National D8 Grand Console

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 5 Apr 2009 12:06 pm

I have just picked one of these up off ebay for a good price. They are a bit hard to find in the Uk!

It's a bit bashed up but it seems to work Ok. As far as I can gather the only things missing are 1 tuner button and the pickup covers.

It sounds quite quiet compared to my other lap steels and I just wondered if this was normal for these guitars

Kevin Brown · Post by **Kevin Brown** » 5 Apr 2009 12:21 pm

The national 8 string non string through pickups are in my experience very pokey with huge output, be worth having it checked, is it cream and brown or black and white ? any pics, very envious

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 5 Apr 2009 2:57 pm

These are the pics from ebay...haven't had chance to take any of my own yet

Got it on a £200 buy it now

Any idea how to check pickups?

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 5 Apr 2009 4:01 pm

That's a beauty Roger!
£200 - that's about $300 US. Excellent deal.
It's been played quite a bit, that just adds to its mojo.
Too bad about the pickup covers, but the truth is - they just get in the way.
You'd probably end up taking them off, that's what I've done with my T-8.
You can get a Kluson tuner button from Stew-Mac.
Then you just heat up the post with a solder iron and push the button on.

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 5 Apr 2009 7:34 pm

As you mentioned, it does look a bit beat-up, (or perhaps better to say, well played). I have the identical model in pristine condition ... lots of power in the p/u's. As for those p/u covers, I took mine off. They are stored in the case so don't feel badly yours are missing. If you REALLY feel you need them, I'm sure someone could easily make a set from plastic....however, as Rick stated, they just get in the way. The price you paid was awesome ! I paid far more for my National D-8 .... Lucky find !

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 5 Apr 2009 8:41 pm

Good score Roger, that's exactly like mine except I have the Grand Console without the legs. What year is yours? Mine's a 1952 vintage....JH in Va.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 5 Apr 2009 10:22 pm

Here's the link to the Valco Dating table:
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/national.html#valco

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 6 Apr 2009 12:25 am

Cheers Rick, I'll climb underneath it later when I get home and get the serial number

Kevin Brown · Post by **Kevin Brown** » 6 Apr 2009 12:41 am

thats a great deal roger, which ebay site was that on, i hadn't noticed it on the US one

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 6 Apr 2009 2:37 am

It was on .co.uk.

The seller was new to ebay though and posted it under strings! I only found it while searching for steel guitar strings. It didn't show up in any of my normal searches for Lap steels. He was a very nice chap and has been suffering from G.A.S from a number of years and is getting rid of some stuff...he had some nice Martins.

I didn't win the original auction as I didn't meet the reserve. So I checked what it had sold for and it had been relisted with a buy it now for £200 so I jumped at the chance.

I think if he had posted it under Guitars/other it would have fetched at least twice the amount I paid for it.

Kevin Brown · Post by **Kevin Brown** » 6 Apr 2009 3:18 am

well done roger, it pays to widen your search sometimes, plus no shipping or import, what kinda stuff you going to play on it

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 6 Apr 2009 4:00 am

Not sure what I'll be playing yet. Ive got it tuned to C6th E13th.

I am learning C6th on my 6 stringers but I dont play anything in particular. I just bang some music on and play along which can be anything from Western swing to the latest electronic drum and bass type of stuff.

I also write songs but I haven't incorporated any steel guitar into my tunes as yet.

Some of my tunes are available here

http://www.soundclick.com/rogerpalmer

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 6 Apr 2009 8:08 am

According to the serial number (X53xxx) it is from 1955

Wayne Cox · Post by **Wayne Cox** » 6 Apr 2009 5:08 pm

I have a 1947 National D-8 (no legs). I recently did a recording session with it; it sounded as modern as anything on the market. IMHO these are among the finest steels ever made. The pickups have not been rewound and it amazes me that they can still sound good after all these years! Just my $0.02
~~W.C.~~

Bill Leach · Post by **Bill Leach** » 6 Apr 2009 11:50 pm

That's a great price you paid there. My D8 came from Canada and cost twice what you paid and no legs

.

The pickups seem to still have plenty of punch.

The tuner buttons disintegrated pretty quickly so I replaced them with the pearloid buttons from Stewmac. Everyone told me that they would melt on, but they would need more heat than the standard plastic buttons. No matter what I did they would not melt so, on the advice of a respected luthier, I drilled the buttons out and glued them on. He also told me that it was not a good idea to melt the normal plastic buttons as it can leave a nasty mess of melted plastic on the shafts. However, by the amount of people who say they have melted the buttons on, it must have worked for them.

It'll be interesting to hear those tracks when you get some steel on them Roger. It's great when you hear someone thinking outside the box with steel guitar, there's so much unexplored things yet to be done. B.J. Cole and Mike Cooper spring to mind.

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 7 Apr 2009 12:22 am

Is there any way of raising these pickups?

On mine someone has raised some of the poles but I tend to prefer to screw the poles down and raise the pickups slightly

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 8 Apr 2009 6:49 am

I suspect the pickups are OK, I had a quick mess about with the electronics although you can't get too involved without taking the pickups and strings off. I got a bit more volume out of it but it appears there is a loose connection in there somewhere so I'll have to do some re-soldering at some point when I get a bit more proficient with my soldering iron

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 8 Apr 2009 11:25 am

Has anyone ever seen beneath the chrome pickup cover on one of these? I'd like to know how much space the winding takes. Is it narrow like a Strat or Tele or wider like a P-90 or whatever. Mine sounds very bright and clear on the outside neck but the inside neck is considerably bassier. When I'm using the outside neck I have to have the tone switch in the middle position and when using the inside neck I have to use the bright position..........JH in Va.

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 8 Apr 2009 11:43 am

On mine the outside neck is louder but the tone is about the same. If I select the middle position for both necks then both necks are quieter than if I select single necks.

I haven't had a look inside yet as I would need a few hours spare before I start. I would like to wire the pickups direct to the output and bypass vol , tone and neck selector to work out if I have a pickup problem and then if they are both Ok re-introduce each component to find out where the problem is.

I might just re-solder everything first though and see if this sorts things out

I would imagine that the windings are identical on these Pickups

Rich Hlaves · Post by **Rich Hlaves** » 8 Apr 2009 12:24 pm

Hi Roger,

Very nice guitar! Below is a link to a forum thread I started in 2008 about my National D8. There is a post about complete disassembly and removal of the e-tronics I put up after a forum memer emailed me and asked how to take the guitar apart. It might be useful and save you some time when you get to looking as your loose connection.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

Best,

Rich

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 8 Apr 2009 1:03 pm

Thanks Rich,

I read it all yesterday

I'll probably refer back to it when I open mine up

steve takacs · Post by **steve takacs** » 9 Apr 2009 12:10 pm

Jerry, what a great use for the ZIMMER FRAME. I recently used one after I had my hip replacement and will now also make it into a lap steel guitar stand. They convenintly collapse at the push of a button when not in use. Thanks for the idea. steve t

Bernie Gonyea · Post by **Bernie Gonyea** » 9 Apr 2009 6:53 pm

Roger : Wow; that guitar is a beauty; Good thing I wasn't looking on E Bay, when you bought it; and Jerry : yours is also a honey of a National; I love the fret boards on them both.Back a few years ago, when 17 years old; my brothers would take me to a Sat. Nite Gig at an old hotel that featured round & Square dancing; First time I had actually seen a steel guitar ; and I fell right in love with the guy's double neck " National " guitar. I was no dancer, but would go just to sit and listen to this man play his steel. He had a style lots like that of Johnny Siebert of Carl Smith Fame.. He was my mentor from that day on.. If either of you ever hear of one of these being for sale, please give me a holler, O.K?..Bernie

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 10 Apr 2009 2:09 am

Hey Steve, what's nice about using the "walker" for a lapsteel stand is that it has rubber hand grips on the top which will hold the steel in place, you can almost turn it over before the steel will start moving. I got mine at a thrift store for a couple of bucks..........JH in Va.

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