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1932 National Style O Round Neck
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Serial #: S3474, stamped below tailpiece
Scale length: 25" Nut width: 1 13/16"
Materials: Bell brass body; solid one-piece maple neck; ebonized maple fingerboard, bone nut; pearl dot fingerboard inlays.
Hardware: Original hardware includes nickel stamped tailpiece, spun aluminum resonator cone, original frets. Vintage correct antiqued nickel 3-on-a-plate tuners.
Notes: The National Guitar Company debuted its Style O guitar in 1930, and it quickly became its most popular single cone resonator guitar. Though decorated with fanciful Hawaiian scenes, the National Style O was to became the first iconic instrument of blues guitar, as championed by performers including Son House, Booker White, Blind Boy Fuller and many others. With its powerful single cone resonator and extended 12 fret body, the Style O was unsurpassed in volume and projection, making it ideal for radio, recording and unamplified venues, and it quickly acquired the reputation as the go-to instrument for Delta style bottleneck slide guitar.
This handsome guitar from 1932 is a wonderful example of the fourth design variation, as documented by National maven Bob Brozman, with the embossed radial lines on the coverplate, flat-cut soundholes, and moonlit beach scenes etched into the nickel plated bell brass body. The guitar is in great shape, without dents or rust, and apart from the normal thumbwear on the neck, shows little otherwise in the way of pick scratches or buckle wear on the bright original plating. With the exception of a set of vintage correct antiqued nickel three-on-a-plate tuners, the instrument is otherwise all original, right down to its factory issue black alligator fiber case. Neck profile is a full gentle C, with medium action for either slide or conventional picking. The tone is forward, punchy, and full of natural reverb, and the generous nut width makes it ideal for fingerstyle play. An iconic instrument from the golden era of resophonic technology.
Setup: String slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; fingerboard oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.
This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze strings (.013-.057). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.
Case: Original National black alligator fiber case.
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