Model : National Estralita.
Review by Michael Messer for The Guitar Magazine, April 2000.
The latest addition to the National® Reso-Phonic range of instruments is yet another wood-bodied single cone guitar. A few months ago in TGM 9/5 I reviewed the National® Reso-Phonic Bendaway, also a wood-bodied single cone instrument. Generally speaking I prefer wood-bodied single cone Nationals to the more popular metal ones like the Style O, Style N and the Delphi. The tone of the wooden Nationals is warmer and less 'tinny', which makes it more of an all round guitar rather than just a delta blues machine. Some National players would say there is less attack with a wood guitar, which is true, but there is also much more sustain, warmth and bottom end than with a metal one. I guess the 'wood versus metal' discussion could be endless... 'strats versus teles' is a similar deal!
The new Estralita is a wood-bodied single cone National guitar (rather than Dobro® type), the front and back are constructed from Italian Poplar laminates and the sides are of maple laminates. All wood-bodied vintage Nationals were made with laminates, unlike regular acoustic guitars this is the best material to use.
There is a hardrock maple neck which joins the body at the twelfth fret and the fingerboard is rosewood bound in ivoroid with black dot side markers. The neck has an adjustable truss rod with access on the headstock. The guitar has a twenties style slotted headstock with an ivoroid overlay and the name "National Estralita" silk-screened onto it. In keeping with vintage wood Nationals like the Trojan and the Rosita, this guitar is finished in a dark walnut burst which looks very stylish. The coverplate and tail-piece are finished in a pewter coloured baked on paint rather than shiny nickel silver, this finish is reminiscent of vintage Duolians and Triolians. My reservations here are not just cosmetic, I am concerned that the finish will not last as long as a nickel coverplate. The coverplate and hand-rest on a National get a lot of wear and tear, especially if you wear finger-picks. This painted coverplate will, with extended use, wear through the paint to the metal. This will take quite a few years but it will happen, so purely for that reason I would have preferred to see this guitar with a nickel finish coverplate. The nine screws around the coverplate that fix it to the body seem to have large heads on them which could catch your hand when strumming, I would prefer to see a flatter more rounded screw-head closer to the ones used on vintage Nationals. If I owned this guitar I would replace those screws. The resonator is a 91/2 inch National® Reso-Phonic spun cone , these are fitted to all single cone National® Reso-Phonics and really are beautifully made. The cone or resonator is the guts of the instrument, the sound source, and if this isn't right then just forget it. As I have said before in this magazine, Don Young and the rest of the National team have really got this right and there is really very little difference between this and a vintage 1920's National cone. With careful use these cones need never be replaced, they should last a lifetime. The tuners are the standard National® Reso-Phonic issue three-on-a-side open geared and finished in silver, they are well constructed and accurate but basic. This guitar is totally acoustic, it does not have any kind of internal pick-up or microphone, so if you want to plug the Estralita into a PA or an amplifier you will need to install a pick-up specifically designed for National cones. ( Highlander® and McIntire® are the leaders in the field...... your National® Reso-Phonic dealer will advise you but make sure it is fitted by an expert ).
The design of the Estralita is very reminiscent of vintage 1920's or 30's Nationals, but it is not actually based on any particular model. The neck joins the body at the twelfth fret and feels very good to play, it has less of the V shape than some Nationals, this is a nice rounded neck which is similar to an old Style O or a Triolian. In my opinion this shape of neck is perfect on a 12 fret single cone guitar, it just feels right...great for both slide and regular playing. The guitar is factory fitted with medium gauge Newtone® phosphor bronze strings and the action is set at a good height for both slide and regular picking. National® Reso-Phonic know their market and these guitars are well set up and ready to play, they very rarely need adjusting.
SOUNDS.
Generally the wood-bodied Nationals are much more 'multi-purpose' than the metal ones and this new Estralita is no exception. In regular tuning (EADGBE) with medium gauge strings (13.17.26.36.46.56) it performs really well, both as a rhythm and a lead instrument it has good tone....a deep beefy bass and a bright top-end. One of the great qualities of these wooden Nationals is a very powerful mid range which when played as a rhythm guitar is closer to the sound of an amplified electric than an acoustic tone. Don't forget these guitars were made to be loud and project across music halls. Before the electric guitar was invented a National was the loudest guitar available. You won't find another acoustic guitar that even compares to the volume of one of these. On average a National is around five times louder than a regular wooden acoustic, so be careful at jam sessions! Nationals are so associated with blues and country music that people sometimes do not realize what a great all-rounder they can be. This Estralita sounds fantastic as a jazz, blues, rock, folk or country guitar. Of course being a Reso-phile and predominately a slide player I tested this guitar in open tuning (DGDGBD & DADF#AD) with a slide. It has good sustain and responds well with both glass and metal, the top end is very clean and has that very nice natural reverb that you won't find in any other acoustic guitar. The bass end is powerful and has a certain 'growling' quality which is exactly the tone you need to play blues slide guitar.
VERDICT.
National® Reso-Phonic are now offering two wood-bodied guitars in their range at a similar price around £1350. I expected to find them virtually the same except for the cutaway body on the Bendaway, but in fact they are quite different. The Estralita is close in tone to a vintage National Trojan or Rosita, which may or may not be a good thing as they were a little 'box-like' in tone and lacked a certain classy quality. The Bendaway, however has more of a rich tone similar to vintage wood Triolians and if I were about to spend £1350 on a wood National I would go for the Bendaway. This opinion is purely based on my own personal preferences in a guitar and I enjoyed testing and playing the Bendaway more than the Estralita. I would certainly recommend trying both models before deciding.
For more information about National® Reso-Phonic Guitars INC check out their website- http://www.nationalguitars.com
Dimensions:
National® Estralita.
Scale Length 635 (25")
Width of neck
...at nut 46.5
...at 12th fret 58.3
Depth of neck
...at 1st fret 23.2
...at 8th fret 24.3
String spacing
...at nut 40.5
...at bridge 58
Action as Supplied
...at 12th fret treble 3.5
...at 12th fret bass 3.2
CHECKOUT..... (There is only one other notable maker of wood-bodied National type guitars that has such a high standard of workmanship).
Paris-based FINE RESOPHONIC GUITARS® offer a full range of National-style instruments including wood-bodied single cones which are all hand-built to the highest standards. Prices start around £1500, contact Mike Lewis 00331-4677-8617. Or visit their website at http://www.chez.com/resophonic/index.html
It is also worth checking the vintage guitar stores and websites. As most collectors and players want shiny metal Nationals it is not too hard to find old Trojans, Rositas and Triolians. I would expect to pay between £1000 and £1500 for one of these models, whereas for a 1920's or 30's Style O you could pay three times that figure and not get a better instrument.
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