During the late 1930s, jumbo guitar fever was not limited exclusively to archtop and flattop guitars, as proven by the mammoth National Aragon De Luxe, which features an 18-inch wide body. This is the biggest resonator guitar made by National, and a full four inches larger than their usual metal-body guitars. It also has an arched top, which makes it even more of an anomaly in the world of wooden body resonator instruments. Although a vibrating, arched top went against National’s basic design principles where the resonator was intended to do all the work, the Aragon produces incredibly loud and full sounds with impressive bass and sweet treble.


This example still features its original wooden resonator cover, transparent pickguard, and magnificent art deco trapeze tailpiece. The tuners on each side of the headstock are enclosed in a single cover embossed with the National shield logo at the top.

Serial number: C4133
Top: Spruce
Back and sides: Maple
Neck: Maple, round
Fretboard: Rosewood
Frets: 19
Bridge/tailpiece: Maple biscuit, nickel-plated stairstep trapeze
Tuners: Enclosed nickel-plated National