How National Reso-Phonic Guitars Started

Makers of Fine Resonator Guitars

..........HOW WE STARTED...

.....These instruments were first created in the era of the Hawaiian and Jazz Bands, prior to electrical amplification. All sorts of musicians, Hawaiian, jazz and blues, wanted louder guitars: to be able to be heard alongside horns; to project out into music halls or smokey night clubs; or, to be the loudest guitar on the street corner. In response to this need, the mechanically amplified resonator guitar was created.

.....John Dopyera started the National Stringed Instrument Co. in the mid-1920's in Los Angeles, California, which produced the first National resonator guitars. George Beauchamp, his partner, also is credited with resonator guitar innovation. National's mechanically amplified heyday came to an end in the mid-1930's when the guitar of choice for many of these musicians became electric. Not until the late 1980's was the National style resonator guitar made again by Don Young and McGregor Gaines who formed National Reso-Phonic Guitars, dedicated to re-creating the look, the sound and the feel of the old Nationals and, in addition, creating new looks and louder sounds than ever before. Our instruments are used by slide players and finger-pickers in many musical genres: Hawaiian, blues, country, bluegrass, folk and world music.

....How The Instruments Work

Our resonator instruments use very thin aluminum speaker cones, often referred to as "cones", to mechanically amplify the sound of the instrument. Some of our instruments have a single cone, others have three smaller cones (these are known as tricones).

....Single Cone Resonator Guitars

In a single resonator guitar the convex 9.5" diameter cone has a maple "biscuit" on its top. The biscuit has a wooden saddle embedded into it with the strings sitting in the saddle's grooves. Unlike acoustic guitars, where the vibration of the wooden body creates the sound, in a resonator instrument the body acts as a speaker cabinet. When the strings are plucked, the vibration is tranmitted through the saddle to the resonator. The resonator, or speaker cone, then amplifies that vibration. The single resonator guitar is the loudest of the resonator. We offer a variety of standard models in the single resonator guitar, some custom ones as well and now, the ukulele.

....Tricone Resonator Guitars

In a tricone, the three 6" cones are set in a triangle, two on the bass side and one on the treble side. Rather than a wooden biscuit bridge, there is an aluminum "T" shaped bridge that connects to the center of each of the cones. A wooden saddle sits atop the T-bridge. The vibration from the strings goes through the saddle which in turn vibrates the T-bridge and then the three cones. The sound actually has farther to travel to get those cones resonating than with a single resonator guitar. Thus, it is not as loud on the attack, however the sustain is greater. Additionally, because there are three cones all vibrating together, there are more harmonics in a tricone than in a single resonator guitar. We make several standard styles of tricone guitar as well as some custom ones.

For More Information on National Reso-Phonic Guitars. Inc.:

871 Via Esteban #C, San Luis Obispo, California 93401, United States of America

Email: natres@nationalguitars.com - Tel: (805) 546-8442 - Fax: (805) 546-8430

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