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2013 Solomon Double Top 16
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Serial#: 1368, hand signed by the builder
Body size at lower bout: 16 " Body Depth: 3" Scale length: 25" Nut: 1 7/8"
Finish: Hand rubbed gloss French polish finish
Materials: Solid bookmatched Adirondack spruce double-top soundboard; solid carved curly black walnut back and sides; one-piece hard maple neck; solid ebony fingerboard; curly walnut body binding.
Hardware: Hardware includes gold Waverly 16X1 tuners with ebony keys; compensated adjustable African blackwood bridge, tailpiece and pickguard; Kent Armstrong floating PAF humbucking pickup with thumbwheel volume control and endpin jack; Tatsuta beta-titanium truss rod; EVO alloy gold fretwire; Tusq synthetic ivory nut.
Notes: The historic Yankee village of Epping, New Hampshire dates to the early colonial era, and is known by its inhabitants as 'The Center of the Universe'. It's also the nexus of operations for luthier Erich Solomon, whose innovative and meticulously constructed instruments have been featured in such publications as Fretboard Journal, Just Jazz Guitar and Acoustic Guitar Magazine. His product line now includes some nine different models, which incorporate advanced components such as beta-titanium truss rods, alloy gold fretwire, and synthetic ivory nuts.
We are often asked for an instrument that combines the projection and clarity of an archtop with the enhanced sustain and bass response of the acoustic flat top guitar. While no single instrument can do everything, the Solomon Double Top is an intriguing hybrid that extends the tonal frontier of the traditional archtop design. Pioneered in the late '80s, the so-called "double top' soundboard is actually a composite sandwich, combining two thin outer layers of spruce with an inner core of Nomex, an ultra-light polymer related to Kevlar. The resulting material has similar stiffness to a solid spruce soundboard, but as little as half the weight. The increased acoustic response of double top instruments have made them popular among classical performers, and the material has been adopted by a number of prominent flat top builders as well. In recent years, Northwest luthier Steve Andersen has produced acoustic archtops with double top soundboards, whose players have reported notable increases in both volume and sustain.
This remarkable guitar incorporates this high-performance material into a traditional Venetian cutaway archtop design. The Adirondack spruce facing shows characteristic pale red striations in the grain, and is arched in a gentle, continuous contour, with graceful D'Aquisto style soundholes. The 16" body is carved of solid black walnut, with pronounced curly figure rarely found in this species, and the one-piece neck is shaped from clear rock maple, with a solid ebony fingerboard. Like fine viol family instruments, the guitar is hand rubbed with a French polish shellac finish, a laborious technique that can leave the soundboard more open and flexible than spray lacquer finishes. Neck profile is a comfy gentle D, with a generous 1 7/8" nut ideal for fingerstyle play, and smooth low action over highly polished EVO alloy gold fretwire. The voice of the X-braced soundboard is bright, lively, and focused, with notable clarity and detail. The tone from the Kent Armstrong floating PAF pickup is particularly transparent and faithful through the amp as well.
This example is 100% original and apart from a few superficial nicks, shows little signs of play. A striking work of contemporary luthiery, the Solomon Double Top is a bold and imaginative design for the 21st Century player. One only, call now.
Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze roundwound strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" 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 deluxe Cedar Creek arched plush lined hardshell case.
