National
Brand National 
Type Style "O"
Year 1937
Serial number B1844
Additional info The world famous guitar that is featured on the front cover of the Brothers in arms album. Mark bought the guitar from Steve Phillips for 120 UK Pounds in the early seventies.

The guitar was used on all Dire Straits records, various Mark Knopfler solo albums and of course on various tours. Most famous songs that this guitar is used on: Romeo and Juliet and the intro of Telegraph road. The guitar was also used live on stage for Done with Bonaparte and Haul away.

Click here for a nice picture of three Nationals and click here for three magazine covers featuring Mark with this guitar. Click here and here for two nice pictures showing the back of the guitar which is also beautiful to look at.

The Japanese magazine The guitar featured a great article in 2001 listing all of Mark Knopfler's guitars which he used on the Sailing to Philadelphia tour 2001. The article featured seperate photos of each of these guitars. Click here for a photo of this famous National.

And see here for another stunning picture of this guitar.

 

Brand National 
Type Don
Year 1935
Serial number Unknown
Additional info You can see Mark Knopfler here playing the National of his friend and fellow Notting Hillbillies member Steve Phillips. The picture was taken in the BBC Radio 2 studio on 15th March 1990.

See here for some more pictures of that recording.

Click here for a nice picture of three Nationals owned by Brendan Croker, Mark Knopfler and Steve Phillips.

 

Brand National 
Type Style "O" Reissue
Year 2006
Serial number Unknown
Additional info It is a reproduction of the original National Style "O" guitar,
based on the 1937 model specifications.

It looks almost identical the old guitar but is more shiny. Mark used this guitar on stage on Done with Bonaparte during the All the roadrunning tour in 2006 and also on The fish and the bird on both the Kill to get crimson tour 2008 and Get lucky tour 2010.

 

Brand National 
Type Style "O"
Year 1933
Serial number Unknown
Additional info It is a classic National Style "O". Mark used this guitar in the Chet Atkins Musician Days in Nashville in June 1998. Rolled in f-holes in a long body were only made in 1933.

Remarkable: this guitar has no palm trees on the body of the guitar.

 

Brand National 
Type Style "O"
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info The 1937 National seemed too fragile after all these years of touring, so Mark decided not to take it out for the last Down the road wherever tour, but used this National instead for Done with Bonaparte.

 

Brand National 
Type Tricone
Year 1928
Serial number Unknown
Additional info Mark bought this guitar in 1969 and used it during the Duolian String Pickers time. Later, Mark used this guitar at least once for a playback version of Romeo and Juliet in 1980 (the srceenshot is taken from that TV performance). I also found a picture of Mark playing it during The Notting Hillbillies period in 1990. Click here for a picture of the 2002 litho.

Click here for a picture of another Tricone on stage during the Shangri-La tour in 2005. Richard Bennett then played it on All that matters and on the tunes during meet and greets.

 

Brand National 
Type Duolian
Year 1933
Serial number C 7094
Additional info

The picture is taken on 4th December 2001 when Mark Knopfler opened the Department of Music at Newcastle University. This guitar is called "Hard Rock" - the National Duolian steel guitar formerly owned by blues legend Booker White (aka Bukka White) which was later immortalised in the Eric Bibb song, "Booker's Guitar".

Click here for another rare picture of Mark and this guitar. And click here for a rare picture of Mark and David Knopfler posing with this famous guitar.

And click here are here for some more detailed photos of the headstock which reveals the serial number.

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