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Thread: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

  1. #1

    Default Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    hello,
    As a huge fan of my mandolin and my resonator guitar I was stoked to find an early model national reso mando. The one a.found needs a little restoration for the neck and headstock. I want to get it back to its original look. A previous owner replace the fretboard binding, they did a pretty bad job. I am going to redo it so I am trying to find out what material would have been used originally. The other bone head move someone did was to remove the National emblem on the head stock and inlay a stone (bad enough to domit but they also did an ugly job). So I am.going to remove the inlay fill and refinish the headstock. But I would love to find a national resophonic emblem.to.put back on it (bonus if it was the 1930s red band design).
    Any suggestions would be great
    Cheers

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    Check with Marc Schoenberger's National Guitar Repair, he may be able to help.

    http://www.nationalguitarrepair.com/index.shtml

    Which Style mandolin do you have?

    Best Regards,
    Mark
    Mark Lynch

  3. #3
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    That's a cool website.

  4. #4
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    If you know which logo would have been on it you might check this out.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  5. #5

    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    It is a style 1 , the metal body with the single cone biscuit bridge

  6. #6

    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    I will check these sites out for sure

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    Mike, thanks for the link to the National decals.

    Here are some shots of the decal and fretboard binding on my Style 1 mandolin, serial 387.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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    Mark
    Last edited by MarkELynch; Sep-26-2020 at 12:24am.
    Mark Lynch

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    ..
    Mark Lynch

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Restoring a 1930's National resophonic mando

    Try Izzy at Fiam Guitars in Milton NY (between Newburg and New Palz) - they have restored National and Dobro guitars and recently reset the neck and did a great job on my National Mandolin which turned it into a great playing and sounding instrument. My guess is that they are among the top in the trade in the Hudson Valley for restoration... https://www.fiamguitars.com/
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