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2011 Slaman DS-300/250CB 'Magnificent Molly'

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Serial #: 29511

Body size at lower bout: 17" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut width: 1 11/16" Body depth: 3 1/4"

Materials: Solid carved tap-tuned Sitka spruce top; solid mahogany neck; arched laminate maple back and sides; solid ebony fingerboard; pearl script logo and fingerboard inlays; bound body.

Hardware: All aged nickel hardware includes prewar ES-250 style trapeze tailpiece with 1/4" jack well, CC single coil notched-blade pickup; Kluson Super Deluxe 'waffleback' tuners with keystone keys. Adjustable compensated ebony bridge, bound tortoise pickguard, volume and tone controls with brown bakelite 'radio' knobs.

Notes: At its introduction in the fall of 1939, Gibson's ES-250 model was the largest and most expensive electric guitar the firm had produced to date. With its full depth 17" body and 25 1/2" scale, the 250 was identical in dimensions to the L-5, and adorned with a unique fingerboard inlay pattern. The model's high cost and the advent of WWII both ensured that the ES-250 would become one of Gibson's rarest electrics as well, with a scant 70 examples produced over a run of less than three full years.

Distinctive among contemporary builders, Dutch luthier Daniel Slaman has made a specialty with his 'New Vintage Guitars'. While many of his models remain scrupulously faithful to vintage designs, Slaman also creates original instruments that combine classic features in innovative ways. His 'Magnificent Molly' is one such hybrid. Fitted with the notched-blade pickup and 'open book' inlays of the ES-250, the Molly adds the more modern cutaway body and peghead of the elegant postwar ES-350. The result is an original design that combines prewar 'Charlie Christian' tone with the enhanced fretboard access of the cutaway body.

(To prove that everything old is new again, the Molly is virtually identical to the custom Gibson that jazz legend Barney Kessel used almost exclusively in his long postwar career. In addition, the Molly is a first cousin to the custom guitar Slaman built for Pat Metheny, as shown here and here. )

With its solid carved spruce soundboard, the Molly is also lighter and more acoustically resonant than the 350, and its matte patina ebony finish lends the feel and appearance of a true bandstand veteran. Made in the UK, the CC pickup is the only repro pickup made with the original full size cobalt bar magnets, meticulously hand wound to original specs, and paired with original prewar style knurled brown bakelite knobs. Aged nickel hardware includes 350 style Kluson waffleback tuners, and a spectacular 250 style trapeze tailpiece, complete with 1/4" jack in vintage correct custom fabricated jack well, a Slaman exclusive.

The vintage styling is completed with an ES-150 style notched bound tortoise pickguard in genuine nitrocellulose tortoise, and a hand-carved adjustable compensated ebony bridge. The neck has a classic gentle C profile, much friendlier to the modern hand than the bulky prewar V, and the fretwork is impeccably installed, ready to play with smooth low action. This prototype example is free of pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, and shows only a few incidental nicks in Slaman's lightly antiqued true nitro lacquer finshed. At just 6lb 6oz, the guitar is happily lightweight and well balanced, with a clear, detailed tone that ranges from T-Bone Walker to Tal Farlow.

Don't struggle to get your sound: one only, call now.

Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel roundwound strings (.012-.054). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at .070-.080 at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original brown arched deluxe plushlined hardshell case.

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