National ResoPhonic NRP Tricone Cutaway

The National ResoPhonic NRP Tricone shares many of its features with the original National Tricone created by the Dopyera brothers in the late 1920s. This beauty has, as John Dopera himself once said, Tone that flows like a river.

The tricone design is perfect for players who focus on open tunings and slide. The beauty of the design is the increased sustain without sacrificing any volume. Classic players like Tampa Red heavily relied on the original National Tricone, and he would be pleased to have this one in his hands. This NRP Tricone model has a cutaway for easy access to high frets for soaring lead lines.

On this instrument, the three cones are set in a triangle configuration. Two of the cones are on the bass side and one on the treble. An innovative "T" shaped bridge connects to the center of each cone, which in turn has a maple saddle sitting atop the bridge. In a single resonator guitar, the maple biscuit sits atop the cone and the strings are in direct contact with the cone.

On a Tricone, the sound is spread out between the cones and contributes to it's unique sound. A Tricone is not as loud on the attack as a single cone, however the sustain is greater and the tone can be defined as "sweeter". The three cones vibrate together and produce more
harmonics overall than a single cone.

The steel body is brushed to give a vintage look to the instrument. The tone of steel is unmatched – that’s why it has been used for decades. The mahogany neck, finished in a rich mahogany burst, has an ivoroid bound ebony fingerboard. The vintage-style National tuning machines sit on a traditional slotted headstock.

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