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2010 Thorell Frank Vignola Premiere

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SN# 10-092

Body size at lower bout: 15" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut: 1 3/4"

Materials: Solid bookmatched handcarved one-piece Adirondack spruce top; solid handcarved curly walnut back and sides; 3 piece tiger flame maple neck; solid ebony fingerboard; solid wood binding with abalone purfling; solid ebony nut with bone inserts.

Hardware: Hardware includes hand carved ebony tailpiece, finger rest, and compensated adjustable ebony bridge; engraved gold Waverly 16X1 tuners, custom handmade single coil pickup with volume knob and thumbwheel tone control, endpin jack.

Notes: In an era of sampling, sequencing and synthesis, New York guitarist Frank Vignola has remained a enthusiastic champion of the acoustic archtop guitar. One of the most versatile performers on the scene today, Vignola has toured worldwide with legends ranging from Les Paul and Bucky Pizzarelli to Tommy Emmanuel and Mark O'Connor. Having collaborated with a number of the most prominent archtop builders for some decades now, Frank is lavish in his praise for Utah luthier Ryan Thorell, who he compares to the likes of Benedetto, Monteleone, and D'Angelico himself. No small praise indeed, from no small a player.

Thorell's Frank Vignola Premiere is built to optimize tone, volume and player comfort. The compact 15" body is gently tapered from 3 1/8" on the treble side to just 2 3/4" under the arm, for a superior ergonomic fit. And at barely 5lb. 6oz, the guitar is also phenomenally lightweight and well balanced. A fusion of traditional and contemporary design, the body is parallel braced in the classic style to maximize projection, with offset soundholes and a sound port under the player's ear, as an acoustic monitor. The sides are supported with very light braces, adding rigidity to the body as well.

With back and sides chevron bookmatched in extravagant curly black walnut, an exeedingly rare tonewood, the instrument looks every bit as dramatic as it sounds. Finally, and most remarkably, the Adirondack spruce soundboard is carved and tap tuned from a single piece of tonewood. In three decades, it's the only archtop guitar we've ever seen, new or vintage, without a centerseam in the top.

Custom touches abound, the sort of labor-intensive appointments unseen on factory guitars. Polished rosewood binding extends to the neck and soundholes, with abalone trim on the solid ebony fingerboard. Even the nut has individual bone insets for each string. The custom handmade pickup is a floating, diagonally mounted single coil blade design inspired by the classic prewar Gibson 'Charlie Christian' pickup.

The neck is carved of glorious birdseye maple with a walnut centerstripe, and the hardware is hand crafted of solid ebony throughout. The vintage style nitro finish is shot at a mere 3 mills in depth, for maximum acoustic resonance. The neck profile is an elegant gentle D, with smooth low action over a comfortably radiused fingerboard. The voice is clear and supple, with excellent articulation, and pronounced natural reverb in the upper register, all faithfully captured by the transparency of the pickup.

This stunning creation is in showroom condition, and was featured in the August 2012 edition of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, a copy of which accompanies the instrument. Here's an opportunity to jump the wait list, and bag a bargain in the process. Call now.

Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel roundwound strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" 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 arched blonde tolex Cedar Creek plush lined hardshell case.

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