National Violin Bass/Beatle Bass

I just got this Bass from a co-worker, and it's a Beatle bass copy from the National Guitar Company.
I believe that the brand was carried by the Montgomery-Wards chain of Department stores in the Mid to late 60's. This bass has that vibe to it, down to a tee. It is very similar to a vintage Hofner, yet has a more garage sale quality to it. Perfect for the Surf Rock sound. The neck is narrow,(1 inch and 5/8") yet still thick. The finish is light brown sunburst, with a dark stain on the outside. There is white binding going around the front and back of the body, and on each side of the neck. The pick-ups are loud as hell, totally vintage and passive. One master volume, one tone, and 2 switches for the 2 pick-ups. On or off. 1960's MOJO!!
The action was a mile high when I got it, so instead of shaving down the bridge, I removed the neck and using a simple wood shim, changed the neck angle. There was evidence that this was how it was supposed to be with the remains of a shim impression still in the wood body. Once the neck was reattached, I bought the correct strings for this short scale bass; Light gauge, GHS Bass Boomers, in the following gauges: .040", .055", .070", .095".
I wanted flat-wound,(for that Paul McCartney sound) but they(the Guitar Center)were temporarily out of that style.
These GHS strings feature a nickle plated steel wrap providing brilliance, volume, sustain and strength.
Remember,that a short scale bass, (nut to bridge of 31 inches) needs light gauge strings! No heaver than .100" on the Low E string.
The head stock has that fake Hofner shape to it with four vintage machine tuners, and a 2 bolt wire retainer(to keep strings in the nut).This Bass also has a Zero fret which is really nice, so the nut slots can be off,(too deep) and it will still play perfectly.
The Bass features a tailpiece, and rose wood bridge with threaded height adjusters. Once dialed in, I was amazed at the fast neck and total playability of this bass.
I spent a lot of time with the electric tuner, getting the bridge placed perfect, it's now in tune like never before! When my co-worker friend gave it to me, it was like an unwanted piece of junk, that was unplayable and unwanted. I oiled the neck with lemon oil and polished the body with carnauba wax, to a brilliant shine. It looks like it should be in a Beatles museum.

The sound of this vintage National Bass Guitar is like the Ventures meets the searchers or the Monkees. With the neck off I could see that is indeed hollow inside the violin shaped body, and i'm guessing that it made from plywood, or even real spruce, but I can't be sure.
When I plugged it in a 1970's Polytone Model: Mini/Teeny Brute 100 watt amp, The bass jack was messed up and made a loud hum. I shut off power. After fixing the ground wire, It came to life and only occasionally crackles, but the more it's played the better it gets. This instrument has sat for the last 10 to 15 years, unplayed. The sound is very full and dark. I found myself playing this bass non-stop for 3 hours. The tonally addictive timbre really takes you back in time to the sound of the 1960's.

When I got it, the action was a mile high. After changing the necks alignment to the body,the action is way more playable. 1/8"(or about 3 CM)at the 12th fret. This bass is a 22 fret model, with the additional Zero fret. The pick-ups were way too low so I raised them to 1/8" below the strings. Sometimes they rattle when played acoustically, but with the Bass powered up, you don't notice it.
The funny thing is that the Bass has a real cheap look to it. Like a Garage sale, old Kay, or Harmony Bass.

40 years and still going! This bass had no strap buttons when I got it, so after going to the Guitar center, they had some nice solid brass ones that I purchased for about $9.99. Now the strap feel solid and secure. Over-all this Bass is very light in weight. My other bass, a Westone Genesis(60th anniversary model, 1987)solid Ash, feels heavy as all get-out, yet is still very comfortable.
My son said that when I put on the National Beatle Bass, that my strap was way too high, like the Beatles, My response was, I'm not the bass player for Metallica(Low Slung!)I have not touched the truss rod, I hope i never have too.So far so good.

What company? They went out of business a long time ago.

I am interested in the history of the National Guitar company. This bass was made by the same people that made those resonator guitars.
I have another Beatle Bass copy that was made in Japan by the Audition company. This one,(National) has more vintage vibe to it, but the Audition bass is a more accurate copy of a real Hofner 500/1 Bass.