The Map of The USA in 'Super Rare' Sea Foam Green.

1964 National Newport 84 'Map'.

This asymmetrical double-cutaway, 14 inch wide and 1 3/4 inch thick, fiberglass bodied guitar weighs just 7.60 lbs. Two-piece molded (0.20 inch thick) sea foam green color 'res-o-glass' body in the shape of a map of the USA with rounded bass horn corresponding to Maine, rounded treble horn corresponding to Florida, treble waist cutaway corresponding to Alabama/Missouri and Louisiana. Lower edge corresponding to California and top waist corresponding to Minnesota/Michigan and New York. The top and the bottom (with a center edging of white rubber) held together with five screws entering from the back, going through four polystyrene blocks and then into four 1 1/4 inch square maple blocks which are glued to the upper inside of the body. Two maple center blocks, sandwiched together and measuring 17 1/4 inches in length, and  a total of 1 1/2 inches in depth, running from the neck to the tail end of the body. The lower strap button is screwed into the maple center block. Bolt-on (two bolts and a neck adjustment screw) wooden neck finished in sea foam green with a 24 3/4 scale length and an amazingly thick profile. Asymmetrical peghead, longer on treble side with "National" logo in raised plastic and white veneer peghead face with edges beveled to show side black line. Closed-back 'single-line' Kluson DeLuxe strip tuners with hectagonal cream plastic buttons (three per side). Small rectangular metal plate with rounded edges, engraved with serial number "G 31797". Single-bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 20 original medium frets and pearloid 'quarter-circle' position marker inlays and black dot side markers. Clear lucite pickguard with white backing and "National" emblem in blue, black and gold, decorated with parallel black lines and secured by three screws. One National 'Standard' single-coil pickup (with six individually adjustable pole-pieces at the top) with an output of  8.77k and one Piezoelecric single-coil pickup (built into the plexi-glass base of the bridge) with an output of 6.88k. Four controls - one volume on the bass side and another volume and two tone controls on the treble side. Three-way slotted pickup selector switch with cream plastic tip on the bass side. Black plastic conical shaped control knobs with ribbed sides and metal tops. Single knob on treble side larger than three knobs on bass side. Three of the potentiometers are stamped "137 6344" (CTS, October 1963) and the fourth one is stamped "304 6336" (Stackpole, September, 1963). Each knob is secured by a single 'grub' screw. 'Cheesy' nickel-plated vibrato/tailpiece unit secured to the top by four screws. Vibrato arm with red plastic tip. This totally original 'Map' guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition with just some fading and very minor surface chipping to the Sea Foam Green finish on the back of the neck and the lower edges of the headstock. Housed in the original three-latch rectangular dark gray hardshell case with light gray ends and black felt lining (9.00).

This amazing piece of musical history is identical to the one featured on pp. 106/107 of Tony Bacon's book The History of The American Guitar from 1833 to the Present Day.

Formed in 1926, the National String Instrument Corporation was known for making resonator guitars. National united with the Dobro Company in 1932, and eventually became Valco in 1943. Valco manufactured guitars and amps under its own National and Supro brand names, as well as for Gretsch, Silvertone, Oahu, and Airline.

In 1961, Valco came out with an innovative new style of electric guitar that had bodies made from molded res-o-glass… a fiberglass-like substance made by combining polyester resin and glass threads. The most striking of these res-o-glass instruments were National’s map-shaped guitars… including the Glenwood, Val-Pro, and Newport models. The unusual cutaways on these guitars made them resemble a map of the continental United States.

These 1960s map shaped guitars can have a fatal flaw; there is no adjustable truss rod! So if the neck is warped, the map guitar in question is essentially worthless… our example has a perfectly straight neck.

Note: The Newport 84 was discontinued in 1965, but some Newport models were assembled from leftover parts (some with Italian hardware) for a bankruptcy auction in 1968.