The 1920s Patent document [Matted For Framing] for design of a [steel] guitar [National Resonator] by John Dopyera [A partial article from the net, about the guitar, is far below.

We have others on this site.

This wonderful reproduction of the original patent graphic is crisply printed on luxurious Ivory Parchment Paper. It includes a white acid-free matte and is ready for insertion into a standard 8" x 10" frame for hanging. Graphic area shown is 4 1/2" x 6 1/2". Also, included are the remaining pages of the Patent Document printed on 20# white bond paper to complete the Patent information for the collector.

Image included here is low-quality for quick loading on the net with SAMPLE written across, which will not be on your print.

Makes a terrific gift for the collector or an addition to your collection!

All Patent Information has been reproduced from the USPTO documents.

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A partial article from the net is below: The National Steel Guitar Part One:

An Introduction

By Al Handa

Each era of music has it's share of definitive guitars. In the 70's, for example, the Les Paul electric became THE heavy metal and hard rock guitar. In the 60's, Jim Hendrix made the Fender Stratocaster the definitive rock instrument.

Both of those had one advantage that the 20's bluesmen didn't have. That was electrical amplification of sound.

Back then, however, Blues guitarists had the next best thing; the National Resonator type guitar, which was three to five times as loud as any made of wood, and impervious to the often instrument-unfriendly environments of the tent shows and juke joints. This was because the guitar was made of metal, which is what makes it instantly recognizable to even the newest Blues fan.


Back then, in the tent shows and hot, sweaty juke joints, the blues artists had to make themselves heard over the normal noise of an often severely chemically impaired crowd (some things never change). It was worse for women singers, who often fronted large jazz bands.

Legends like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were not just talented vocalists. They were freaking LOUD talented vocalists whose vocal chords could cut through a ten piece band and be heard in the back rows of a tent (which was probably the worst acoustic environment for sound).

It was a bit better for those who played in juke joints, which were often simply convenient rooms to sell bootleg liquor. Most who entertained in such places were solo artists, accompanied by guitar, and maybe a second person playing harp (unless you had a jug or string band).

There were also street musicians who played on corners, but that's been overemphasized in the quest to present a more sanitized version of the early Blues. Back then, you played on street corners for fun, some pocket change, and if you didn't have a paying gig or recording contract.

The acoustics in a juke were better, but the proximity to the crowd (this is pre-bouncers in T-shirts era stuff) made the preservation of one's instrument a real concern. Also, most guitars couldn't stop a stray bullet either, which was one occupational hazard of the era. Luckily, most guitars back then were catalog types like the Stella, which were as sturdy as wood could get back then.

In any case, you had to be one LOUD sucker. Which in 1928 had an added benefit; which was that due to the recording technology of the era, only those who could project their music could make that steel needle shake and jive enough to produce a decent 78 rpm master disc.
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