Bill Comins has been making archtops for quite a while, and is legendary in this regard. While he is famous for his traditional archtops, he is also making some interesting modern archtops, one of which is notable and called Aperture.
What strikes me about this model is the aperture control of the main and side sound holes — hence the name. In addition, you can add 2 pickups via connection to the pickguard. I haven’t seen these features on any other guitar. Exceptional and innovative thinking.
Here’s an excerpt from the web page:
The Aperture was commissioned as part of a collection of instruments intended to honor the client’s family members. This dedication to his granddaughter reflects her interest in environmental issues and the sciences. More about the collection can be found here.
This Guitar Features:
- 16″ Lower Bout Width, Asymmetrical Double Cutaway
- Western Red Cedar Top (“blowdown”- harvested from forest floor)
- Figured Cedro Espino Back and Sides (reclaimed from Gatun Lake)
- Zapetero (reclaimed from Gatun Lake) Neck with Maple Lines
- Maple, Cedro Espino, and Zapetero “Aperture Themed” Peghead
- Truss Rod Cap of Recon Stone and Solomon Blackwood
- Gotoh Tuning Machines
- Back Tab Extended as Heel Cap
- Maple Binding with Fine Purfling Lines Throughout
- Adjustable Aperture Sound Hole
- Adjustable Aperture Side Port
- Solomon Blackwood Fingerboard (reclaimed from Gatun Lake) with Fancy End Treatment
- Adjustable Solomon Blackwood Bridge
- Solomon Blackwood Carved Tailpiece with Praying Mantis Inlay Motif
- Solomon Blackwood Pickguard with Recon Stone
- Pickguard Mounted Stealth Volume Controls
- 2 (Removable via USB Tabs) Kent Armstrong P-90 Style Floating Pickups Housed in Zapetero
- Zapetero Arm Chamfer
