National Reso-Phonic Dave Arcari Signature

How exactly does a guitarist get their own signature guitar? Scottish alt-blues troubadour Dave Arcari explains the unexpected genesis of his own. “I was playing and hanging out with Eric Smith [president/CEO] and Jason Workman [vice-president] at National’s booth at Winter NAMM back in January. As we chatted, Eric suddenly suggested we work on a ‘Dave Arcari signature’ model. Once I’d recovered from the shock, we started to spec the guitar…”

Arcari may have been temporarily lost for words, but he wasn’t short on ideas. “My two main touring Nationals are custom – one based on a Delphi and the other on a Style O. I’ve been delighted with them, but had a few things I thought could be changed or improved. For my signature guitar, I went for the thin-gauge steel option as it has more urgency. Also, while I like the look of a slotted headstock, it’s much faster to change strings on stage on the flat version.”

Other features include a ‘V’ profile neck with bound ebony fingerboard and mother-of-pearl diamond inlays, a blendable Highlander piezo pickup and Lollar Imperial humbucker combo, not to mention that stylish black Iron Wood finish on the body. Eye candy aside, the whole point of the signature project was to create a versatile and robust guitar that would handle anything Dave could throw at it.

“I went out on a limb in the summer,” he says. “I kicked off my West Coast/Midwest tour with a show in Morro Bay, California, to launch the guitar, which I had only picked up that afternoon. Not only had I not played nor seen the signature instrument, I hadn’t taken any other guitars. I pledged to use only the signature guitar on every show of the six-week tour. I had complete faith that National would deliver. The guitar proved itself more than capable of handing multiple tunings and slide/non-slide stuff and so can serve as the only instrument on a tour if push comes to shove.”

The National Reso-Phonic Dave Arcari Signature is available to order with a lead time of two months. The base non-electric model kicks off at $2,999 (£2,310). Arcari’s tried-and-trusted Highlander/ Lollar pickup blend adds $690 (£533) to the bill; the black pearl Waverly tuner upgrade is an additional $280 (£223).

Guitarist would like to thank Dave Arcari for the loan of his personal touring guitar www.davearcari.com

1. The bound ebony fingerboard plays host to mother-of-pearl diamond inlays

4. You can spec Dave’s guitar with or without pickups. He recommends the Highlander piezo and Lollar Imperial humbucker combination. These pickups can be used independently or blended for an expanded tone palette

2. Arcari spec’d a flat headstock to make it easier to change strings on stage. He also recommends the black pearl Waverly tuner upgrade for stability and quick open-tuning tweaks 3. The guitar features the brand’s flat headstock and a ‘V’ profile M2 neck that’s joined to the NRP thin-gauge steel body at the 12th fret

5. The black Iron Wood finish clings to a steel body. One of Dave’s requests was for onboard power for the Highlander piezo pickup. He also specified a metal battery cover, having previously experienced the plastic version