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2001 Lacey Arch Nouveau 18

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Serial #: 0078, dated 7/14/01, signed by the maker

Nut Width: 1 11/16" Scale Length: 25 1/2" Body size: 18" Body depth: 2 7/8" Neck depth: .82/.87: 1st/10th fret

Materials: Solid bookmatched handcarved spruce top; solid tiger flame maple neck and body; so ac_01lacey_an18.html lid ebony fingerboard; tiger maple binding; polished bone nut

Hardware: 100% original Macassar ebony hardware includes contoured tailpiece, pickguard, compensated adjustable bridge, and pickup facing. Gold 16X1 Schaller tuners with ebony keys; ebony truss rod cover. Original vintage gold DeArmond Model 1000 Rhythm Chief pickup with neck rod, volume control, and endpin jack.

Notes: One of the most accomplished of modern American luthiers, Mark Lacey began his career in the mid-70's in London, building renaissance and baroque stringed instruments. After stints with Gruhn and Bill Lawrence, Lacey opened his own shop, first in LA and then in Nashville, where he currently resides. His artist roster includes notable jazzers like Herb Ellis, Howard Alden and Bruce Forman, and other clients including Jackson Browne, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Paul McCartney. Influenced by D'Angelico and D'Aquisto as well as the Gibson classics, Lacey has earned a reputation as one of the world's premier builders of the archtop guitar.

Creative soundhole design is nothing new. Gibson, Paramount, even D'Angelico himself experimented widely with the shape and location of sound ports, up to and In recent years builders like Monteleone, Andersen and others have extended the performance of conventional acoustic instruments by employing contemporary innovations in soundboard design. We have heard none more successful than the Lacey Arch Nouveau.

The Arch Nouveau is based on the premise that a larger expanse of soundboard uninterrupted by soundhole cavities should be able to extend both the bass response and sustain of arch bodied instruments (both areas in which their performance is typically diminished, especially when compared to flat tops.) By placing the sound ports in the rim on the bass side of the guitar, Lacey extends the range in just such a fashion, while additionally delivering a flood of tonality directly to the ear of the player. Finally, a most welcome consequence of this design is that the absence of holes in the soundboard can reduce overall feedback of the instrument when played through an amplifier.

With featherlight x-braced construction and an open design peghead, the Arch Nouveau tips the scales at an astounding 5 pounds, 2 ounces, unquestionably the lightest super jumbo guitar we have ever held. The net effect is an instrument that seems to float effortlessly in the arms of the player, with a vibrant acoustic voice that makes most conventional archtops sound stuffy by comparison. The clear open tone is enhanced with a genuine vintage DeArmond Model 1000 Rhythm Chief pickup, a single coil design famed for its extended frequency response. (In a brilliant design touch, Lacey has replaced the original pickup facing with a Macassar ebony veneer that matches the rest of the guitar's hardware most cunningly.) The AAAA tiger flame body is simply stunning to behold as well.

This example is the very first Arch Nouveau 18 made, and carries the designation "Prototype" on the label. A bold work of visual and aural design, the Arch Nouveau redefines the possibilities of the acoustic archtop guitar. We are pleased to offer this magnificent instrument in superb original condition, complete with its ultra-premium Calton hardshell flight case, a $1000 value in and of itself. One only: call now.

Case: Premium Calton ATA certified fitted fiberglass hardshell flight case.

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