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Author
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Topic: National Estralita
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Terry Goodman
Member From: Daphne, AL 36526
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posted 09 March 2003 07:49 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. |
Russ Young
Member From: Seattle, Washington, USA
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posted 09 March 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. |
nick allen
Member From: France
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posted 10 March 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 |
Dana Duplan
Member From: Ramona, CA
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posted 10 March 2003 06:03 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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