Topic: Blind Boy Fuller's guitars

[Stumblin]

As far as I'm aware, there are two photos of Blind Boy Fuller. Wait, maybe there are three or four!
In one, he is pictured with a slot-head National. Elsewhere, he is shown with a paddle headstock model.
My question is simple:
Can anyone here identify those models (please state which is the slot-head and which the paddle).
I just want to know. And maybe I'll try to save up some money too, it's time I got a new resonator - my tricone is knackered.

[unezrider]

hello friend,
i believe they were both duolians. national went from a slot head to a flat around (don't quote me here but i want to say) '34. the slot is a 12 fret, the other is a 14. you can tell that by the body shape. at any rate, they are both steel body nats, just different years. i heard somewhere that stevie ray vaughn owned the earlier one.
chris

[Stumblin]

Thanks for that, Unezrider.
I believe I played an old Duolian a few years ago, it was an old '30s National anyway, damn thing was so loud I couldn't hear my voice.
How Fulton got to croon so smoothly over that kind of volume must rank as one of those great mysteries we hear about sometimes!

[blueshome]

As he played mainly on the street you can bet that he sang loud enough to match the guitar otherwise I doubt he'd have had much success.

[Stumblin]

As he played mainly on the street you can bet that he sang loud enough to match the guitar otherwise I doubt he'd have had much success.

Clearly! I just wonder how!
My own years of busking taught me the value of singing as loud as possible, but some of those resonators would give anyone a run for their money.
Do they still make Duolians, I wonder? (Goes to the Google oracle...)

[mr mando]

As for Blind Boy Fuller's Duolians:

Picture 1: 1933 or early 1934
Four embossed radiating lines on resonator cover were introduced in late 1932
Rolled f-holes were introduced in 1933
12 frets to the body were discontinued in late 1934

Picture 2: late 1936 to early 1938
Solid peghead introduced in 1936
"Duolian" decal discontinued in 1938

National Resophic Guitars are producing very similar instruments (thin sheet steel as opposed to the Triolians thicker steel sheets and other models different metals) in their NRP series.

[unezrider]

hello friend,
thanks for timeline on the duolian designs mr. mando. i love that sort of stuff!
i haven't had a chance to play one, but those new nrp's do look really cool. i love that they started using a thinner gauge steel, & stopped powder coating their guitars. good move on both parts.
chris

[Stumblin]

Do they still make Duolians, I wonder? (Goes to the Google oracle...)

Well, it looks like the Duolian has recently been reborn as the National Resophonic NRP.
Now I know what I want out of life 

[unezrider]

hello friend,
inspired by mr. mando's post, i stumbled on to this site ? http://home.provide.net/~cfh/index.html it has a lot of good, guitar geek info?

[Norfolk Slim]

Of course, for real National guitar geekery, Bob Brozman's book cant be beaten.  It even has an extensive list of known model numbers tied into variations in design.

[Colin Brooks]

There is a second picture of Fuller's 14 fret Duo. in the hands of Brownie McGhee on the flyer for his 78 'Back Home Blues'. 

There's a small repro of it with the story in a guitar tutor he did many years back. Anyone have a copy?

[mr mando]

There is a second picture of Fuller's 14 fret Duo. in the hands of Brownie McGhee on the flyer for his 78 'Back Home Blues'. 

Is this the one?

[Colin Brooks]

<Is this the one?>

No. Brownie looks a few years younger in this picture with Lesley Riddle (say 1937-38) and the National he is holding is left handed, thin strings and pickguard on the sky side! This was well before he met Fuller. Wonder whose guitar it was?