Tricones

Ally · From: Edinburgh, UK

I'm in the market for a tricone, and am looking for advice on price/tone considerations.
I searched the archives, and some hopeful person mentioned original style 1/2 squarenecks can be found for reasonable prices in the US .. haven't seen any on eBay for a while, but I think teh $1,500 mentioned sounds a little optimistic. If anyone knows of any going for this price, email me immediately!

Any opinions on the new polychromes? Or the Amistars?

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

Do an ebay search, you may have to wait a week or two but Style 1 (plain no engraving) squarenecks do show up occationally, at around $1500-1800

Michael Messer has a review of an Amistar tricone on his site http://website.lineone.net/~michaelmesser/
Check out my Weissonator tricone featured on his review page. there will be a copy for sale in the UK later this year.

I've liked the Polychrome's I've played quite a bit, except for the ugliness they are great guitars.

Eric Stumpf · From: Newbury, NH 03255

Here's my 2 cents worth on Tricones. I own a National Resophonic brass bodied round neck tricone (converted to Hawaiian set-up) and a 1928 National Style 1 tricone squareneck. The newer guitar is a delight and has more volume than the original. It's worth about a thousand bucks less than I paid for it 3 years ago and that disturbs me. The old tricone has a better tone but less volume; it will never lose its value. I don't think a dealer or even an eBay seller is going to let an original National Style 1 go for less than $1800....especially with the new National Resophonics selling for about $2300. Beware the old Tricones, though. The tone varies on each and every one of them and I've played a good many that were flat and lifeless. New replacement cones and a professional set-up takes care of that problem but costs about $250 on top of your purchase price.

sliding bill · From: UK

I have a mint condition polychrome in "taupe?" -- (grey).
Very sweet -- (roundneck)I do pick and play bottleneck on it but I have a replacement nut for playing lapstyle.

I may be interested in selling if you are serious as I have my eyes on a Weissonborne and for home politics I will have to part with one guitar if I am to acquire another.

Contact me off forum if you want.

Bill Dalton
Bolton
Lancashire

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Aspiring to mediocrity

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

There are three tricones advertised on eBay right now. Two are Nationals - one Style 3 currently at $3450, one Style 4 with an opening bid of $6400, and a Johnson(Amistar) for $1295. (All prices US dollars.)

A search of completed items found eight tricones. The only one close to this price point was a tricone tenor guitar. The others either sold in the $2500-3500 range or were taken off auction, presumably for a private sale.

The Amistar tricones seem very nice, from what I've seen.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

Well perhaps I was a couple hundred off on a Style I (keep in mind each additional "style" is an exponential increase and a RN is much more than a square) I played a style 1 at Rainbow Guitars in Tucson a year or so ago for $1200.00 and have seen them on eBay for those numbers. I could have bought a clean style 2 for $2,000.00 at a guitar show a couple years ago(if I'd had 2Gs ) Even at $2000.00 they are a good deal and like Eric said they won't depreciate and judging by the ever increasing prices this may be a prime time to nab one.

A set of replacement cones, if needed is $108.00 from either National or Resophonic Outfitters. Set up is a relativly simple thing, not much different from a Dobro, and there is no worry about neck resets, warpage and fret wear like when shopping for a vintage round neck National. Occasionally the tuners need cleaning up or replacing.

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

There was a National Style 1 in the buy & sell about two months ago for $1800.00. It sold. Surprisingly,it took a little while. Thats the best price I've seen and if I didn't already own one,I wouldn't have hesitated for a millisecond.

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Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

I'd buy one of the new National Tricones in a second if they would reissued the original Hawaiians. (I posted a similar comment in a related thread).

I want National to reissue the Hawaiian models with the metal-clad squareneck and the upper bout that flows gracefully into the neck, not the 90 degree angle body/neck joint on their current Tricone reissues.

They have no plans of reissuing these. They will, however fit one of their current models with a squareneck and set it up Hawaiian style.

Not good enough IMHO. This retro-fit seems like an afterthought and not a solid design.

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Gerald Ross
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 30 March 2001 at 02:14 PM.]

Steve Honum · From: Oregon, USA

I agree. I don't think National realise the potential market for Hawaiian Model Tricones. Maybe the tooling required is cost prohibitive. Beltona have done some real nice custom tricones with metal clad square necks and slant end fretboards that look very cool. If they can do it, why not National? I hope they reconsider their position. Perhaps they will if they get enough enquiries. They recently launched their wood-body model "D" so they are headed in the right direction. (I made similar comments on the thread below).
Haere mai,
Steve

mickd · From: london,england

I'd like to put in a word for Continental guitars - looks like they have merged with AMIstar or have some sort of connection anyway.
I bought a Continental Tricone Syle 1 a while back and am very pleased with it .

mikey · From: New Jersey

I spoke to the folks at National at length before buying my style 2 about a 2 years ago, 1928, Excellent condition. 2300 USD...EVEN they advised getting a vintage National if you want a Hawaiian Squareneck, They would love to reproduce them, but #1 the original Dies for the metal clad squarenecks were DESTROYED after Ron Lazar moved OMI/Dobro from long Beach to Huntington Beach in 1975...#2 To remake the dies for the square neck would run about $175,000+ so thats a LOT of guitars to break even at 2500 a pop(and the market of buyers for them is limited)...and there are a LOT of old style square necks out there already,in that price range, so it just isn't good buisness sense, I don't believe any company is currently making a metal clad square...I could be wrong...also for my taste, the tone of the german silver guitars is much sweeter than the current brass they use, altho not as loud...also not as brash to me...so, if you want a tricone, bite the bullet...and just keep CONSTANT surveilance of the net and wait...you'll find one eventually...good luck,
Mike

Ally · From: Edinburgh, UK

Bill...

Could be interested in that Polychrome, especially if time isn't a critical factor. ...

Email me on alistair.crighton@businessam.co.uk

Cheers,

And thanks for the advice from everyone.

Steve Honum · From: Oregon, USA

Thomas, I always thought that the old square neck tricones had hollow necks. On an earlier thread it was stated that the necks are wood with metal cladding. Are the necks hollow at the body end and then solid towards the peghead from say the 9th or 7th fret? I've checked out a few here in L.A. where it looks like there is some cracking or delaminating of the plating on the side of the neck around the 10th fret.
Haere mai,
Steve H.

Mikel Nelson · From: San Diego, CA

All my old squarenecks are wood clad in metal. The wood portion is not connected and starts right where it would attach to the body.

mikey · From: New Jersey

that's how mine is...clad mahogany, not hollow...
mike

Paul Warnik · From: Illinois,USA

Having collected Hawaiian Tricones since 1982 I have several of all examples of the engraving styles 1,1-1/2,2,2-1/2,3,and 4-anyone serious about buying a fine one can E-mail me for particulars about condition and prices on original pre-WWII Nationals also have square neck Triolian and Style O

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