National Style 1 Tricone Squareneck Model Resophonic Guitar (1931), made in Los Angeles, California, serial # 2376, nickel plated finish, German silver body, mahogany headstock, ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.

This Style 1 Tricone is the classic Hawaiian-style National, the premier instrument of its type in 1931 -- some would say the finest ever! The National Tricone is generally considered the best-sounding of all acoustic Hawaiian guitars, and this is a very nice example. Built soon after he 1920s Jazz Age party had come crashing down, this instrument was increasingly unaffordable as the depression kicked in but remained "state of the art" for steel playing until the advent of electrics a couple of years along the road.

The Tricone Design, as its name implies, used 3 small spun aluminum cones to amplify the strings, set inside a hollow metal body of "German silver" alloy. This mellows the attack and adds sustain, creating a uniquely ethereal sound. The Tricone was a product of a collaboration between inventor John Dopyera and Hawaiian guitarist George Beauchamp, who wanted a louder instrument for the vaudeville stage than existing wooden guitars. The project came out so well that in 1927 they attracted investors and went into production, with four styles of Tricone resonators ranging from a plain deco Style 1 with no body decoration through the elaborately engraved Style 4.

The Style 1 Tricone was the baseline model of that first line of resonator instruments made by National, the least expensive guitar the company offered from 1927-29. It is also considered the finest example of the company's Deco aesthetic, with only the body lines and metallic sheen as ornament. In 1931 it was a very expensive guitar tagged at $125, more than enough to buy a contemporary pearl-top Martin. By then the National company had created a number of lower priced single cone instruments, but the Style 1 remained the least expensive tricone. Not long after this one was built the plain Style 1 was upgraded slightly with an engraved "wiggle" border added to the plain top, likely an attempt to dress the instrument up a bit for less opulent times.

The Style 1 has the same construction and features as the more expensive Styles 2, 3, and 4, just lacking the fancy decorative touches. These ultra-modern resophonic guitars would continue to be built until WWII, but only in very small numbers as the great bulk of National's production from 1930 on would be the far cheaper single cone instruments, and eventually new-fangled electrics by later in the decade.

The Tricones were forgotten for many years after, until the blues revival of the 1960s brought a new interest to the old resonator designs. The striking silver Deco look of the Style 1 is in many ways the purest form of the National concept, and looks modern even today. The guitar is stamped "Made In USA" under the fingerboard by the patent numbers, indicating it was originally sold for export. Back home in the USA 95 years later it plays perfectly and has the smooth deep Tricone sound, fabulous for both the original Hawaiian style, blues or other 6-string steel guitar playing.

Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.). Width of nut is 2 in. (51 mm.).

This is a well preserved Square-neck Tricone with just some light general wear; the guitar appears free of major repair or alteration over 90+ years. There is light tarnish and mottling, scuffing, shallow scratches and light corrosion to the plating overall, which is partially worn off the top edge of the handrest above the bridge. There are a few shallow dents to the back and side but nothing serious.

The cones, 3-point aluminum saddle unit, fluted tailpiece, and lovely engraved Waverly tuners all remain original. It looks like someone once ran some glue under the edges of the coverplate, probably to try to damp a rattle; this does not cause any ongoing problems. The fragile headstock decal has suffered some discoloration and lost several decent sized chips. This is as nice an example of a Style 1 Hawaiian Tricone as we have had in some time; great-looking and fabulous-sounding. It lives in a modern National-branded HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.