Dull sounding National

[Rick]

I have a National Duolian (1934)
I replaced the bridge in order to drop the action recently (it has a highlander pickup, with the wire going to the underside of the cone) and ever since the tone has been just a little dull. I tried changing the bridge again, using spruce, but still the same.
I want to get it right before I decide whether to keep it or just play my trusty slimline Ozark! Ani ideas welcome!
cheers

[lee holliday]

If I read this correct by lowering the action you may have reduced the break angle over the bridge and with less pressure the cone is no longer being driven as hard. Heavier strings may compensate but be carefull as usually Nationals are heavy strung anyway, if thats the case try tuning up a pitch/tone ie G to A or D to E.
It may be more drastic & the neck angle could require a reset to get the lower action with the correct break angle. A good repairman should be able to fathom this out
Regards Lee.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Rick,

Welcome to our forum.

A 1934 National Duolian is one of the best sounding resophonic guitars ever made. It should have a superb tone and be very loud. If it is not, I recommend you take it to one of two repairers that I can recommend; these guys are THE best and either one of them will get your guitar sounding as it should.

Dave King is based in Reading, Berkshire, UK, and is the official National Reso-Phonics repairer in this country. He has done numerous repairs for LRC, myself and dozens of National & Dobro collectors. He has done restoration for Eric Clapton & Sting. '[e-mail]' is his email address.

Mike Lewis is based in Paris, France, and is in my opinion THE leading maker of National style guitars in the world. He has made guitars for Eric Clapton, myself....and numerous other musicians. He is the National Reso-Phonics official repair man in France. [e-mail] is his email address.

If you want your guitar restored properly, these are the only guys I can recommend in this part of the world. Resonator guitars really are a specialist thing and most luthiers/guitar repairers do not understand them, whatever they tell you!

Lee's advice is correct and well worth experimenting with, but you would be better advised to go to a professional. Neck angles are not something to do unless you really know your stuff.

The danger & difficulty with advice via the Internet, is that I cannot see your guitar, so I am very cautious about what advice I give. Go to one of these guys and your guitar wil be wonderful.

Let me know how you get on,

Shine On,
Michael.

[LouisianaGrey]

I'm not keen on the idea of spruce for a bridge. It's light, it's stiff (both of them things that you want) but it's soft and I think that it would dull the tone. There's a reason why they're usually made of maple.

The quickest way to find out if it's the break angle problem is to put a circle of ply under the cone and shim it up again. However, they really only need about 4 or 5 degrees so it's not the first thing I'd suspect.

When you say you replaced the bridge can you be more specific? The Highlander goes in a slot routed in the bottom of the biscuit - did you get a new biscuit from Highlander or dismantle the bridge and change the bridge saddle? Did you do anything to the string slots in the bridge? I would think that something you've done means that something isn't making as firm a contact as it used to. It's hard to be specific without being able to hear or see it.

[snakehips]

Hi there !

I'd like to 2nd Dave King's reputation as being great. I must admit though, I haven't tried anyone else.

Dave King has transformed two of my 14 fret Duolians one a 1934, the other a 1935).
Both were needing neck resets - one of which also needed a new fretboard.

He brought "life back to the dead" !! These Nationals, once great had suffered from warped necks and/or neck movements (I think mainly caused by wood shrinkage).
Dave expertly reset both necks. The 1935 one with the new fretboard (+ thus new frets) is really amazing. He has also made a new neck for a 1929 National Triolian for me - that is a beauty too.

I need to send him 3 other Nationals for restoration work (a Style "O", a Triolian and a Trojan) - I don't want to risk using anyone else. No disrespect to anyone else, honest, but I just want to use someone I have had my own personal experience with already, rather than trying out an "unknown" (to me).

Mr Woodman, posting above, does seem very knowledgeable about resonator guitars and he makes his own too. I think he sounds spot on wondering about the bridge you have replaced. Nationals are quite finicky about the shape that each string slot is cut - it can alter the potential tone quite a bit supposedly. Perhaps the way you have cut the string slots may be robbing some vital tone.
Then again, you might want to just try a brand new set of strings, perhaps a different brand to what you are using. Still use the guage of strings you prefer. Sometimes just a new set of strings seems to sort things!!

[Bottleneck John]

Dave King sure seem to know what National's are all about!!! I tried Snakehips gguitars and it was top-class workmanship from Dave K..!!! If I lived in the UK I'd surely trust him with my instruments..!!

BJ