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Master luthier Bill Comins stuns us with his 16" spruce/Flame maple archtop with a custom wound Kent Armstrong pickup.
$2,399.00
We've been longtime fans of Bill Comins' work. The highly versatile, masterfully conceived, unfailingly reliable GCS-1s and GCS-1ESes have been shop favorites for years. We couldn't be happier to introduce and offer the newest addition the Guitar Craft Series--a full on 16" archtop available in 1 or two pickup varieties. Having had the chance to play several of Bill's custom archtops over the years, we're amazed by how faithfully the design and quality have been carried over to these production level instruments. You hardly even feel the guitar in your lap--it's just comfortable in every way. The amplified voice offers a range of tonal colors from smooth and smokey to a bit more aggressive and sizzly (particularly with the two pickup model's bridge pickup). It's wonderful to play a guitar with a simple layout that responds so readily to the player. Making slight adjustments to the volume/tone relation, moving from pick to fingers, shifting right-hand position relative to the pickup--all reveal a lively, world-class instrument that's ready for everything from the smallest shedding sessions to the biggest bandstands.
A while back, I was given the opportunity to visit and work closely with a South Korean guitar manufacturing facility. Arriving not knowing what to expect, I quickly learned that this was a team of dedicated craftspeople, many of them having decades of experience in instrument building. And I came to see that given a good design, they were quite capable of producing some great sounding instruments with a high degree of structural integrity.
In time, they graciously agreed to work with me to produce a new line of guitars. These are original designs being built to my specifications with close collaboration. Choosing from their pallet of available materials, I’ve selected only components that meet a high standard for tone, stability, and consistency. Critical specifications are adhered to at every step along the way, and the coup de grace is that I’m personally ensuring that every instrument receives a precision setup before going to its final destination. I’m confident these instruments will exceed your expectations for performance and value.
One of the finest archtop builders in the world, Bill Comins produces instruments of unsurpassed quality. His attention to every detail is immediately evident when you pick up and play one of his guitars. Bill brings the complete package: tone, looks, playability, and craftsmanship. While his instruments pay homage to traditional designs, they also have that unique “Comins” character… warm, fat, and mellow with tone for days. Recently, he has taken his art and expertise to the world of solid-body electric guitars, and been creating some new gems in that arena that are simply to die for. His works are masterpiece collectibles designed to stand up to the test of time.
Model: GCS-16-1
Lower Bout Width: 16"
Body Depth: 2 3/4"
Top: Laminated Spruce
Back & Sides: Laminated Flame Maple
Color: Vintage Blond
Fingerboard Material: Ebony
Fingerboard Radius: 12"
Scale Length: 25"
Nut Width: 1.70"
Neck: Medium C Shape
Pickups: Kent Armstrong Humbucker
Controls: Volume, Tone
Hardware Finish: Chrome
Tuners: Wilkinson, 19:1 Gear Ratio
Binding: Multi-ply Ivory/Black (Peghead, Neck, and Body)
Case: Hardshell
Weight: 6.6 lbs