Photo used with permission.Photo © Mike McNamara
John was living in Nacogdoches at the time I got the guitar (early to mid 1984). Times were tough for John financially. He needed money to pay rent and electricity bills. John put the guitar in Steve Hartz's store, The Old Time String Shoppe in Nacogdoches, to sell it. John was asking $250 for it, just enough to cover his immediate needs. Steve called me to let me know about the guitar. He knew I would be interested. It was a rare happening in those days, but I had the money. I bought the guitar.
At the time I bought the guitar John was not playing it. He keep it as display and for its memorial value. John told me he learned the basics of slide on it. As he told me, it was his grandmother's guitar at one time. When I got the guitar it was set up to play Hawaiian style, having a raised Hawaiian nut. After I got the National I had Steve Hartz replace the Hawaiian nut with a regular bone nut, replace the old tuners and work on the neck. The guitar needed the work to brought into good playing shape. After it was fixed I showed it to John. He played it and said it played well. At that time I told John if he ever wanted the guitar back, it was his to take. John never took me up on the offer. He did , however, play the guitar on those occasions when we got together.
Apart the information I got from John I knew little about the National, its model and year. After John died I wanted to find out more about it. I contacted Bob Brozman. He had me take numerous pictures of the guitar from all angles, from afar and up close. He studied the pictures and told me quite a lot.
Of course, the neck and the pie pan have been painted black. Apparently the serial number on the top of the head stock had been sanded off before painting. Bob Brozman drew some conclusion none the less. He said the guitar was probably a 1942 or 43 model. Originally it would have had a dark wood finish on the neck and the brass body would have been painted in brown wood coloring to mimic a regular guitar. It would have had a raised pick guard on it as well.
All of this made sense to me as I looked over the guitar with it various colorings and the small screw holes on the face the guitar where the pick guard would have been.
Without any other information or evidence this is the best history of the guitar I can give. - Mike McNamara
The photos on this page were contributed by Mike McNamara and are used with the permission of the photographers.
