National 8 String - Help ID

David Trabue · Post by **David Trabue** » 24 Nov 2007 8:48 am

Please help me identify and perhaps evaluate this National 8 String lap steel, serial V-13xxx.

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 24 Nov 2007 9:18 am

To identify it:I think it is a ca.'48 Special 8. To evaluate it: I think it's cool.

David Trabue · Post by **David Trabue** » 24 Nov 2007 9:30 am

Thanks John!

Did they just call it a Special 8? Not a New Yorker or Dynamic Special?

Any idea on what these are going for?

Dave

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 24 Nov 2007 10:02 am

It looks like a Dynamic but I don't think they were called that at that time. It's not worth much, Ill give you a hundred for it.
Seriously, who can set a price these days? It would probably be worth less than a New Yorker because it is a less popular model but It does have 8 strings so that puts it in the 8 string price market. (I think you should take the hundred I offered and be done with it).
Enjoy.

David Trabue · Post by **David Trabue** » 24 Nov 2007 10:20 am

Thanks John. That's what I love about this Forum - the selfless acts of kindness offered to strangers!

Dave

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 24 Nov 2007 10:32 am

REMOVED

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 24 Nov 2007 4:43 pm

The six string version is Model 1025, but has a different fretboard. I see the eight string has a New Yorker style fretboard. My catalog shows both.
Lots of the cool amps of the day in the catalog also.

Kevin Brown · Post by **Kevin Brown** » 25 Nov 2007 8:54 am

Its worthless, I'll cover the shipping if you want to donate it to charity.

David Trabue · Post by **David Trabue** » 25 Nov 2007 11:09 am

Thanks Kevin! Very kind of you... even nicer than John, since you are interested in charity instead of self enrichment.
So I couldn't put any kind of value for the donation on my taxes? Dang!
Dave

David Trabue · Post by **David Trabue** » 17 Apr 2008 2:10 pm

Any ideas on what this should sell for to someone other than yourself? Original HS case. Everything works, just missing one knob.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 17 Apr 2008 3:42 pm

I can't find any similar items to compare, but I'd guess somewhere in the neighborhood of $500-600 based on the condition. You'd probably get more if you sold it on eBay, less if you sold it to a dealer.

If this is the one I've played before, it's a pretty nice guitar.

I could be way off on the guesstimate. This is the same model that Freddie Roulette plays, so there might be someone who wants it for more than my guess.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 17 Apr 2008 6:55 pm

I see the catalog sez it has a "silent volume control" I wonder what that was supposed to mean,like that it isn't noisey yet?

I don't have a clue what that guitar would go for, but those National amps seem to draw big bucks on Ebait.

I really like the National/Valco amps myself.

Stephen Dorocke · Post by **Stephen Dorocke** » 18 Apr 2008 5:47 am

I tried to sell a '39-ish New Yorker here on the forum about 2 weeks ago. I advertised "reasonable offers accepted".... Nobody made any offers, but plenty of folks asked, "how much?" Apparently $700 was too high a price for forumites. I decided to try e-bay, and after listing the item with a $750 "buy it now," it was gone in 10 minutes.

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 18 Apr 2008 6:28 am

David,

I have a student who has one like that but his
fret board does not have the Roman Numeral design
but rather the First Nation symbols.

His is close to mint and he bought it in a shop in San Francisco several years ago for $800.00.

It's an eight string also.

FWIW

Roy

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 18 Apr 2008 4:14 pm

Freddie would probably love to have it if you're selling it.