| I first met Tony
Duggan-Smith when we were both apprenticing with Jean-Claude Larrivee in
the mid seventies. Since then Tony has been very actively involved
with musical instrument restoration on a full time basis, and in recent
years, as a part time assistant with the legendary guitar builder, Linda
Manzer.
Tony's considerable
talents have recently been focusing on custom archtop jazz guitars.
The exquisite instrument pictured above (and below) features hand a carved
ebony tailpiece, pickguard and bridge that utilizes some lighter 'heartwood'
for added visual interest. The Brazilian rosewood fingerboard
has dramatic black 'spider web' grain patterns and houses 22 highly polished
frets.
When I first played
this instrument, my initial impression was of how perfectly it sat in my
lap. The 14 11/16" wide body is large enough to support the
instrument in the correct playing posture, but small enough to feel compact
and unobtrusive. The waist is in the optimum position to place the
fingerboard comfortably under your fingers along it's entire length.
The top and back
of this jazz guitar are of laminate construction to achieve maximum feedback
rejection in a performance environment. I'm amazed at the wonderful
balance between the acoustic volume and the electric voice when plugged
in. This is the quintessential "Jim Hall" tone!!! |
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