BELTONA TRICONE STYLE 4 # T-031 FOR SALE IN FRANCE

[bluegrassphil]

On the advice of my friend and top french slide guitar player
Paolo Conti, I put again my unique BELTONA Tricone Style 4 for sale. It has been built for me by Steve Evans when he was living in Leeds in the early 90's. It bears number T-031 (Eric Clapton's one is 028 !). Top notch work and sound, style 4 and Waverlys engraved tuners. The master luthier Franck Cheval has installed a Fishman bridge and Crown mini-mic with a stereo jack. Mint condition cause I'm mostly a mandolin player so I haven't played this beautiful babe very much outside of my house. It can be yours for 5900 € and for that price, original case is included and probably a good bottle of Burgundy wine too. I'm open for price discussion but not too much   You can get in touch by mail at [e-mail] and yes, I'm french and based in Burgundy ! 

[Misterkevster]

.....almost as nice as my T-016 KC....also unique....

[bluegrassphil]

Thanks and glad to know that we both have "unique" instruments ! 😄😄😄

[leeophonic]

Nice guitar, I already have #80 a style 1 roundneck made in 95/96.

Beltonas of this period are so nicely built the Bentley or Rolls Royce of Resonators (they still are built well but without the Bill Johnson metalwork)

I am a big fan and hopefully the right person will enjoy an early Christmas present.

Incidentally what is the neck made of as it is quite dark in the pictures.

Regards

Lee

[phenix]

Hi Bluegrass Phil,

Your photos of the T-031 style 4 are beautiful.

I have Beltona #T029.  Steve Evans told me by email long ago when he was back in NZ, that he took two Beltonas out of the workshop for delivery one day.  The first stop was Chandler's Guitar shop which had been asked to submit resonator guitars for Clapton to audition where he was working at Olympic Studios.  Presumably #T028.  Of the guitars assembled, eventually Eric Clapton chose the Beltona and it was said it was used in his "From the Cradle" recording session and also on the subsequent tour.  The next stop on Steve's errand tour that day was the freight depot where he shipped the other Beltona to Staten Island, NY where I was waiting to see it. 

My memory is not so good right nowso others may be able to correct this:
I believe Stan Jay of Mandolin Brothers Ltd. had described the Beltona Triplate in his monthly newsletter based on reports from England.  And it may (or may not) be the case that this was the only Beltona he ever received.  I can't ask him now because unfortunately and sadly for so many of us, he died in Oct, 2014 at age 71.  His written description was that the neck was mahogany painted black.  But when Stan revealed the completely non-engraved Beltona Triplate Roundneck Style 1 to me, the neck was a beautiful honey-colored single-piece with interesting deep grain showing, with ebony fingerboard, bound on both sides and at the bottom. The neck grain looks like mahogany, but the wood is a much lighter and yellower color than I expect a mahogany to be...  
Michael Messer I think told me in this forum that the T028 ended up in the Christie's 1999 Clapton guitar auction in NY, and that purportedly Michael J. Fox (a player), was the buyer.  He also said, I believe,  that the T028 was not engraved (although others who may not know the facts, told me that it was heavily engraved).  Also Michael M. said that the neck was black.  So it may be likely that your guitar,  Eric Clapton's guitar, and my guitar, were all at one time in the workshop together.

I was going to ask you whether your Style 4 neck was black, but I think I now see in your photos that it is.  I was also going to ask you whether you sold it and whether there were any issues with the customs ban on certain woods and materials moving across borders.   

I am looking ahead and seeing that I will have to begin finding new homes for some of my instruments while we downsize my living situation, and this much- beloved Beltona may turn out to be one of those that will have to move on.

Best,
Roger Phenix, Stony Point

Attachments:

[phenix]

Hi Bluegrass Phil,



We traded some interesting info a few years back. My Beltona Tri-cone T 029 would be closely related to the one you showed, but mine is not nearly as finely appointed.

I have long been wondering ... whether you sold yours? I think it may have been on and off the for sale list more than once.



I spoke with Steve Evans via email two days ago to consult about damage suffered by my Beltona, and you were the next person I thought about contacting -- wondering if you might have some advice?



The Beltona fell a short distance, and the impact has damaged one of the cones--the one on the treble side nearest the tailpin. The guitar is still playable but a little out of adjustment, and Steve suggested switching places of that cone with one of the others. Which I am itching to do, but want to think about it first.



Did you happen to ever have the foresight to acquire spare cones?  I remember some talk on this forum about people on the lookout for sources of spare cones and I did think that was an indication that cones "wear out."   So here I am facing the actual reality that the cone is the beating heart and soul at the center of the beautiful instrument, and Steve Evans and Bill Johnson's cones were designed and made very specially... as testified to by Martyn Booth's wonderful intricate review of the guitar published I believe sometime after ours were built.



Steve did not indicate the availability of cones -- I gather that brass has long ago been replaced by carbon fiber and gglass-fibre, and Tri-plates have been long discontinued.   And he also told me that using other manufacturers' parts might be problematic as the Beltona cones would likely be a different height.

 

Have you got any advice or thoughts on this need for a cone?  (Or perhaps 3--I haven't disassembled but am peering through the cover plate.)




Yours truly,

Roger Branscombe Phenix


IMDB-- www.imdb.com/name/nm0679864/?ref_=nv_sr_3




Stony Point, New York 10980 
USA


845-947-2902

845-300-0925


Best wishes in these times.

[phenix]

Bluegrass 43  ReverbNation   nice mandolin playing!!! and resonator solo -- super ensemble band.