T-Bar Truss Rod

[Jonathan Conant]

Is there any source for T-bar truss rods, or even a competent substitute material?  Help!

[Paul Verticchio]

http://www.pennstainless.com/stainless-products/structural-products...

[Jonathan Conant]

Thanks. I'll call them.  BTW, I'm making 12-fret dreadnaughts and would like to move away from adjustable truss rods.  If  I do, eventually, I expect I'll end up using the Stew-Mac square stainless rod, maybe filling it with a graphite stick as Dan Erlewine suggests.  It's not that my necks are thinner than usual for this model, but I worry a lot.

[Hesh Breakstone]

Just curious Jonathan why you don't want to use an adjustable truss rod.

In our business we see tons of guitars with some of them being individual builder built creations.  In the last couple of months we have had two instruments without truss rods and I have to tell you that not having a rod that's adjustable made the repairs more difficult AND more pricey for the clients.

It's true that Martin didn't use adjustable rods until say the early 70's or so but I disagreed with this as well.  Compression fretting is no big deal but it is a big deal when we have a lousy winter like last winter and a guitar dries out and goes into back bow.

It's just so much more versatile for both repair person and the current steward of a guitar to have the option of an adjustable rod.

So my friend why no adjustable rod, sticking to a vintage design, believe that it negatively impacts tone, a recurring childhood nightmare where you were chased by a double action rod to the cross roads where you met Stevie Vai?  Just wondering...;)

[Jonathan Conant]

Yes, you're right, of course.  I've used one- or two-way adjustable rods is most of my guitars, for the reasons you cite.  Every once in a while I worry about putting stuff in that really doesn't need to be there.  I don't know what effect, if any, truss rods of any sort have on the tone, but if I could convince myself it was unnecessary extra stuff I would feel happier leaving it out.  So I was doing research on alternatives.  But, as I say, you're right.  Thanks for setting me back on the straight and narrow (the road with no crossroads).