Tricone opinions appreciated...

[archtopeddy]

There is currently a lefty 2011 NRP Steel Tricone for sale on Reverb for $3,100 USA (or best offer). From what I can see, lefties like these do not come up for sale very often. Consequently, I feel I need to ask the question now. Do you knowledgeable people think this is a good buy?  The bottom and top of back of neck has bubbling and cracking due to factory finish glue imperfections. Otherwise, looks good. If it bothers me enough, I can look at having the neck refinished or even having the finish removed.  Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Pics from Reverb.

Attachments:

[bonzo]

Hi eddy. Nice guitar, if you're after a lefty this has got to be on the list. I think the bubbling and flaking are a known problem and was discussed on the forum a while back. I think NRP were trying out a new type of finish at the time and it didn't work out.
Might have been a free refinish offered to qualifying guitars. So there is information out there on
a way you could find to rectify the problem.
Good luck with your purchase, the defect does give you a bargaining chip in your negotiation, at least enough to cover costs of repairs.
Best wishes to you all, John

[Michael Messer]

Hi Eddy,

I am with Bonzo on this one. It is a left handed tricone and apart from the lacquer on the neck it looks in good condition. Bonzo is correct about NRP's problems with lacquer and it is something that has happened, to my knowledge, twice in the companies history. I remember problems in the early 2000s and again around the time this one was built. I think the extra-strict laws on health & safety in California make life difficult for companies using chemicals, which is probably a good thing.

I also agree with Bonzo that it gives you some bargaining power, as well as the fact that there are not going to be many left handed people after this one. So you are in a strong position as the buyer.

It would look and feel beautiful with proper old fashioned lacquer on the neck.

Shine On
Michael

[snakehips]

Hi there !

National Resophonic were very unfortunate with the water-based lacquers they were using, because of constraints with Californian laws, using anything considered toxic. They used a number of water-based lacquers - and one or two turned out to not be great in the end. Hundreds, if not thousands of guitars were finished with these lacquers that turns out they would disintegrate, on some guitars - starting to peel off the wooden necks (and wooden bodies for the wooden guitars).
And when they went back to the manufacturers of the lacquerer for some redress, they found the manufacturers had gone out of business.

I expect that IF every single NRP guitar owner that has this problem ALL wanted the issue fixed free of charge, it would probably bankrupt the NRP - and that would be the end of them.
Some NRP owners had rants on guitar forums, expecting NRP to pay for shipping their guitars to NRP and back for free, as well as doing the repairs for free.
I personally think that is expecting far too much of NRP. If you bought a guitar from them but you live on the other side of the world - that's not their fault.

I own one NRP guitar these days - a 2009 German Silver Style 1.5 Tricone (with a few custom features).
I wasn't all that keen on the matt-finish surface of the water-based lacquer, and on recommendation of a fab guitar-player friend in Bolden, England, I polished the neck finish with T-Cut car polish. I was really impressed how it turned the neck finish into a gloss finish - and my guitar now feels more "at home" to play.
Some time after that, I noticed the finish bubbling at the heel, where it contacts the guitar body, just on the bass side of the heel - two areas of finish lifting up off the wood. It's never actually got any worse.
I feel that perhaps, the finish might not have started to bubble, IF I had not tinkered it by rubbing with T-Cut polish.
I won't be bothering NRP about my guitar ! It's probably my own fault, in this case. Anyway, the guitar is coming up for 15yrs old now !!
I'm still v happy with the polished neck surface I created - so will leave it at that.

This left-handed guitar though - enough of the finish is peeling off that you would be best peeling it all off, then perhaps having it refinished.
I'm not a massive fan of those "vintage steel" finishes NRP used to do - like this guitar has, and maybe you may be best keeping a look out for a better example, as few-and-far-between as they are !??

[archtopeddy]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful and useful feedback. I'm not 100% sure I can feel comfortable spending the money at this time (I just commissioned and paid for a Fraulini guitar), but thanks to you, I have plenty of good information by which to make a decision.  Lefty National NRP Triolian; very hard to come by. Sit on it and it will disappear. Decisions, decisions, decisions.  Urrrrgh!  

[Michael Messer]

Fraulini guitars are beautiful. I have two friends with them - Phil "Blueshome" on this forum has one and Ari Eisinger has one. I probably know a few others too, but those two spring to mind.

Shine On
Michael