NATIONAL QUAD

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 10 Oct 2006 1:20 pm

100 lbs of STEEL!
This beast arrived today. I'm not sure what kind of wood the cabinet is made of - the seller thought mahogany or cherry, my wife thinks it looks like oak. It looks like the kind of wood they used to make dining room tables from. It sure buffed up nicely with a little Pledge.
I bet somebody can tell from the pics . .

In any case, it has an extremely rich fat tone - very pleasant to the ear, with no shrill highs or tinny overtones. Great sustain for a short scale (23"). It weighs 100 lbs though, so it's not gonna get moved around a whole lot!

It's permanently attached to the table stand, and the 4 wooden legs are non-adjustable. This is a standing up only steel guitar . .

I'm going to try to record a few riff&chord soundbytes a bit later - it's a sweet sounding guitar. It has those giant pickups like you see on some Dynamics.

More pics here.

RA[This message was edited by Rick Alexander on 10 October 2006 at 09:03 PM.]

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 10 Oct 2006 1:31 pm

That's cool! Has it got the amp inside of it?

Steinar Gregertsen · Post by **Steinar Gregertsen** » 10 Oct 2006 2:11 pm

Wow!! Looks like a church organ......

Never seen one of these before, do you know how many were made?

Steinar

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"Play to express, not to impress"
www.gregertsen.com
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Max Laine · Post by **Max Laine** » 10 Oct 2006 2:17 pm

There has to be an amp inside? What happened to the middle control panel? Well it sure looks like factory made, but is it? Anyone seen one of these before?

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 10 Oct 2006 2:17 pm

Incredible find, Rick, great taste!

Also incredible is that I've had a reoccurring thot lately of building a steel that I envissioned to be very much like this one of yours, thinking it would have some of the positives you mentioned.
Any 'dead spots' to be found yet?
A vintage example of Western Swing heritage like this National is priceless.
Please give more details of it's past and recent history.
Can't wait to hear it.
How do you plan to tune it all up?

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 10 Oct 2006 2:34 pm

That would go nicely with my Mom's hard rock maple dining room furniture!

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 10 Oct 2006 2:49 pm

That's gotta be a special order item; I've never seen anything like that advertised in any National catalog I've ever seen. Your wife is a saint to let you own it!

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 10 Oct 2006 2:55 pm

Now THAT's amazing. I've never seen anything like this. Do you think it's a custom job from factory parts? Looks like mahogany for the cabinet.

Denny Turner · Post by **Denny Turner** » 10 Oct 2006 3:13 pm

Although I'm inclined to give credence to the Seller's account of it being specially made for a multiple-Artists film production; .....it otherwise looks like a church organ for Sacred Steel's Church of the Holey-Moley !

A truely fine piece of Steel Guitar history. Hopefully some keen eyes will notice it in some old film production (or other source) that leads to learning it's history.

I was going to buy that thing a couple years ago, but professionally packing and shipping (N.A. Van Lines / Mayflower) was cost prohibitive to here (and "mom" acted like she was gonna give birth to a porcupine!). I'm STOKED that Rick found a way around that and that HE now has it.

No better hands it could be in.

Aloha,
DT~
[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 10 October 2006 at 04:14 PM.]

Gary Boyett · Post by **Gary Boyett** » 10 Oct 2006 3:44 pm

That is truly a great steel. The scratches on the front must be from a short guy with a BIG belt buckle trying to reach the back neck!

I can't wait to hear it.

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HSGA & RMSGC member
Play it with "Glass"
Boyett's Glass Bars

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 10 Oct 2006 4:06 pm

Man, beautiful although you'd have to have a pretty strong back to play it and long arms I imagine.

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 10 Oct 2006 5:01 pm

I wouldn't attempt to install any pedals on it Rick.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 10 Oct 2006 5:21 pm

Billy, there's no amp inside it, although there's certainly room for one. Those "portals" that grace all 4 sides of the cabinet are lined with screening and if you peer in all you see is some kind of board just behind it. The 1/4" jack is on the bottom.

Steinar, yes it's very churchy. It feels like standing at a pulpit.
As far as I know this is the only one of its kind.

Max, I asked the seller the same question. He said that's not a control panel, and there was an insignia of some kind attached there at one time. The upper control panel is for the top 2 necks and the lower one is for the bottom 2 necks. The controls are "interactive" -if you turn either volume control all the way down, all the necks are turned off.

Ron, I haven't noticed any real dead spots yet. Most steels have their quirky characteristics, but all in all this one seems to play pretty evenly.
I'll probably put E13, C6/A7, A6 and high C6 on it.

Lee, do you think this guitar is maple? I'm still trying to figure it out.

Brad, I was told it was a one of a kind special order for a western movie made in 1952 - 54 years ago. The story goes that there were several bands in the movie and the producers wanted them to use the same steel. Of course each player had to have his own tuning, and so they had this steel built to accomodate everyone.
Well, that's what I was told. Man, if anybody out there knows anything about this I'd like to hear from them.

Yeah, she's pretty cool. I was getting

at first, but when I plugged it in she said it was the nicest sounding one she had heard. It's not the least bit shrill or tinny sounding, that's why she likes it.

Andy, the hardware and fretboards are pure National but the cabinet had to be a custom job. It's weird, because you can't get in it or see into it - not without major disassembly. The guitar is permattached to the table it stands on. The legs unscrew and there's a plywood top that lifts off.
Mahogany you think? Whatever it is, it sure resonates nicely.

Denny, I hope so too. It would be awesome to find out the whole story. Whoever made the cabinet and stand was a real craftsman. I'd like to know names, places, dates . .
Thank you for the kind words my friend.

G-man, you're right. I have one pressing task to finish up and then I'll record some little soundbites.

Bill, I just sprawl all over it.

Rick, just the Hilton.

RA[This message was edited by Rick Alexander on 10 October 2006 at 08:47 PM.]

Loni Specter · Post by **Loni Specter** » 10 Oct 2006 5:33 pm

WOW! I thought I had seen everything. That is an amazing steel! Truely the Clydesdale of steels.
Congrats!

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 10 Oct 2006 6:17 pm

On my computer at work, it looked more like maple, but here at home, it looks like mahogany.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 10 Oct 2006 6:32 pm

Congratulations!!

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 10 Oct 2006 7:07 pm

I definitely have to put my own tunings and gauges on this guitar, but for now I did 4 el quicko soundbytes of random noodling just to give you some idea of how it sounds.

The top 4 pics on this page are clickable links to the mp3 files.
Here is the first one. They're real short, so they'll load up right away.

Loni, yeah it's a brute alright. I have to get a crew to move it for me.

Lee, now my wife says maple.
I bet Ricky Davis could tell from looking at the pics . .

Thanks Chas!

[This message was edited by Rick Alexander on 10 October 2006 at 08:08 PM.]

Stephan Miller · Post by **Stephan Miller** » 10 Oct 2006 7:16 pm

Wow! Big Steel just got a whole lot bigger...that is the most righteous housing for 32 strings I've ever seen. How about "The National Quadthedral"?

It's great that it has a tone to match. I'll bet it speaks up acoustically, too. Rick, I hope you find a prominent place for it in one of those RA originals and give us a listen.

--Steve

Matt Johnson · Post by **Matt Johnson** » 10 Oct 2006 7:35 pm

Congratulations!
One of a kind find! How does it feel when reaching to the fourth neck?

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 10 Oct 2006 8:13 pm

Seems like there was a National guitar like this on Ebay awhile back. It had been cut up and made into a different config. Same control plates and stuff.

Nice to see that this one has survived and is in good hands.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 10 Oct 2006 8:22 pm

Thanks Stephan!

Matt, it's a stretch . .

Bill, it's safe now. I would never cut up or part out a guitar.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 10 Oct 2006 8:26 pm

Well that sure is drool worthy!

The grain sure looks like fine mahogany.
Cherry would have more figures to it.
This is cut from BIG logs.

A wonderful example pf the joiners art.

Some time you MUST commision a support for it of like quaility.
That table it is bolted on just isn't in the same league.

What tunings will you favor?
DD

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 10 Oct 2006 10:21 pm

Thanks David!

Another vote for mahogany.

Yeah the table is pretty rustic. The height isn't adjustable at all - it's at a level for standing, and the only way to sit would be with a stool.
I'll use A6, high C6, E7 (or E13) and C6/A7.

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 10 Oct 2006 10:45 pm

Which necks will get which tunings?

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"Time flies like an arrow. Fruitflies like a banana." -- Groucho

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 10 Oct 2006 11:29 pm

Congratulations Rick!

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My Site - Instruction [This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 11 October 2006 at 12:47 AM.]