What type of guitar is this?

It's a National guitar, with a very distinctive, jangly sound. Listen to the intro to Dire Strait's "Romeo & Juliet" to hear how it sounds.

Thanks Tony.

I've not heard of the term national guitar before, but when I altavistered it, I found lots of information.

Dire Straights. Of course, how could I have not remembered the cover of brothers in arms.

It could also be a Dobro guitar. It depends on whether it has a single inverted cone resonator. The inverted cone distinguishes it from a National which doesn't have an inverted cone.

Steve

Thanks Steve.

Again, not heard of the term Dobro, but plenty of info on the net.

Some resonator guitars are single cone, some are tri-cone, slightly banjo-y sound and great for slide.

It is, by type, a resonator guitar.  Dobro & National are among the more famous brands of that type, and the name Dobro in particular has become almost synonymous with the style (albeit with a small "d' in that usage), even when it is made by another manufacturer.  (I.e., "That is a dobro.")

The resonator was among the first attempts to increase the volume of the guitar so it would be heard in larger ensembles, before electrification came onto the scene.  Some of them have one large cone, and others have a set of 3 ("tri-cone") - and as pointed out above the sound is rather distinct. 

Some have wood bodies, others have metal bodies (I used to own one of those.) Some have rounded necks like a regular guitar, while others are square necked, and meant to be played strictly as lap-guitars with a slide.

Perhaps the most instantly recognizable riff on a resonator are the opening chords to the Kinks "Lola" - also, the Allman Brothers "Little Martha" features Duane & Dickey on resonators.  There are many, many others, particularly in the blues genre.  Keef has also been known to use one.

The most unusual application of the instrument may be by this gentleman:

He plays jazz on the dobro on this album - but is a highly awarded bluegrass player of the instrument...and outstanding talent.

Now that I've bored you to tears, I'll stop...

"Crippled Inside" on John Lennon's Imagine LP features a very prominent dobro played by George Harrison.

Taj Mahal regularly uses the National steel body.  Goes well with the Caribbean sound he liked in the 70s.

Eric Bibb's album "Booker's Guitar" is the story of a National Steel that once belong to Booker White and was re-discovered.

By coincidence, last night I listened to Eric Bibb's "A Retrospective". From Tony's description of the sound, I identified quite a few track where a national was probably used.

In 1926 the three Czechoslovakian brothers John, Rudy and Emil Dopera, who were partners in a guitar company called National, invented the metal guitar with three resonators, then, in 1928, left National and founded their own company, Dobro (Dopera Brothers).

Their guitar is a wooden one with metal resonator, so the two - National and Dobro - different substantially even though both names are synonyms for that type of instrument.

N.

Also, try the song National Steel by Pete Atkin on his album Secret Drinker.

steve

Some Dobro brand are metal:

And some Nationals are wood (here a single cone model)

I have often thought about a resonator to add to the collection. Different enough to be worthwhile.

I had one for a while, but it was a cheapo, and I sold it, and I just can't afford a really nice one (probably in the ~$2,000+ range for a "keeper".)

Yeah that's about what I would think. I should test drive a few, eh?