Down-tuning a 1930s National

[nmiller]

I just picked this up for a good price considering how clean it is. There's an added strap button, one extra screw hole by the tuners (I re-installed the original tuners) and the usual tailpiece repair, but the body is in remarkable shape and the neck's not far behind.

Because of the 15" scale and the tendency of National necks to go wonky under high tension, I decided to use heavy strings but tune down to E-B-F#-C#. According to one online calculator, the tension is about the same as medium strings on standard Gibson scale. The result is a spectacularly loud sound with a lot of body and lengthy sustain, and in a tuning that will come in handy when playing with guitarists. Intonation, as always with old Nationals, is shaky at best, but whatever you play can be heard halfway across the county.

[Mark Wilson]

Hey hold it down up there!
sounds cool to me - good score