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Topic: National Estralita |
Terry Goodman
From:
Daphne, AL 36526
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Posted 9 Mar 2003 7:49 pm |
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Does anyone have any experience with the National Estralita? I have a Beard dobro and am looking for a "different" sounding acoutic lap guitar to tune in D or E. I had thought of buying a Weis copy and then discovered the Estralita.
From the sound clip at the national site the Estralita has a bluesy sound, similar to a metal body but not as bright and percussive (http://www.nationalguitars.com/estralita.html). Is this difference in sound due to the spider vs. biscuit bridge? Any advice would be appreciated. |
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Russ Young
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2003 10:16 pm
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Terry:
I don't have any experience with new Estralitas beyond playing one verrrry briefly a few months ago ... although I was intrigued by a squareneck that just sold today on eBay.
The original Estralitas built by National in the 1930s don't have many fans, but the new ones seem to get pretty good marks. I hope it's not bad form to suggest another forum where you'll find several guys who really love their new Estralitas. Try a search by that name and you'll be able to read their observations.
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nick allen
From:
France
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Posted 10 Mar 2003 12:30 am
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I've played a round neck Estralita - again fairly briefly. As I recall, it definitely does have the "biscuit-bridge" sound as opposed to the "spider sound" - sharp, percussive... To my mind, as an alternative to your Beard, it's going in the opposite direction to what a Weissenborn-type would be... The Weissenborn (type) is more mellow, woody (because there's no resonator, of course) - the National (or pretty much any biscuit type bridge) is more metallic sounding.
The exception to this is the Del Vecchio/Paul McGill type resonator guitars (which as far as I know only exist as round-necks) which although they have a biscuit bridge, have a completely different sound, for reasons I've never figured out... 
Nick |
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Dana Duplan
From:
Ramona, CA
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Posted 10 Mar 2003 6:03 am
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Terry:
Why not consider a National Tricone? They are way different from a Dobro type, they're versatile, beautiful, and sound awesome. Plus, they are still a real bargain on the vintage market..and you could probably get your $$ out of it if you ever thought of parting with it. As for the Estralita, it's a good guitar, but wouldn't have the depth of tone, warmth, or sustain of a Tricone--not a bad thing, just different.
DD |
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