The sound is very loud, just like one would expect from an old Duolian. The action is set at 5 & 6/64", the neck is straight and true and the guitar plays easily. We performed no work on this guitar except to clean the fingerboard a bit and restring it. There is no evidence of prior repairs to the guitar except maybe the saddle slots cut lower. The tuners and tail piece are both nice and bright, with one tuner shaft a bit bent. The original cone is intact and shows no signs of stress. The fingerboard and frets show no wear there is evidence of nut raiser use, and there is a small divot in the middle of the fingerboard between first and second frets, which looks more like a chip out from the planer than playing wear. The finish on the neck is almost perfect with only a few nicks. The paint is nearly 100%, with only some nicks around the edge. The guitar is 100% original, right down to the nut, saddle and tuners. The neck measures 1 3/4" across at the nut with string spacing 2 3/16" across at the saddle. The body measures 14 3/16" across at the lower bout.
1931 NATIONAL DUOLIAN GUITAR SERIAL
The serial number, C 9493, is stamped on top of the head stock. The head stock featues an attractive sunburst and the National Duolian decal. Celluloid position dots mark various fret positions, and the 'X'-patterned dots cover the screws that help hold the neck secure.
The neck appears to be maple, carved in a soft 'V' with a 'bean wood' fingerboard, which is unusual for this era Duolian. Inside is the typical spun aluminum cone of the period with the black painted biscuit/saddle setup. The body is made from steel and has a 'ribbed' coverplate with sound holes in the 'diamond' pattern. The crystalline effect on this example is spectacular and in almost perfect condition. We've seen gold, silver, silver-gray, green sunburst, and almost black. The duco finish varied at lot on the Duolians. So this example is a 14-fret, rolled f-hole example with frost-gray duco finish. In 1933 the f-holes were 'rolled', and by 1934, the neck became 14-frets to the body. First offered in 1931 as a 12-fret, straight-cut f-hole guitar. The Duolian line went through a number of changes over its almost ten year run. National Duolian 1934 | SOLD | (v2111) This 1934 National Duolian is one of the most stunningly beautiful, well-preserved and best sounding we've had the pleasure to own.
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