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Post by resonatorman on Aug 16, 2013 20:06:50 GMT
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Post by resonatorman on Aug 16, 2013 20:10:46 GMT
Doublepost due to 3-pic-restriction... National got 4 nails or 1 screw, the French...4 screws! Interestingly seated mushrooms... Lots of dots here
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Post by Michael Messer on Aug 17, 2013 8:47:50 GMT
The people to talk to about these guitars are Mark Makin & Mike Lewis.
I am not quite sure of all the facts, but Mike had a dozen or so of these in Paris in the 1980s and some ended up with Mark in Nottingham, which were sold.
Richard Cox-Smith in Reading has one.
Shine On Michael
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Post by Colin McCubbin on Aug 17, 2013 12:36:04 GMT
I also had one for a while in the 90s which I had found in London, UK. The neck had been snapped at the nut and repaired.
I showed it to Brozman who told me that they had been made for the African market, he had a some pictures which also showed a single cut away body model.
I also discussed it with Mike Lewis who was very helpful, (as always!) he said that there had been a magazine article in French about them, I never found a copy though. if anyone can lay their hands on it I would love to read it.
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Post by resonatorman on Aug 17, 2013 13:00:32 GMT
This particular one hails from a spanish flea market. National cone SHOULD work at 1st glance. Interesting: looong scale length of 655mm - I'm excited! Nationals have 635. Pretty much of a lightweight too at 3,3 kg. This could really be something for almost no money when it's done.
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osteel
MM Forum Member
Posts: 11
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Post by osteel on Aug 21, 2013 16:37:53 GMT
Hello, i'm french and i got one of those old semiatone/selmer/beucher guitar too since 20 years now. weel, it sound quite good but should have a neck reset, but it's ok for sliding. there's a subject about those little piece of guitar on our slide forum slide.forumactif.com/t984-david-enesathe most interessant part is in english. about 400 were built, bodies by selmer/semiatone and neck by various builderin/round paris. some with flat back, some with archback, flat back are older. all between 1953 and 1972. i'm not sure national cone really feat on them, must do some custom on the soundwel. bye Osteel
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Post by resonatorman on Aug 21, 2013 16:50:09 GMT
Hi and thanks! National cone DOES fit, I tried it today. The soundwell has a much larger diameter in the Beuscher, true, but the rim is just broad enough to hold the Hotrod.
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osteel
MM Forum Member
Posts: 11
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Post by osteel on Aug 24, 2013 10:25:33 GMT
great, it's a good thing to know, we are some franch to have that kind of guitar. neck's quality are very differents from a builder from an other. ciryl lefevre had all information that were possible to have. i know that patrick verbeke a french bluesman had one lake that, but was stolen back in the 70's or so in a train station.
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Post by resonatorman on Aug 24, 2013 12:26:35 GMT
Do you know which kind of WOOD the necks are?
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Post by Colin McCubbin on Aug 24, 2013 13:39:14 GMT
ciryl lefevre had all information that were possible to have. Yes, thanks osteel, Cyril Lefebvre, that is the name I was trying to remember! If anyone has a copy of the article he wrote about these instruments, please let me have a copy and/or post it here. Mahalo, Colin
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osteel
MM Forum Member
Posts: 11
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Post by osteel on Aug 26, 2013 11:05:46 GMT
for the neck, i believe mine is in mahogany but not sure. i think i got something about this article. i'm gonna search.
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Post by resonatorman on Aug 26, 2013 11:23:49 GMT
i think i got something about this article. i'm gonna search. Yes! When you have found it, please post it here.
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osteel
MM Forum Member
Posts: 11
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Post by osteel on Aug 26, 2013 19:12:22 GMT
that what i have, only in french but i could try to translate it but later.
"Paul Beuscher SA le plus important magasin de musique a Paris vendait au debut des guitares hawiennes qui etaient faites pour lui a REMIREMONT.Il a trouvé dans les colonies françaises d'Afrique un marché pour les guitares metalliques qui supportaient mieux le climat.En 53 il commence par demander a Theo Ruiz de lui construire une copie de Duolian en laiton(brass) avec un manche rond 400 sont fabriquées jusqu'en 69 la plupart partent en Afrique peut etre seulement 1/4 restent a Paris ou partent en Angleterre. Le grand chanteur africain Kouyaté Sory Kandia a toujours joué sur une Beusche resophonique En 63 Theo Ruiz construit 40 guitares jazz(cutaway body) et quelques guitares tenor apparement il aurait fait quelques Duolian en metal en 71 il y avait des dos plats et des dos bombés surprenament le dos plat est le plus ancien modele fait jusqu'en 69 la fabrication des cones devint un probleme et la production s'arreta les instruments ont la marques SB sur les mecaniques une longue tete de manche inclinée et les ouies en F et un cordier venant des guitares jazz Selmer Dans le catalogue beuscher de 69 les deux modeles Duolian et jazz sont vendu pour 620 fr Mike Lewis s a trouvé a l'epoque ce qui semblerait etre les 10 dernier modeles dans un hangar a Paris
Cyril rajoute
en 71 Gilbert Caranhac qui jouait du bluegrass sur une Beuscher revint des USA avec des pieces de Dobro et demanda a Favino (luthier celebre pour ses accoustiques jazz archtops)de lui construire un genre de Dobro modele 60 avec squareneck j'ai acheté les memes pieces de Dobro et lui demandait de construire le meme en manche rond. Favino en a finalement construit 10 tous avec spider .En 74 Alain Roux demande a Favino de lui construire un "TROJAN" corps en acajou.Beuscher n'a pas voulu ceder les coverplates qui furent faits par R Carbon
et voila la reponse de F Charle Bonjour Ces corps étaient effectivement fabriqués par Selmer mais dans les années 50 et 60. Les manches étaient ensuite fabriqués et montés par des fabricants de guitares travaillant pour Beuscher, Ruiz, Enesa... Bien à vous
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Post by Mark Makin on Aug 27, 2013 8:02:56 GMT
I've watched everyone flounder around looking for info on this one so I'd better help!. Here is the original English version of Cyril's article (with a few additions) that I have had for 35 years so the article probably dates to early 1979. The following catalogue references show two Beuscher adverts from 1935 and 1937. The blue catalogue page is probably a 1950s/60s page with a Simatone. It mentions that they are "recommended for the colonies". Most of these in the 60s seemed to find their way to the UK or West Africa. Fewer of them remained in France. About 25 years ago, Mike Lewis spoke to me about going to a business premises in Paris about something. He ended up in the basement of this shop that had once been a music shop. As they were hunting through piles of things that had been left down there, he found one of these Simatones in a cardboard box - brand new, no resonator. Within minutes he had found approximately half a dozen more. All in the same condition. He acquired them and took them back to the workshop. I got Don Young to send me 10 cones from his newly formed National Company. They all fitted (just). I seem to remembr that we made hanger rings to fit in the well bottoms. (Mike will remember better than I!). I do recall that each one had a serial number hand scratched in the middle of the back directly below the cone - 63,64,65,66 etc. - all consecutive. It seems these were left over instruments when the resonators became unavailable. At that time (early 1960s), of course, finding a replacement was almost impossible.
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Post by resonatorman on Aug 27, 2013 20:13:53 GMT
Great post Mark, thanks! Mine has the number 12 scratched in it...
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