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Post by robn on Jun 7, 2007 20:22:07 GMT
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Post by faceless on Jun 8, 2007 7:31:29 GMT
That machine does not please my eye.
I would also feel a bit cheeky playing a sad blues song about spending my last dime whilst playing a guitar that's worth more than a small house.
So for these two reasons I will not be buying it. Which is a shame because I recently done a cash in hand job and wanted to treat my self.
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Post by robn on Jun 8, 2007 8:09:35 GMT
My first thought was that the guitar should be purchased by the Smithsonian rather than a private collector. But perhaps saving selected examples from National's standard production run are of more long-term historical importance than this one-off leaving gift to a company director? This has rarity value but possibly less historical value than National's standard company output - although it is a beautiful example of 30s Americana craftsmanship - it certainly has that Wow! factor. I wont be buying it - my "cash in hand" jobs barely add up to the cost of a cup of tea  If it does go privately - I hope it is bought by a specialist in this field and not an investment house. Robn |
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 8, 2007 9:09:59 GMT
It is a lot of money, 100k USD is a few quid over 50k GBP. But in today's antique guitar market that is not as extreme as it may appear. 50s Strats & Les Pauls go for much higher prices than that. I do not think it is overpriced for such a rare and beautiful piece. The reason for that is that Nationals are far less sought after than Fenders, Gibsons & Martins.
I know the guitar was owned by Bob Brozman, but he sold it a few years ago for what he considered a high price. When Bob first got the guitar he was very pleased with it, but always upset at whoever put that pickup on it.
Shine On,
Michael
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Post by davey on Jun 8, 2007 10:57:13 GMT
Hi Folks
Come on, it's cheap ! It's always going to be the Beauchamp National.
I can see more value in it than some old plank that Jimmy Hendrix set on fire somewhere
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Post by growler on Jun 8, 2007 13:06:16 GMT
I would not give you £50 for the thing .......... Its orrible!!!! ........... all that fancy engraving on it , the finger board on it is a joke
regards growler
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 8, 2007 17:45:21 GMT
Hi Growler, Glad you like it  It is not something I would choose if I were designing a guitar, but it is a valuable piece of history. Most engraved Nationals are questionable in the taste department - more suited to be on a dinner table at a banquet than on a stage playing folk music. But it's too late to change them now! Shine On, Michael |
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Post by jamesfarrell on Jun 8, 2007 18:10:02 GMT
;D Oh not it's not. Give it to me for a few days
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Post by Colin McCubbin on Jun 8, 2007 18:24:40 GMT
Bob sold it for $45,000 (at least that's what he told me) He told me that Beauchamp himself had the PU fitted... Earlier this year I and others were contacted and asked if we wanted it at 75,000.(!) I don't think it sold, so the $100,000 is a try on.. Harry is far more subtle, and a tricone too! |
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Post by davey on Jun 8, 2007 18:52:04 GMT
I've just realise that the pickup chops the top off the engraved B in Beauchamp. Yuk !
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Post by marshcat on Jun 9, 2007 8:06:42 GMT
“Most engraved Nationals are questionable in the taste department - more suited to be on a dinner table at a banquet than on a stage playing folk music.” So here’s the $100 000 question: just who was that at Uxbridge Fok Club on 30 October 1990 toting the most ornate engraved National ever to emerge from the factory?  Seriously, though, the fact is that, generally speaking, the more effort National put into an instrument, the better it sounds. The fact that they are also among the world’s most beautiful Art Deco artefacts is just a bonus… |
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Post by rickS on Jun 9, 2007 9:35:09 GMT
Didn't Mr Dopyera state that he considered the unengraved models to have superior tone? - I'm not a fan of the engraving, especially on a tri, since it seems to me to be a clash of styles, the tri design being a wonderful expression of art deco/modernism, & then having a 'throwback' art nouveau design stuck on it; as if they aren't already flash enough! Just my 2%..
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Post by marshcat on Jun 9, 2007 9:58:26 GMT
Well, of course, in their infinite wisdom, National also had a solution for those whose aesthetic sensibilities baulked at the Art Deco/Art Nouveau combination. They could always opt for a Style 2 Don...  On the vexed question of more engraving = less tone, all I know after playing dozens of old tricones over 20 years is that you can't generalise. |
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Post by rickS on Jun 9, 2007 11:01:59 GMT
Hi Mr Marsh, whatever floats yer boat (mine's still 'upriver, on a bank of sand')...shame Mr D ain't still around tho, so we could set him straight ! ;-)
cheers,
Rick
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 9, 2007 11:19:20 GMT
Hello Marshcat, That would be yours truly with hair on the 30th October 1990 in Uxbridge. As much as I love engraved Nationals, there is no doubt that it is a mish-mash of styles - Art Deco and the silver dinner service all rolled into one! The theory that the more engravings the worse the tone....is rubbish. I agree with you Marshcat; the more effort they put into an instrument, the more they cared about its tone and playability. Kevin, perhaps a few days in your careful hands would improve the look of it  Shine On, Michael |
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