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Frequently Asked Questions
Our resonators are direct replacements for both vintage and new National guitars.
For Tricone guitars, the installation is usually very simple. Remove the strings, tailpiece, and coverplate. Next, remove the aluminum T-bridge and the old cones. Place the new cones in the soundwell and reinstall the T-bridge. Make sure to carefully align the 3 pins of the T-bridge with the small holes at the apex of each cone.
For singlecone guitars, our new compensated bridge and saddle kit makes the 9.5" cone installation easy. A simple straight edge, 6" ruler, and Phillips screwdriver are needed. PDF Installation Instructions
This list includes National Reso-Phonic and Scheerhorn guitars built by National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Inc.. The first brass serial number plate attached to the back of the headstock started with # 11567 built February of 2006. Instruments built prior to 2006 may have a label inside which denotes the production number and build date, or a stamped number at the back of the headstock. National Reso-Phonic Serial #11567-12330 Year Built 200612331-13326 Year Built 200713327-14526 Year Built 200814527-15591 Year Built 200915592-16605 Year Built 201016606-17575 Year Built 201117576-18446 Year Built 201218447-19311 Year Built 201319312-20046 Year Built 201420047-20854 Year Built 201520855-21537 Year Built 201621538-22148 Year Built 201722149-22777 Year Built 201822778-23299 Year Built 201923300-23662 Year Built 202023663-24157 Year Built 202124158-24683 Year Built 202224684-25186 Year Built 202325187-25538 Year Built 202425539-25772 Year Built 2025 Scheerhorn Serial #Proto 1&2 Year Built 2013003-102 Year Built 2014103-176 Year Built 2015177-213 Year Built 2016214-244 Year Built 2017245-288 Year Built 2018289-328 Year Built 2019329-353 Year Built 2020354-371 Year Built 2021372-407 Year Built 2022408-417 Year Built 2023418-425 Year Built 2024426-439 Year Built 2025
Even trained professionals have stripped out trussrods by being over-zealous, going the wrong direction, or not checking their progress. Please follow the instructions provided in our Trussrod Adjustment Instructions Sheet, a pdf of which is available below. We encourage you to call the factory at 805-546-8442 from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. PT, Tuesday–Friday if you have any questions.
1. De-tune the strings and remove the tailpiece and coverplate. 2. Carefully lift the biscuit and cone assembly out of the guitar and unscrew the biscuit bridge from the cone. 3. Insert the compensated saddle in the biscuit base and carefully mount it to the cone using a small Phillips-head screwdriver. Use a few drops of yellow glue between the biscuit bridge base and cone to lock them together and prevent future movement. 4. Reinstall the biscuit/cone assembly. If your guitar has a removable handrest remove it using a 1/16th Allen key and reinstall the coverplate. If you do not have a removable handrest leave the coverplate off. Reinstall the tailpiece. INITIAL SETUP 5. Tape the provided Mahogany block over the 12th fret. Place a long straightedge on top of the fretboard so it is touching the first fret and the Mahogany spacer at the 12th fret. Mark a line on both sides where the straight edge meets the saddle. 6. Measure the distance between your line and the top of the saddle. Using that measurement, now mark the same distance from the BOTTOM of the saddle. 7. Using the provided sandpaper on a flat surface, sand the bottom of the saddle to the line. Install the saddle restring your guitar and tune to pitch. FINAL SETUP 8. Using a steel rule, measure the gap from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the high E and low E strings. 9. Detune the strings, remove the saddle and sand it down to your desired height.Factory action specs for new National Reso-Phonic guitars are located here in our FAQ'sFor each 1/64th you would like to lower the action at the 12th fret, you will need to remove about 1/32nd from the underside of the saddle. Use a pencil to mark a line on both the bass and treble sides of the saddle, then sand down to those marks with 120 grit sandpaper on a flat surface and reinstall. If the action still needs to come down at the 12th fret, repeat prior step. Once you have reached your desired string action height, reinstall the coverplate handrest (1/16th Allen wrench).
The National Reso-Phonic Guitars Care Sheet includes general care recommendations for all of our instruments as well as cleaning & maintenance information, our factory string gauges, and trussrod adjustment instructions.The Raw Series Wax Finish Care Sheet details how to maintain and modify the wax finish and patina on our Raw Series guitars. The ResoLectric Care Sheet includes information on general Instrument care, cleaning & maintenance, installed electronics, neck-tilt adjustment, our factory string gauges, and trussrod adjustment instructions..
Each instrument that we build is carefully set up prior to shipping. The factory string set for most guitars is John Pearse phosphor bronze, gauge .012-.053, standard tuning. We start by using a 1/8 inch Allen wrench to set the neck straight, or with a small amount of relief. Next, we address the string action at the nut. The slots are left a touch higher than most standard flatop acoustic guitars(to allow for clean bottleneck slide play). Finally, we set the height at the saddle and check the action at the 12th fret. Measuring from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string, the measurement for the high E string is 5/64ths(1.98 mm). The measurement for the low E string is 6/64ths (2.38 mm).
National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Inc. offers a two-year guarantee that certifies our instruments to be free of defects in materials or craftsmanship. The following conditions apply: 1. Warranty applies to original owner. 2. Warranty does not cover normal wear, accidental damage or abuse. 3. Repair or replacement of any instrument is at our discretion. 4. All repairs must be done in our shop or by an authorized repair person. 5. All claims must be shipped prepaid; return shipping is collect. National Reso-Phonic Guitars, Inc. strives to build a quality American made instrument. We stand behind our product 100% and are here to help with any situation our customers may have. For further help please contact us
Our instruments are made in San Luis Obispo, California. From processing raw lumber, to forming and soldering sheets of metal, to mixing and spraying lacquer, to the final assembly and setup, nearly every process is done right here. Our small group of craftsmen and women are dedicated to making the finest wood and metal body resonator instruments.
We offer our National HotPlate, which was designed in collaboration with renowned guitarist Mike Dowling. It is a direct, drop-in replacement for all 9.5” single cone National guitars. It features a Tele-style, singlecoil pickup hand-wound by Jason Lollar, along with passive volume and tone controls. Also, we offer our National Slimline pickup, handwound by Jason Krivo which can be used for singlecone or Tricone guitars. For Scheerhorn guitars we offer the Fishman Nashville Series pickup for spiderbridges.
We have come to the conclusion that using a Hawaiian/raised nut adapter on any roundneck guitar is bad idea. Roundneck instruments are not built to handle the high action and high tension of lap style playing. Squareneck guitars were designed for this very purpose. If you choose to use a Hawaiian/raised nut adapter on your roundneck guitar, we recommend detuning the strings immediately after playing the guitar. Also, please note that any damage caused by the use of a Hawaiian/raised nut adapter will not be covered under warranty.
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