Vintage National Triolian Square Neck - USA c.1933

Few guitars conjure up the birth of American resonator music quite like the National Triolian. Introduced in 1928 as National's mid-priced, single-cone model, the Triolian became the guitar of choice for a generation of blues and Hawaiian players who needed real resonator volume without the tricone Style 4's price tag. This is a square-neck example, built for lap-style Hawaiian playing, a configuration National only began offering on the Triolian from 1933, making this one of the earlier examples of that variant.

It's finished in National's classic "coppertone" walnut sunburst over a steel body, with the honest, characterful paint flaking and edge wear these guitars are known for. The notoriously thin Depression-era polychrome finish on a galvanised steel surface was always prone to this kind of wear, and its presence here is a mark of age and originality rather than a flaw. The body carries the Triolian's signature diamond-pattern soundholes around the cast biscuit-bridge cover plate and a pair of f-holes cut into the upper bout. The square neck is bound, with a rosewood fingerboard and pearl dot inlays, joining the body at the 12th fret, and the open, slotted peghead carries the "National Trade Mark" shield decal, with the serial number 1343 stamped into the top edge of the peghead itself.

Based on the combination of the square neck (offered from 1933) and the open slotted headstock (used until 1936), together with a low, unlettered four-digit serial number consistent with National's early-to-mid-1930s Triolian production, this example dates to circa 1933, plausibly into 1934. National's serial numbering from this era wasn't strictly sequential across production batches, so this should be treated as a well-reasoned estimate rather than a certainty.

It shows signs of a neck reset at some point in its life, sympathetically done, and now plays beautifully with no structural issues. It comes in a later black hardshell case with burgundy plush lining, not the original National case.

Specifications:

Weight: 3.45kg / 7.6lb

Nut Width: 48.19mm

Width at 12th Fret: 59.33mm

Model: National Triolian, square (Hawaiian) neck

Serial Number: 1343

Year: Circa 1933

Finish: Walnut sunburst over nickel-plated steel body (coppertone)

Body: Steel, single resonator cone, biscuit bridge, diamond-pattern coverplate, twin f-holes

Neck: Square profile (Hawaiian/lap style), bound, joins body at 12th fret

Fingerboard: Rosewood, pearl dot inlays

Headstock: Open/slotted, "National Trade Mark" shield decal

Repairs/Notes: Apparent sympathetic neck reset; plays beautifully

Case: Later black hardshell case, burgundy plush lining (non-original)