DOBRO, NATIONAL, and WEISSENBORN GUITARS
76-8157 Paul Beard (new) Model E, #0408, with hard shell case.
The Beard Contemporary E Model redefines the resonator guitar for the needs of modern players. These magnificently responsive instruments made of striking select solid tone woods, utilizing innovative designs, produce an unusually resonant instrument with an aggressive response and stellar tone throughout the entire playing range. At the heart of these models is an exclusive top-mounted, specially-treated resonator system. This feature, along with the open brace body design and arched back, creates a tuned-body cavity that generates exceptionally brilliant treble and a bass that is rich and full. By controlling the decay, exceptional clarity is achieved that provides optimum note separation for crisp, clear, finger picking styles. With the power of this instrument, your playing WILL be heard in the hardest driving bands! Select figured solid maple top, back and side construction. Open brace body design with arched back. E-body, 25” scale, ebony fretboard, curly maple binding on neck and body, chrome parts, curly maple binding on the neck and body, and chrome plated parts. $3,700 at our Discount Price, or at our Cash Discount Price, $3,589.
76-8773 National (used, April ’06) Style O-14 Fourteen Fret, #031, #11691 on brass plaque on back of headstock, in excellent minus condition with original hard shell case.
National realized that some bottleneck (blues) players want to have greater access to the frets and so they came out, a few years ago, with a fourteen fret version of their famous Style O – the brass bodied, nickel-plated guitar with the “chicken feet” cover plate, very much similar to the guitar on the cover of Dire Strait’s album “Brothers in Arms.” This instrument has an ivoroid bound fingerboard with 9 mother of pearl dotmarker inlays in 7 positions, it has twin open f-holes in the upper bouts with rolled edges; it has sand-etched Hawaiian scenes (the palm trees, the island, the canoeists, the volcano, the setting sun on top, back and sides; it has a sunburst finish back of neck and old fashioned looking three-on-an-engraved plate ivoroid button tuners. It has a tortoise shell truss rod cover held in place by three screws, and a “National” deco engraved logo in a large pearl block. The guitar shows light normal signs of use and wear including dings, nicks, indentations, and light scratches on the wooden parts, as well as scratches on the plated metal parts. In addition it shows more than light fret wear but we feel that it plays well enough to not (right this second, today) require a refret, although the word “refret” does exist on the otherwise sealed lips of the fortune teller. There is a slight rise at the end of the fingerboard, an area not affected by the truss rod – this does not seem to affect playability. For this reason we are offering you the guitar “as is,” on the precipice of needing a refret and having that rise in the board where no high diving flea has made the final sacrifice. It sounds great, plays quite easily and fills the room with its torrid testostoronic temperament. Your cost is only $2114, or at our Cash Discount Price $2050
76-8244 Goldtone/ Beard (new) Model PBS Signature Squareneck resonator guitar, serial #2809176 with zipper gig bag.
The Goldtone List is $878 and our price is $724 at our Discount Price or $702 at our Cash Discount Price.
76-8758 National (used, 2006) Replicon Tricone, #1418 on label, #12048 on brass plaque on back of headstock, in excellent condition (it’s supposed to look old and worn and it does) with original hard shell case (shows light wear) and with tags.
The Replicon is essentially a prewar Style brass-bodied, nickel plated tricone made new, now but then aged and distressed (like most of us) to look exactly like the old ones look complete with oxidation, scratches, finish wear, neck wear, dirt where there should be dirt and some dings. The bolted-on serial number on the back of the perfectly aged headstock is a touch of genius, so are the little ripples in the nickel-plated brass body as if caused by time and torque. The whole effect is amazing, I tell ya -- it’s uncanny. And yet with all of this accuracy there’s an uncovered shaft for an adjustable truss rod, an ivoroid bound ebony fingerboard, a faded gold, red and black National crest headstock decal under the finish, aged looking three-on-a-plate open-gear tuners with actual discoloration on the ivoroid buttons. This guitar plays effortlessly and comfortably and has none of the eccentricities of its ancient antecedents. Even better, your cost is only 38.14285% of the price of the prewar equivalent: it is just $2,675 or at our cash discount price $2,595.
78-7605 National (used, 2007) Delphi, #12996, powder coat over a steel body in the Copper Finish, with a sunburst maple neck, in near mint condition with original hard shell case.
This guitar conforms in virtually every way to the specifications of a brand new instrument - it appears nearly unplayed - all surfaces are free of signs of normal use or wear. The headstock hosts the National "Trade Mark" in gold, black and red – a decal that is fresh and unchipped; the grained ivoroid stair step truss rod cover hides the family jewels; the East Indian rosewood fingerboard presents with nine pearloid dotmarkers in 7 positions within an ivoroid bound fingerboard that measures 1 13/16th" at the nut with a bridge string spacing of 2 5/16th". There are two 6-section open f-holes in the two upper bouts, and the nine-diamond matching copper cover plate, each diamond made up of 41 small holes. The black biscuit bridge is the progenitor of its prodigious pop and presence. This guitar plays easily in the bottleneck mode and sounds radiant and brilliant. This is $1495 at our Discount Price, or at our Cash Discount Price it is $1450.
76-8139 National (new) Style 1 Baritone Tricone, #14142, with hard shell case.
A Baritone is a longer scale instrument, made to be played in a much lower tuning. We, ourselves, prefer the B-to-B tuning – in other words, you play it like a regular guitar but the sound you hear is lower by three whole tones. Wow, what an incredible experience that would be! It is indescribable and yet, once you hear it, it may haunt you for the rest of your weekend. The builder says: The National Style 1 Tricone shares many of its features with the original National Tricone created by the Dopyera Brothers in the late 1920s. The brass body is polished to a mirror-like shine and nickel plated. The mahogany neck, finished in a rich mahogany ‘burst, has an ivoroid bound ebony fingerboard. The vintage style tuning machines sit on a traditional slotted headstock, complete with a distinctive National decal. To see a very fine photo of this guitar (or a Style 1 Tricone that looks a lot like it) click on: http://www.nationalguitars.com/instruments/tricone/tricone.html We’d like to add that there is nothing more compelling looking in the world of fine resonator guitars than the sight of those three areas of “lattice work” on the front of a totally Art Deco National Tricone! One can gaze at it for hours in a semi-hypnotic stupor and arise, at the end, feeling refreshed, relaxed, happy and with no memory of being semi-hypnotized. Owning this guitar will change the way you sing, and taking it out at a music gathering will allow your peers to look upon you and hear you in an entirely new way. $3256 at our Discount Price, or $3158 at our Cash Discount Price.
76-8176 National (new) M-2 Mahogany, serial #14225, with hard shell case.
What a beautiful wood-body resophonic instrument! National says: Back by popular demand, the M-2 is the second version of the National M-1 made from 1990 to 1994. An M-2 body construction is composed of laminate top and back and solid mahogany sides. This instrument also features a mahogany neck with engraved pearloid headstock overlay, rosewood fretboard and mother-of-pearl position markers. The tuners are vintage-style, open-gear. For a very fine color photo of this guitar, click on http:// www.nationalguitars.com/instruments/singleconebiscuit/singleconebiscuit.html You can get your hands on this very fine sounding single cone/biscuit bridge resonator acoustic, suitable for fingerstyle or bottleneck, simply by phoning or emailing and intoning the syllables, “Emm” “Too” which is a contraction of the two phrases “Anti-Em, Anti-Em” and “I’ll get you and your little dog, too.” Or just “M-2” for short. $2,062 at our Discount Price or $2,000 at our Cash Discount Price.
76-7866 and 76-8237 National (new) Estralita Deluxe, wood body, roundneck resophonic guitar,
serial #13844 and #14241, each having a beautiful walnut back, sides & neck, finely figured anagre laminate top, triple binding, a rosewood fretboard, mother-of-pearl diamond fretboard inlays, pearloid headstock overlay & heelcap, three-on-a-plate, closed-gear deluxe Kluson-type tuners and hard shell case. Each guitar with case is $2,227 at our Discount Price or $2,160 at our Cash Discount Price.
76-8695 National (new) ResoLectric, electric solid-body Resophonic Guitar, serial #14272, with hard shell case.
This model has a mahogany body with a highly figured maple veneered top, Eastern Hardrock Maple, rosewood fretboard. Its solid peghead has a pearloid overlay, there’s a P-90 pickup in the neck position which combines with the a Highlander IP-1X pickup in the saddle to produce a sound that many people say is indescribable but it scares the heck out of them. $1,980 at our Discount Price or, at our cash discount price, $1,920.
76-8712 National (new) Style 1.5 round neck reso-phonic guitar, #14293, with hard shell plush lined case.
The 1.5 is a more distinctive variation on the plain Style 1. Like the 1 it has the greatly desired nickel-plated brass body with the mirror finish but, in an elegant fashion, it presents with hand-engraved double-cut lines encasing a wiggle stroke around the front, side, and back edges of the body. This model has a 25.656" scale length, a 1.825" nut width and it includes a very pleasant hard shell case. Grace, elegance, beauty and a charmingly simple and serene, nearly idyllic sense of personal well-being can be yours. For bottleneck, blues or just plain finger picking this is a guitar that will please you and please your audience even if your audience consists only your pet schnauzer and a one-eyed cat. $3,464 at our Discount Price or $3,360 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7982 Beard (new) R Model, #D0712, Mahogany, with hard shell case.
$2700 at our Discount Price, or $2619 at our Cash Discount Price.
76-8062 National (new) Estralita Deluxe, #14084, with hard shell case.
$2257 at our Discount Price, or $2189 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7660 National (used, March 2004) "Etched N" brass bodied, nickel-plated single cone guitar, #071, in excellent condition with original hard shell case.
This would be better than excellent except for some minor scratches on the back of the neck. The National Guitar Company works in mysterious ways. They make nothing but wonderful guitars, but sometimes a model that has proven to be successful for us, like this one, suddenly gets itself discontinued. National did the same thing with the Model 97, a fanciful single cone based on a prewar design that had painted etching of surfers and palm trees on its nickel-plated surfaces. It was, for years, in their line and then one day they said "available, but no longer painted in colors." A year or so later they announced: "that's all folks - no more will be made." This is a shame; it causes uncertainty in our lives, and who among us needs more uncertainty? We decry not knowing whether a model we have come to know, love and depend on will be, as the venerable but somewhat demented sorcerer said, "Hare today, Goon tomorrow." But, happily, this one was returned to us for sale and (as you can see) the townspeople go wild. The "Etched N" is basically a Style O but without the large sand-blasted Hawaiian scenes; or one could say it is essentially a Style N (another fine model National used to make) with sand etching that creates a matte finish look on the sides). The headstock shaped is squared, although the slots are, themselves, oblong. The National crest is pewter colored and also reads "Trade," "Mark," and "USA." The truss rod cover (yay, it has a truss rod) is grained ivoroid. The ivoroid-bound ebony fingerboard with 12 frets to the body presents 9 ivoroid dotmarkers in 7 positions. The upper bout displays rolled f-holes, each made up of 6 discrete shapes; the nickel-plated cover plate has the standard 9 diamonds each made up of 41 small holes. There is (of course) a hand rest over the biscuit bridge; tuners are three-on-a-plate in the prewar style with small metal buttons. The back of the neck and front of the headstock are sunbursted. The effect of all of this reflects the ethos of the guitars of the Great Depression, a pleasure we treasure beyond all measure. $1907 or, at our cash discount price, $1850.
78-7574 National (used, August 1999) Style N resonator single cone guitar #157 in excellent minus condition with original hard shell case.
The National Style N is not being made any longer, but in its time (and also in the prewar era) it was essentially a Style O but without the Hawaiian scenes. The brass body is entirely nickel-plated and shiny; the ivoroid bound fingerboard is black, probably ebony and inlaid with 9 ivoroid dotmarkers in 7 positions, the headstock which is squared appears to be mahogany and hosts the raised “National Trade Mark USA” crest in blue, black and silver. At bottom of headplate is an ivoroid three-screw truss rod cover. The cover plate has the metal hand-rest and the 9 areas of (as I recall) 41 holes comprising 9 diamonds. The upper bouts fancy twin open f-holes made up of 6 rolled edge cuts. Tuners are three-on-a-plate, prewar style with small metal buttons. Although this guitar plays just fine, especially for bottleneck blues which is its primary purpose, we need to point out that there’s small deflection in the neck and truss rod adjustment will not remove it. While some may object to this, a person who is buying this to play (hopefully that’s everybody) may find it completely unobjectionable. In all ways this guitar plays just fine, especially for bottleneck and it rings like sterling silver. $1,701 or at our cash discount price, $1,650.
78-7939 National (new) ResoLectric Junior, tan, #13932, with hard shell case.
$1155 or, at our cash discount price, $1120.
78-7930 National (new) El Trovador, #13912, with hard shell plush lined case.
$2512 at our Discount Price or, at our cash discount price, $2436.
78-7927 National (new) M-2 wood body resonator guitar, #138931MB, with plush lined hard shell case.
$1962 at our Discount Price or, at our cash discount price, $1903.
78-7768 National (new) Vintage Steel Tricone, #13759, with hard shell case.
$2,454 at our Discount Price, or $2,380 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7758 National (new) Vintage Steel Delphi, #13754, with hard shell case.
$1,962 at our Discount Price, or $1,903 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7755 National (new) Style O, #13751, nickel-plated brass body with the sand-etched Hawaiian scenes, with hard shell case.
$2,319 at our Discount Price, or $2,250 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7866 National (new) Estralita Deluxe, #13844, with hard shell case.
This $2051 at our Discount Price, or $1990 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7795 Paul Beard (new) Vintage Birch Squareneck, #D0701, with hard shell case.
$2,000 at our Discount Price, or $1,940 at our Cash Discount Price.
78-7426 National (new) Reso-Phonic Polychrome Baritone Tricone, in Copper finish, steel bodied, #13598, with hard shell plush lined case.
$2489 or, at our cash discount price, $2414.
78-7698 Paul Beard (Resophonic Outfitters) “Vintage Cherry” squareneck resonator guitar, #D0674, with hard shell case.
We feel strongly that Paul Beard is the finest builder of resonator squareneck guitars in the known universe. Hearing it, even one time, will convince you of the same. We rarely state or admit this, but this instrument is “better than prewar.” Only $2,000 at our Discount Price, $1,940 at our Cash Discount Price, and worth a great deal more.
78-7130 National (new) Antique Brass Single Cone, #13422, with plush lined hard shell case.
On the 2008 National price list they no longer show any Antique Brass bodied guitars. So this one may be the “end of the era.” $2752 or, at our cash discount price, $2669.
78-7392 National (new) Style 2 Tricone, brass bodied prewar style roundneck with the art deco latticework and a hand-engraved with the flowing Wild Rose pattern, on top and back which is then nickel-plated, #13564, with plush lined hard shell case.
It has a mahogany neck, ivoroid bound ebony fretboard and 3-on-a-plate vintage-style tuners on the slotted headstock. National adds, “Sprigs of wild roses add distinction while the sound stays sweet and sassy.” Your cost is $3649 or, at our cash discount price, $3539.
78-7265 and 78-7264(sold) Gold Tone (new) Paul Beard Roundneck (PBR) Cutaway Resonator guitar, made with a solid mahogany top and back, #801269 and #2801268, each including a zipper gigbag.
The Gold Tone List Price on each guitar is $1314. Please call for our pricing.
78-7050 Paul Beard Resophonic Outfitters (new) Mike Auldridge Model resonator square neck guitar, with the “Legend Tone” system, cherry sunburst, MG6-242, with hard shell plush lined case.
Beard Guitars makes one of the finest sounding and most beautiful resophonic guitars as we have ever had the happiness to hear! Did you know that Jerry Douglas has just recently become a user and endorser of Beard Resonator guitars. This superb instrument is $3,700 at our Discount Price or, at our Cash Discount Price, $3,587.
48-3932 National (new) Polychrome Tricone Cutaway, #12270, Model VSD-1841,
in blue powder coat finish, with three small cones and the lattice work pattern that, visually and sonically, makes everybody think “prewar,” with hard shell case. $2351 or, at our cash discount price, $2280
48-4282 National (new) Polychrome Tricone (non-cutaway), Model P706GN, in Green powder coat finish, amazingly much like the one in blue, but this one is in green, with hard shell case.
The Polychrome Tricone is a National ResoPhonic first: an all-steel body tricone. This instrument is structurally the same as the Style 1, with a maple neck, bound rosewood fretboard, a 30's style headstock overlay, and Kluson-type 3-on-a-plate tuning machines. The Polychrome Tricone has a baked "wrinkle" finish which is available in a variety of colors. $1856 or, at our cash discount price, $1800.
15-6072 Dobro (used, 1935) resophonic guitar Model 27, in excellent condition with an original or period purple lined soft shell case.
This is a California-made roundneck, all original, original black plastic button tuners which the model 27 had, original 8-lug cone, and short spider; original tailpiece with an original screw end tailpin at bottom. It has a soundwell with parallelogram holes, also California, it has crème top binding, exc- to exc, #6853, original soft case; the guitar has a rosewood fretboard with 9 inlaid mother of pearl dots. It has two screened holes at the waist but does not have the three holes drilled at bottom of unbound fingerboard. It has a slotted headstock with square slots at the top, and is missing part of its logo (chipped away, but around half the logo is there). Something that you see on a California-made is that is a substantial amount of wood visible at the bottom of the fretboard; the Regals do not have this. It has an added high bone nut, but done nicely, and the sound for a converted roundneck is crispy, clean and clear. This is the same model that Josh Graves played with Flatt & Scruggs, and Bashful Brother Oswald played with Roy Acuff; it was the model often used by working bluegrass professionals in the 1940s and 1950s. Josh Graves called his guitar “Julie.” This is the exact model. The guitar shows normal light scratches and dings – but not overwhelming wear. The back, sides and top are birch plywood and there is a nice grain pattern on the back. This converted roundneck is $2,681 or at our cash discount price $2,600.
If you would like more information on MANDOLIN BROTHERS' products and services, please write, phone, fax or email to mandolin@mandoweb.com.
