Martin tenor guitar truss rods?

[dan in va]

A vintage dealer told me his 1950 O-18T has no truss rod. i'm surprised to hear Martin didn't start using them in all steel string guitars when the T rod was invented in '34 or so.

Is this so?

[Charles E.]

Gibson was using truss rods in the early 20's. In the 30's Martin was using a T-Bar inlayed into the neck. I think Martin resisted adjustable truss rods for a long time, they were still using non adjustable, metal, neck supports well into the 60's.

[fatt-dad]

it has a truss rod. It doesn't have an adjustable truss rod though.

f-d

[dan in va]

Thanks for your replies. The history of when truss rods is out there, but i'm looking for confirmation of when or if Martin put the steel T Bars in the tenors guitars also, along with the 6 string guitars beginning in 1934 when it also changed from the bar frets to modern frets. Logic would say yes, but i wanna know for sure if the steel reinforcement (T bar and later square tube) was used in the TG's also.

[hbar]

Would it be informative to try to stick a magnet to the neck?

[dan in va]

Well, i wonder how much the wood would insulate and interfere with magnetism. However, x-rays would do the job nicely. However i'm trying to get educated as to what vintage, if any to look into buying. So i'm hoping someone will know and post here.

[pfox14]

The story I heard was Martin didn't want to pay Gibson a fee to use the adjustable truss rod design that was patented by Ted McHugh of Gibson back in 1922. They resisted using them until the patent ran out.

[Bob DeVellis]

My '45 Martin 0-17T has an ebony rod in the neck. I guess it was built before the war-imposed restrictions on metal use were lifted. I've had the neck reset due to geometry changes but the neck itself remains nice and straight. These days it's tuned Chicago style, like the top 4 on a 6-string.

[dan in va]

There's some helpful info here. Thanks very much.

Bob, have you been able to compare your O-17T to an O-18T? i'm curious to hear about tone and volume differences.

[Bob DeVellis]

Dan -- I haven't and I've actually wondered the same thing. I would assume a spruce top would be louder than all-mahogany but would lack that earthy mahogany tone. Mine isn't a particularly loud instrument compared to my 6-strings, but most of them are pretty loud guitars and it's sort of apples and oranges. I have an all-mahogany 6-string Collings C-10 (which is absurdly loud) and between it and the 0-17T, I think the most notable tonal difference between an all-mahogany guitar and one with a spruce top is the stronger mids and shorter sustain of the all-mahgany. Makes them great for blues but not as lush sounding as, say, and Engelmann-topped guitar with mahogany back and sides. These, of course are sweeping generalities and the tone of specific instruments will depend on the build, the materials, and other factors. But on average, I think they would hold up as a description of the primary differences. Spruce gives an instrument greater versatility. All-mahogany gives it a more distinctive character.

[dan in va]

Well, not having heard a spruce topped one, and only a mahogany top many years ago, i wonder if the 17 style would give a more (subjective) pleasing tone with the high range of the tenor guitar.

Opinions welcome.