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Post by Pickers Ditch on Feb 16, 2018 9:19:13 GMT
4Ms it is (are?).
A wealth of knowledge for you lucky people!
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Post by joephoto on Jun 27, 2019 2:44:11 GMT
I'm a new user here who has been looking for information on my National New Yorker lap steel and ran across this thread. I bought this National Resophonic from Marty Caulfield at the Norton (Massachusetts) Flea Market around 1978 and wouldn't part with it. It had a homemade trapeze tailpiece when I got it and around 1997 I found a proper one. Over the years the plastic buttons deteriorated and when I got sick of homemade maple blocks I took out the tuners (still have them, can't throw anything away) and put in some nice individual sealed ones. It was more important to me to be able to tune it than have it look original. I opened up the back once and put a (forget the name) transducer type pick up on the edge of the rounded hole with hot melt glue. It was pretty bright sounding but later took it out. One thing I love about it is the ringing tones I get that kind of sound like harmonics that might come from sympathetic vibes from a note played and whatever happens to sync with that almost like reverb. I recently replaced missing screws on the round plates but I'm still looking for something more original as I think they aren't chrome. After 40 something years of playing guitar I never felt like I had what it takes to try to gig yet but I'm going to trying recording some things soon. Serial number is X 59797 if anyone is interested. If I go by the serial number info on this site it makes it one year older than me (1957). Additional photo = Polaroid SX-70 photo of Marty reflected in the guitar taken with the camera that was part of the deal. Attachments:
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Post by joephoto on Jul 4, 2019 17:10:06 GMT
I'm going through this thread again to make some comments. It's really a great thread about these instruments and a lot of you have posted some great videos. "I saw another photo of a hippy girl at a festival playing one" I think I have the same book. She's playing one with the 'mother of toilet seat finishes'. I think it's a book on slide guitar with Johnny Winter on the cover. Disorganization on my part prevents me from showing my copy but I found a photo of one. "Yep, most of the sound gets lost in your clothes!" I was wondering if the cone could be flipped and the biscuit extended to make it shoot out the front. Not willing to try it with mine just yet. I've got a Radio Shack Omnidirectional Boundary Mic that'll I try to make a recording with and post here. It designed for recording meetings by placing on a table. I'm going to place it behind me to see what I get. "1956 X57000-X71000" I always thought my Reso was 1957 but those numbers put it to 1956 (X 59797). I have a book somewhere (again I'm disorganized) George Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars that I thought put it to 1957. "OEM national cases are poor quality," My original case has seen better days but I can't toss it. A girl I worked with (unrequited love) tossed a $1 bill into it to pay for the coffee I got her. I thought of busking (still haven't but hope to) so I taped in inside the case. The photo is of Jennifer Turner who was playing with Natalie Merchant on Saturday Night Live. I shot the photo off of the TV with a Polaroid. The case has been stitched with telephone wire but it just won't do. I found a soft case for a First Act (great guitars) electric that was perfect with backpack straps and pockets. Not as good as a hard case but it beats a blank. "...to a hobo jungle just off the tracks, where wandering workers congregate" "horrid writing"? It sounds like it could be a line from Tom Waits Ruby's Arms 'The hobos at the freight yards have kept their fires burning'. That's my name for my Reso - Ruby I originally wanted to post about adding a transducer to mine but got sidetracked.
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Post by joephoto on Jul 4, 2019 17:36:23 GMT
My original reason to be here was to post this. The other day I took off the rear plate on my Reso to put back a transducer that I took out a while back and noticed a few issues. The coloring appears to be like a shrink wrap and I'm starting to lose it. I noticed a crack also that's not totally visible in the photo. The transducer seems a little wonky so I'll play it a little more today and see if I can fix the problem. I remember it did sound pretty bright so I'll either leave it or take it back out but I won't be going into it much more because the plate seems to be doing a good job of keeping the finish on it. It seems the finish was laid on as a sheet because there is an obvious seam that doesn't show when the plate is on. The next and last time (I hope) that the cover comes off I'll get a better shot of the crack. EDIT: I forgot to add when I was trying to fit the transducer somewhere on the outside, I slid it under the bass side strings on top of the biscuit between the bridge and the tailpiece. It was kind of a tight fit and would only be under 3 strings but I gave it a strum and it sounded like a sitar!! I'll try that out someday, too. Like the sitar sound in Canned Heat's On The Road Again..... Attachments:
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Post by joephoto on Jul 6, 2019 23:20:14 GMT
I think that was the book, Michael. I dug out a bunch of my old books today. It's time to start over and learn what I should have a long time ago.
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Post by Pickers Ditch on Jul 7, 2019 4:44:39 GMT
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Post by Michael Messer on Jul 7, 2019 7:49:34 GMT
Joe, that is the photo, but it was originally in another book. It looks like it has been retouched because on the original the scratch plate is not black
Shine On Michael
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Post by joephoto on Jul 7, 2019 13:32:13 GMT
OK Thanks, Michael.
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Post by fingerlickin on Jan 22, 2020 2:33:39 GMT
Hi again, I think I should have entered my beginning post on this thread being a new 1133 owner. Just getting used to how to post. Hi, new to the forum. Off and on beginner, but long time lover of all guitars and sounds they can make. Got inspired by the national resonator guitars when a delivery man came to my house on a hot summer day a couple of years ago. I immediately connected with this fellow and we got to talking. This led to him getting out his National Style O and sitting on a bucket in front of my Airstream Trailer. After a couple of blues songs I was hooked on the resonator sound and Billie Alford style of Texas Blues. A couple of videos on YouTube are available. Off and on after that I searched for an affordable Style O that was affordable and did not need a ton of work. Came close but no cigar. This Christmas I was looking for a present for myself and ran across the 60's National Reso-phonic 1133. I poured through the internet 'till I saw all I could find on the subject. Prices on ebay were kinda nuts, anywhere from $1199-$3K. Then I found one on Guitar Center back east(I am in California) and they shipped it to the local guitar center for me. $650 which is still a lot but within my range. Looks like it has a new biscuit but plays and sound good. More sound coming out the back of course, but that's OK because I am not that good. It's what they called a Surf Green, and seems original, but have not seen one the same anywhere. The headstock does not have the National Logo label, and the serial # plaque is missing. I knew that would devalue it going in, but it is what it is. Happy to have it. Does anyone have insight on whether or not I should try and find a better biscuit, whether this is a legit color, or what vintage this guitar might be? Read more: michaelmesser.proboards.com/user/3537/recent#ixzz6Bis4ASo6michaelmesser.proboards.com/thread/11731/national-1033-student-steel-reverb?page=2
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 22, 2020 16:59:50 GMT
Hi again, I think I should have entered my beginning post on this thread being a new 1133 owner. Just getting used to how to post. Hi, new to the forum. Off and on beginner, but long time lover of all guitars and sounds they can make. Got inspired by the national resonator guitars when a delivery man came to my house on a hot summer day a couple of years ago. I immediately connected with this fellow and we got to talking. This led to him getting out his National Style O and sitting on a bucket in front of my Airstream Trailer. After a couple of blues songs I was hooked on the resonator sound and Billie Alford style of Texas Blues. A couple of videos on YouTube are available. Off and on after that I searched for an affordable Style O that was affordable and did not need a ton of work. Came close but no cigar. This Christmas I was looking for a present for myself and ran across the 60's National Reso-phonic 1133. I poured through the internet 'till I saw all I could find on the subject. Prices on ebay were kinda nuts, anywhere from $1199-$3K. Then I found one on Guitar Center back east(I am in California) and they shipped it to the local guitar center for me. $650 which is still a lot but within my range. Looks like it has a new biscuit but plays and sound good. More sound coming out the back of course, but that's OK because I am not that good. It's what they called a Surf Green, and seems original, but have not seen one the same anywhere. The headstock does not have the National Logo label, and the serial # plaque is missing. I knew that would devalue it going in, but it is what it is. Happy to have it. Does anyone have insight on whether or not I should try and find a better biscuit, whether this is a legit color, or what vintage this guitar might be? Read more: michaelmesser.proboards.com/user/3537/recent#ixzz6Bis4ASo6michaelmesser.proboards.com/thread/11731/national-1033-student-steel-reverb?page=2I don't understand what is going on. You have already posted this and Mark Makin answered with all the facts about yours and other 1133 guitars. Why have you posted the same question again? Hello finger lickin, these guitars were only made in solid red, black and cream when they were first made in 1956/7. Later instruments were issued in pearl versions of the same three colours. So you can only have 6 types. Any other colours are re- finished instruments. The first 1133s had a metal logo badge pinned on the left side of the white scratchplate. It also had a foil name sticker on the headstock. When the Valco company went into liquidation in 1968, many parts from these instruments were hastily assembled and sold in 1968. They usually never have logos and stickers. As yours does not have any pinholes on the scratchplate, I would surmise that this is one of those assemblies that sometime after 1968 was also re- painted Shine On Michael
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Post by fingerlickin on Jan 25, 2020 16:16:53 GMT
Thanks for your help. I did see what looked like pin holes on the back of the headstock where the serial number would have been. Would it devalue it to put a RePro National decal on the headstock?
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Post by Pickers Ditch on Jan 25, 2020 16:53:36 GMT
Mines a pretty original National 1133 with an old repro National decal on the headstock and I had to pay market price for mine. As yours is a refinish, I don't think adding a repro decal would do anything to its value. I stick what I want on my guitars - even on my MM Blues28. PS - so did Booker White.
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 26, 2020 10:21:55 GMT
Thanks for your help. I did see what looked like pin holes on the back of the headstock where the serial number would have been. Would it devalue it to put a RePro National decal on the headstock? Your 1133 has been refinished and it's in a non-National colour, so adding a repro National decal will not make any difference to its value. Shine On Michael
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