-picks into a cup of boiling water, straight from the kettle. I seemed to remember doing this YEARS ago and the picks splayed out into a flat T-shape. That’s what I thought would happen this time - then I could pull them out, wrap them around my new silicone mould/former/fingers - and hold until they cooled perfectly in shape. That was the plan.
Unfortunately, the water was evidently not hot enough ! They didn’t get hot enough to be able to reshape them.
Anyone know what I need to do ? Pan of boiling over water, to keep the water at 100 C ? Will that be hot enough ??
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Post by snakehips on Mar 2, 2024 10:47:11 GMT
Hi again ! Getting back to the topic of Plastic Fingerpicks !!! Using my favourite two finger picks that best fit my index & middle finger, I chose a Diamond bottleneck slide for each pick, that fitted snugly half way down the inside of each bottleneck. Next, I mixed up some 2-paste silicone impression putty and pressed into the the bottleneck, until it expressed through, almost to the other end (at the inside tip of the pick (see pictures). Once the silicone putty was set, I pulled out the putty & fingerpick together. I had to cut away some silicone to help remove the pick. So now, for each pick, I have a “finger” of silicone putty, giving a mould of the inside suface of a fingerpick. Next ……. I have to seen if it works !!! I’ll try to reshape a pile of picks that are currently no use to me, as they don’t fit my fingers - and pop them into boiling water yntil they start to loose their shape, then quickly whip them onto my silicon mould and wrap the pick around it - and hold until they cool. Hopefully, this will work !! Will keep you posted !
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