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Electric Guitars

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ACOUSTIC: TRICONE MODELS

The Tricone Nationals came in two configurations: round neck (Spanish) and square neck (Hawaiian). The round neck was basically a "German Silver" body with an attached wooden neck, while the square neck was a hollow extension of the body (all the way up to the attached wooden headstock). The tenor and plectrum instruments were built on a smaller triangular shaped body and only came in the Spanish style.
Generally speaking, the plectrum instruments will command a premium over the tenors. All of these instruments feature minor (and sometimes not so minor) changes through the years; a good place to research those would be Bob Brozman's fine work: National Resonator Instruments (published by Center stream Publications).

STYLE 1

- German silver body, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, National logo decal on headstock, available in Plain (no engraving) body, mfg. 1928-1941.

STYLE 2

- German silver body, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, National logo decal on headstock, available in a Wild Rose engraving pattern, mfg. 1927-1939.

STYLE 3

- German silver body, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard with pearl square inlay, engraved National logo inlay on ebony peghead overlay (some models feature a pearloid engraved overlay), available in a Lily of the Valley engraving pattern, mfg. 1928-1941.

STYLE 4

- German silver body, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard with pearl square inlay, engraved National logo inlay on pearloid peghead overlay, available in a Chrysanthemum engraving pattern, mfg. 1928-1941.

STYLE 35

- nickel plated brass body, mahogany neck (Spanish) or integral neck (Hawaiian), ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, black and white celluloid peghead overlay, available in a Sandblasted Scene of a minstrel, colored with airbrushed enamel, mfg. 1936-1940.

STYLE 97

- nickel plated brass body, mahogany neck (maple neck on Hawaiian), ebony fingerboard with pearl dot inlay, black and white celluloid peghead overlay, available in a Sandblasted Scene of a female surfer, colored with airbrushed enamel, mfg. 1936-1940.