Also Sprach Rick Mcbroom:

RM> MV> I don't know much about Rodgers (this isn't the "Kisses Sweeter
RM> MV> Than Wine" one, is it?)..
RM> I know the song you mentioned, though for the life of me I can't reme
RM> who did it.  :-(
That's the Jimmie Rodgers who was on the charts in the 1950's with the 
song mentioned and "Honeycomb" as his two best-known hits.

RM> MV> ..but I'd heard that his music owed a bit to the Blues.
RM> Oh aye!
From the titles you mentioned, his stuff must be Traditional/Bluegrass/ 
Folk/"Early Country" as well (I'd guess).

RM> My sources list the earliest National resonator as the model 35 Tri-P
RM> of 1927 (a 3-cone model with a distinctive T-shaped cover over the co

Yep, all of the Tri-Plates (also called Tricones) have that distinctive 
type of cover plate.  There's a t-shaped piece of aluminum--under the 
cover--whose ends sit on the 3 cones.  The strings, which pass through the 
bridge (which is mounted on the alum. piece) are thus mechanically coupled 
to the cones, making them vibrate.  60 years later, it still works like a 
charm :)

RM> They also say that the Dobro company was officially formed in 1929, t
RM> the Dopyera brothers got in on the ground floor at National.
The Dopyera Bros. were most of Nat'l; after some hassles with partners, 
they formed Dobro (DOpyera BROs.).

RM> It's a bit murky here. The Rickenbacker "Frying Pan" prototype electr
RM> steel was produced in 1931, and they say that production models were 
RM> available by "the mid-30's"
Rickenbacher (actual spelling) left National and started Rickenbacker 
along with Beauchamp.

RM> But they also say that acoustic lap steel
RM> "in vogue in the USA during the 1920's and 1930's".  I dunno if they 
RM> conventional and/or resonator guitars played lap-style
I think it's lap-style "Spanish" guitars, meaning acoustics.  The 
Hawaiians were all the rage from about 1912 on (have to check the books).

RM> MV> production.  If it weren't for Tom Wheeler's "American Guitars"

RM> My son's got a similar book, _The Ultimate Guitar Book_

And Bob Brozman's "The History and Artistry of National Resonator 
Instruments" (my other main source) tells of Geo. Beauchamp's musical 
career: "...with the popularity of Hawaiian music, George usually played 
steel guitar in vaudeville. His first instrument was a flat-top Martin 
with a high nut [string "bridge" at the tuners/peghead end]...".  
Beauchamp is pictured with this guitar.  It's apparent that--before the 
German-silver National emerged--steel guitar meant a flat-top acoustic 
having steel strings, fretted with a steel bar (much like the solid one 
used by pedal steel today).

**ELAINE, I apologize for this post's off-topicness.  I learned some neat 
things in this exchange, though.


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 X WinQwk 2.0b#683 X Nice day for somethin'