Grant special ordered this guitar for a customer, but we had so much fun with it we decided to feature it on our website and order another for the store. It is a baritone El Trovador resonator guitar, mostly stock but with an extended 27″ scale length. Strung up with 15-69 gauge strings and set in standard baritone B to B tuning, I couldn’t believe the rich warm boom that came from the guitar with my first strum. The ring and articulation were classic National, but with a deeper drone and even longer sustain than usual (which is saying a lot!). We were a little sad to see this beauty go, but more are on the way. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long to play one again!

National Baritone El Trovador Specifications:

* ebony fingerboard bound with grained ivoroid
* adjustable truss rod
* slotted peghead
* scale length
* mahogany neck with large soft-V profile
* mother-of-pearl position markers
* laminate mahogany construction
* grained ivoroid body binding
* 13 fret neck-to-body joint
* 14 1/2″ lower bout dimension
* 4″ deep sides
* National biscuit & cone assembly

A National hardshell, archtop case is included.

Here’s what National says about the stock El Trovador:

“Its Spanish name translates as “The Troubador,” and this wood-body single-cone National has been popular with musicians ever since its debut in 1932.

This reissue was designed in collaboration with renowned blues and swing guitarist Mike Dowling. Like the original, our El Trovador features a large, four-inch-deep body constructed of mahogany — a wood famed for its sonic properties. A wooden soundwell houses the resonator, adding to the unique sound projection.

The body is bound in multi-layer celluloid, with a matching purfling border around the classic coverplate. An ebony fretboard is mated to the solid mahogany neck, which is capped by a rosewood headstock overlay. With its rich, deep, warm tone, our El Trovador is one of National’s most popular guitars among troubadors everywhere.”