Vanguard Laminate Prototype

Serial No. 484-Built in 2012

Over the years I’ve considered offering an archtop built with laminated top and back, along the lines of the venerable Gibson ES-175. The 175 has been popular among jazz guitarists for many years. A number of jazz greats have recorded and performed with it. The laminated construction makes it a little less prone to damage or changes due to humidity and temperature, as well as giving it a distinctive tone.

The Jason Lollar Imperial humbucker has a classic jazz tone, warm and balanced midrange, and complex overtones of the best original PAF pickups. Volume and tone controls have custom Bakelite knobs, made in-house. Acoustically, the guitar is brighter and not quite as rich as one of my carved archtops, and it has a bit less sustain. But this is to be expected with laminate plates, and in fact these are properties that make it an ideal guitar for live performance.

Features:

• Body width 16″
• Body depth 3″
• Weight 5.1 lbs.
• Five-ply laminated top and back in quilted maple
• Serbian maple neck
• Black celluloid body binding
• Waverly tuners
• 1 3/4″ wide nut
• 24.9″ scale