AT Series : OLDE STOCKDALE AT
Pretty much the reason
I got into this whole damn mess.
2017 "Olde Stockdale" AT in "Vintage au Naturale"
The New OS/AT features an arched top with two F-holes, deep open cutaway,
full-scale Ebony fretboard with 22 easily accessible frets and SR (Smooth/Round) Neck Heel.
But Why?
I've always loved electric guitars, and especially the aesthetics of the old big box archtops...the gorgeous curvy lines, fancy bindings, classic f-holes and beautiful woods and finishes. I've played many many of them, most all of them, over the years.
As a young kid, starry-eyed by the Beatles I started out on the requisite entry-level electrics of the day: Duo-Sonic, Melody Maker, Les Paul Junior. Perhaps due to some early violin lessons, who knows, but along with the usual Cowboy Chord positions
I also enjoyed taking advantage of the entire fretboard, playing way up the neck into the wide open cutaway, stretching that
22nd fret in full Santana mode. To me those frets obviously seemed meant to be played along with all the other ones, of course.
Discovering Tal, Wes and Johnny (Smith) in my late teens I so dug that jazz archtop style I sold my Les Paul and started in on playing those big hollow boxes. They were a bit big and bulky, but man they were cool. But the one real drawback I found I always struggled with them was... upper fretboard access. Or lack thereof. 'Cause gosh, even my lowly intro-level guitars had easy, full fretboard acess, and I was very used to playing those. And so my ongoing dilemma began.
First off, there is no 22nd fret on an L5. Actually, almost all jazz-style guitars only have 20 frets, with a neck/body joint way down at the 14th fret. Even as a young player I used to think, 'why'? I discovered there are 22 frets on a short-scale Byrdland.
But hey, ever try to easily get above even the 17th fret on a shallow cutaway Byrdland? (Maybe Ted Nugent could do it, I couldn't.) 'What's the point of those extra frets if you can't reach'em?' I recall asking the music store guy.
Yes, there are all the thinline ES-style guitars et al, a more comfortable size really, especially once you've gone full-on electric,
but they normally only have mid-scale length (24.75") boards, and I greatly prefer the full 25.5" jazz scale. (As did even Leo.)
So began decades of ever-searching for that elusive full-scale jazz-style (f-holes) guitar with full access to 22 frets.
Quick,..name one! Any? OK there are a few around now, the odd Hofner Jazzica or Johnny A somesuch. But by then
I'd already given up searching and decided to design one myself, and exactly how I wanted it to be.
This is now the third generation of the Olde Stockdale. The upper reaches of the Full-Scale, 22-fret Ebony fretboard have been further unfettered with our new SR (Smooth/Round) Neck Heel. With the AT Series the semi-hollow body has become a tad deeper and it now features an Arched figured maple top. We've also installed our newly designed Ceramarama humbucking pickup, bringing a fat/warm slightly darker tone reminiscent of many favorite 1950's jazz guitar recordings.
(Addendum: also check out our new DYNAMIC Series guitars for the Ultimate in upper fretboard mayhem.)
"After 5000 hours of toil, trial and error...simplicity itself is borne."
Iain Henderson, Former Manager, Laphrohaig Distillery, Isle of Islay,
in explaining the art and craft of making the finest Scotch Malt Whisky, or anything.
Olde Stockdale AT features a Billow Maple Bound headstock with Hardware offered in Pearloid & Gold or Black & Gold
One-piece Hard Maple Neck with smooth Clear Satin Thincoat finish.
The upper reaches of the full-scale 22-fret Ebony fretboard have been
further unfettered with our new SR (Smooth/Round) Neck Heel.
High Grade Natural Narra-Wood Back & Sides.
So what's with the wacky position of the Volume and Tone controls?
Or ... is it?
What originally began as a solution to an electronics experiment gone awry ended up a PTB Signature design feature.
Jazz and fingerstyle players tend to stay positioned in a more focused space on their guitars as their fingers
weave through intricate chords and scales patterns (verses say Pete Townsend's windmill-power-chord Rock style!)
Integrating the Volume & Tone controls within this "vertical playing plane" enables adjustment of settings
with only the subtlest hand movement, requiring less time off the strings and a more seamless performance.
Our newly designed Ceramarama humbucking pickup brings a fat/warm slightly darker tone reminiscent
of many favorite 1950's jazz guitar recordings.
VR Tunamatic Bridge with clean String-Through-Body Anchor design
brings optimum string angle as well as an elegant finish to the proceedings.
SPECIFICATIONS
"OLDE STOCKDALE" AT
BODY
PTB Custom Design Arched Top Thinline Semi-Hollow Body
AAA Billow Quilt Maple Top, Narra-wood Back & Sides
PTB Custom Design SR (Smooth/Round) Neck Heel
Multiply Binding, Double-bound Front & Back with Bound F-holes
"Vintage au Naturale" Tinted Thincoat finish with Matching Headstock
NECK
One-piece Hard Maple
Full-scale (25.5") 22-fret Ebony fingerboard, free of inlay
Double-line fingerboard binding with Bound headstock
1 11/16" Bone nut. Medium/Jumbo frets
"Modern C" neck profile
Clear Satin Thincoat finish
HARDWARE & ELECTRONICS
Gold (and/or Black) Hardware
VR 18-1 Ratio Sealed Pearloid Tuners
Ceramarama V Neck Humbucking Pickup
VR Tunamatic Bridge with String-Through-Body Anchor
Uniquely Placed Volume & Tone Control Knobs facilitate jazz and fingerstyle playing
SPECIFICATIONS
"OLDE STOCKDALE" AT
BODY
PTB Custom Design Arched Top Thinline Semi-Hollow Body
AAA Billow Quilt Maple Top, Narra-wood Back & Sides
PTB Custom Design SR (Smooth/Round) Neck Heel
Multiply Binding, Double-bound Front & Back with Bound F-holes
"Vintage au Naturale" Tinted Thincoat finish with Matching Headstock
NECK
One-piece Hard Maple
Full-scale (25.5") 22-fret Ebony fingerboard, free of inlay
Double-line fingerboard binding with Bound headstock
1 11/16" Bone nut. Medium/Jumbo frets
"Modern C" neck profile
Clear Satin Thincoat finish
HARDWARE & ELECTRONICS
Gold (and/or Black) Hardware
VR 18-1 Ratio Sealed Pearloid Tuners
Ceramarama V Neck Humbucking Pickup
VR Tunamatic Bridge with String-Through-Body Anchor
Uniquely Placed Volume & Tone Control Knobs facilitate jazz and fingerstyle playing
