Daniel Slaman DS150, 2011

First, let me say, when I'm in the mood for a handcrafted archtop guitar that rains down all the sweet goodness of a '50s Gibson archtop, my go to builder is Daniel Slaman. He has built a career on the deep study of what makes those vintage guitars tick, what gives them their mojo, what makes them breathe, and what makes them so desirable. The only problem is that Slaman guitars have been almost impossible to get ever since Pat Metheny has made them his go-to performing guitars. Granted, I am Daniel's only USA dealer, but even I can't acquire enough guitars to satisfy the growing demand for them. So when this beautiful preowned 2011 DS 150 breezed into the shop, I was thrilled to add it to our inventory of fine hand selected guitars.

This DS150 is basically a modernized (in the best possible way) take on the venerable Charlie Christian Gibson ES 150 archtop. It is just beautiful, in excellent condition.

While it's glorious to behold, in its heart, this is a true player's instrument. As soon as you put it in your hands, it feels like a guitar that you have been making music with for years. Daniel really nailed the vibe of the archtop instruments we revere with this guitar, and the full, C neck (with an ever so slight hint of a soft V) feels fantastic in your hands, very much like the great '50s Gibson necks we love.

The top is beautiful straight grained Sitka spruce. Slaman’s tops are thinner than most other archtops, because he feels this is an essential component of the responsiveness of his instruments. And indeed, this guitar is very responsive and balanced across the neck. Another wonderfully surprising thing is how the trebles ring true, without harshness, all the way up the fretboard. The acoustic tone is not overly loud, though it is very satisfying.

But the guitar really shines when you plug it in. The electric tone is almost pianistic, with a spirited full bodied sound that is rich in overtones. If you are familiar with '50s archtops, this guitar will feel and sound like home to you. The pickup is a faithful reproduction of a CC pickup with big magnets. It is the real deal made in Great Britain: http://www.ccpickups.co.uk/.

Bottom line, if you are in the market for a boutique built archtop that brings everything we love about old-school archtops into the 21st Century, the Slaman DS150 is certainly a worthy contender.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.

ABOUT DANIEL SLAMAN GUITARS
Daniel Slaman has been making guitars since 1978. Born in 1957, the first guitar was made with help from his father and the book ‘Classical Guitar Making’ by the late Irving Sloane. After spending much time with the classical and flamenco guitars, since 1995 Daniel has been making archtop jazz guitars exclusively. To Slaman, guitar making is an expression of creative freedom; every choice that is made for a particular guitar is made to achieve a unity in design. The result may not be to everybody's taste, that's a different matter, but the unity of design should always shine through in choices of wood, size, decoration and finish colour of the guitar. The result is always a unique one-of-a-kind instrument, made by one mind and set of hands. Slaman players connect to their guitar(s) in a unique way. To these owners, the guitar has a meaning beyond physical aspects; there's always a bond or connection between the player and the guitar. The guitars transcend the status of mere physical objects; they almost become a part of the family, an irreplaceable item of value both material and immaterial.