National Style 0 Model Resophonic Guitar (1937), made in Chicago, nickel plated finish, brass body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
A great-playing and sounding 14-fret Style O from the middle 1930's, a time when this classic National had been somewhat modernized from its original style. This is a brass-bodied guitar with rolled-edge f-holes, variation #7 as per the Brozman book with the sandblasted pattern on the back reversed from earlier designs and featuring double palm trees and numerous clouds in the starry sky! Sunburst-finished maple neck with single-bound rosewood fingerboard with the later 9-dot inlay and the "ivory" grain in the binding running the wrong way�typical of National in this era!
The solid headstock has an inset pearl celluloid piece with an engraved National logo. The coverplate is the later type with small diamond cut-outs, nicknamed the "chicken feet" design by collectors. This is the Style O variant known as the "Dire Straits" model, due to use by Mark Knopfler in the 1980's and the iconic appearance of one on the band's "Brothers in Arms" album cover. Some National aficionados consider this version the ultimate Style O, while others prefer the original 12-fret series. We think that both versions can sound great, and this is a particularly nice player.
Overall length is 38 1/8 in. (96.8 cm.), 14 1/16 in. (35.7 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 25 in. (635 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Some general finish wear overall with a nice patina; one noticeable area of plating loss where the original celluloid pickguard disintegrated long ago. Small hole drilled through headstock for a neck cord. All original cone, biscuit, tailpiece, tuners, and frets; a very fine-sounding and playing 14-fret Style O. Very Good + Condition.
