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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Mar 2009 12:43 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Mar 2009 12:44 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Mar 2009 12:45 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Mar 2009 12:47 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Mar 2009 12:48 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 30 Mar 2009 12:50 pm

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Rick Batey · Post by **Rick Batey** » 30 Mar 2009 1:24 pm

Absolutely historic. Woven strips, diamond holes... presumably a wooden well... is this really the 12th tricone ever built? Amazing.

Michael, I've heard a couple of early tricones had small cones. Do you think #112 went back in 1929 to be updated with regular ones, or did the first ones simply fail because they were too thin?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 30 Mar 2009 1:57 pm

Wow--that's the oldest one I've seen. I'll bet Bob Brozman would be interested in seeing this one.

Jeff Watson · Post by **Jeff Watson** » 30 Mar 2009 2:42 pm

Whoa Nellie!

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 30 Mar 2009 3:02 pm

MLA, this is from Bob Brozman:

I remember that guitar, moreover I am glad to see Michael Lee Allen is still active! He is one of the very early seriously knowledgable guys about old instruments, i first corresponded with him in the early 70s. Pass my warm greetings on to him, Mr, Neer.

Ben Elder · Post by **Ben Elder** » 30 Mar 2009 9:08 pm

A piece of the true cross.

Going by Bob's book, it would be the thirteenth as he states numbers started with 100. (???) I found #124 for a friend a few years back and was crushed not to have been able to nab #200 on eBay. A few years pass, the economy goes in the tank and I get a very pristine #209 (also eBay) for more than a grand less than #200. #209 is up at National in San Luis Obispo getting a slight touchup, air and wax. I'll post pics when I get it back.

(#200 and #209 both have the woven grille and tailpiece with studs for loop-end strings like this one, but not the extra seven diamond cutouts. #124 does have the seven diamonds.)

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 30 Mar 2009 10:49 pm

Like Nigel's Les Paul, I can hear the sustain from here!

colinmcc · Post by **colinmcc** » 19 Aug 2009 8:43 am

Serial nos 132 and 133 are both Style 2 Hawaiian necks with the diamond holes. 133 is the last number I know off, but Bob or Mark Makin probably know of others(?).

At the time this picture was taken, in 1987, #133 was in Britain, and was owned by Mark Makin.

National Gallery publicity photograph - 1987 ( photograph by David Messer )
From left to right: Mark Makin - Michael Messer - Ed Genis - Mike Cooper.

Jason Dumont · Post by **Jason Dumont** » 19 Aug 2009 2:23 pm

WOW that is fantastic!
Man, I love Nationals

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 20 Aug 2009 8:12 am

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Geoff Cline · Post by **Geoff Cline** » 20 Aug 2009 12:30 pm

Michael Lee Allen wrote:Number 112 is having it's tailpiece repaired, getting cleaned up and restrung this week. When it is ready it will be posted in "Instruments For Sale' but right now I do not know what Cliff has in mind for a price so please do not email me about it. Wait for the posting. It won't be cheap.
MLA

Truer words were never spoke. nor should it be cheap...playable, historically significant art!! DANG. I'm buying a lottery ticket tonight I wanna be ready.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 20 Aug 2009 1:09 pm

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Steve Schell · Post by **Steve Schell** » 13 Sep 2009 12:30 am

Mr. Allen I am very interested in the construction details of #112, as I recently purchased #169, a style two square neck. My instrument has a handmade T bar which is made from two pieces of shaped aluminum stock jointed together. The "point to point" spacing of this bar is roughly 6 1/8", and modern cones do not fit correctly in the cone well. Don Young has told me that the spacing should be 6". It is stated in Bob Brosman's book that #s 102, 106 and 109 were known to have had undersized cones and strange T bars. I am curious as to whether this situation may have carried through to at least #169. Other aspects of my instrument are strange, including a non-standard headstock (more like a Triolian) and a very crudely built wooden cone well. I would enjoy exchanging any pictures and/or other info with you about these fascinating instruments.

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 13 Sep 2009 11:02 am

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John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 14 Sep 2009 7:52 am

Just wondering, why not send it to Marc Schoenberger? Probably THE GUY when it comes to repairing Nationals.

http://nationalguitarrepair.com/

Bob's contact info is on his website:

http://www.bobbrozman.com/contact.html

Haley Robertson (Bob's wife and business manager) would be able to get a hold of him via telephone (see her # on the web page above).

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 14 Sep 2009 12:18 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 14 Sep 2009 12:22 pm

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John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 14 Sep 2009 12:47 pm

Michael Lee Allen wrote:Why should it be shipped anywhere? And shipped back? All it needs is a tailpiece repair, cleanup, and restring. I could have fixed the tailpiece myself. Cliff probably could do it himself as well. not to mention my now-retired guitar tech. We are all within walking distance of each other! We have two repro tailpieces that could have been used temporarily as well. Cliff simply took it to his band instrument tech because the guy has metal-working experience and tools, that's all. It's a simple heat braise of the bend where all these tailpieces break at some point in their existence. Had it been up to me I simply would have done it myself. One of the guys I work for has a retirement home in Morro Bay right down the road from National Resophonic in SLO. It's less that a three hour drive from me and he would have found work for me there at the same time. I would have been making money while I waited for National to do the work. I was working on and dealing in resonator instruments way back in the 1960s. This is not a big deal one way or another. It was just not up to me or under my control. Otherwise it would have been done already and probably in the hands of it's new owner right now.
MLA

I knew there was a reason! Sorry if I came across as argumentative, I didn't mean it that way. I also forgot to refresh my memory (by reading the posts above) to see what repairs were needed.

On another forum, Bob had this to say about #112 in a reply to Mike Neer's post:

"I remember that guitar, moreover I am glad to see Michael Lee Allen is still active! He is one of the very early seriously knowledgable guys about old instruments, i first corresponded with him in the early 70s. Pass my warm greetings on to him, Mr, Neer."

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 14 Sep 2009 1:25 pm

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Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 11 Oct 2009 6:59 pm

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The Steel Guitar Forum

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124, 200, 207

132 133 also have diamond holes