Atkin J-43 Acoustic Guitar (2024)
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Atkin J-43 Model Acoustic Guitar (2024), made in Canterbury, UK, serial # 3323, sunburst top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, baked spruce top; Santos rosewood fingerboard and bridge, black tolex hard shell case.
Atkin Guitars are not all that well known in the US but are one of the UK's leading guitar makers, crafting fine acoustic and electric instruments in Canterbury, England. Founded in 1995 they have grown steadily from a one-man operation to a seven-man crew building around 350 guitars a year, each one completely handmade. Atkin offers a range of existing stock models as well as a custom shop. All built by hand in their own workshop using mostly tried-and-true traditional construction including a vintage style nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
This Model J-43 is Atkin's take on the wartime "Banner" Gibson j-45, and a nice version of the classic design at that. Many details of the original are faithfully re-created including the slope shoulder mahogany body with a sunburst top, small rosewood bridge and "firestripe" pickguard. The "baked' spruce top has a scalloped X bracing pattern.
The neck feels to us more like a 1939-40 era J-35 with a slimmer round-backed profile than Gibson wartime spec. and a narrow French heel. The headstock has a center peak more like some pre-war Kalamazoos, with a gold decals of the "Atkin" logo and a banner reading "The Forty Three". The tuners are 1950s Kluson Deluxe style re-issues. This J-43 is the "aged" Nitrocellulose finish option with light checking overall.
Atkin describes this model thus: "The Forty Three is both direct and powerful. It's easy to see why this guitar has been favored by so many singer-songwriters over the years. The big-bodied slope shoulder shape, combined with our Baked Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, delivers warm mids, solid lows and great definition. It's a timeless acoustic guitar tone."
We have to say this version of the J-45 design does come closer than many to capturing the character of the 80+ year old originals. This is a very fine playing and powerful guitar with an overriding warmth and sweetness to the tone hard to find in many modern instruments.
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 7/8 in. (632 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar appears little played, although the finish has been aged on purpose and shows a few little dings and dents, some that may be actual wear! It is a very fine instrument with an expansive sound complete in the original HSC with paperwork including the COA/spec sheet. Overall Excellent Condition.
Atkin Guitars are not all that well known in the US but are one of the UK's leading guitar makers, crafting fine acoustic and electric instruments in Canterbury, England. Founded in 1995 they have grown steadily from a one-man operation to a seven-man crew building around 350 guitars a year, each one completely handmade. Atkin offers a range of existing stock models as well as a custom shop. All built by hand in their own workshop using mostly tried-and-true traditional construction including a vintage style nitrocellulose lacquer finish.
This Model J-43 is Atkin's take on the wartime "Banner" Gibson j-45, and a nice version of the classic design at that. Many details of the original are faithfully re-created including the slope shoulder mahogany body with a sunburst top, small rosewood bridge and "firestripe" pickguard. The "baked' spruce top has a scalloped X bracing pattern.
The neck feels to us more like a 1939-40 era J-35 with a slimmer round-backed profile than Gibson wartime spec. and a narrow French heel. The headstock has a center peak more like some pre-war Kalamazoos, with a gold decals of the "Atkin" logo and a banner reading "The Forty Three". The tuners are 1950s Kluson Deluxe style re-issues. This J-43 is the "aged" Nitrocellulose finish option with light checking overall.
Atkin describes this model thus: "The Forty Three is both direct and powerful. It's easy to see why this guitar has been favored by so many singer-songwriters over the years. The big-bodied slope shoulder shape, combined with our Baked Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, delivers warm mids, solid lows and great definition. It's a timeless acoustic guitar tone."
We have to say this version of the J-45 design does come closer than many to capturing the character of the 80+ year old originals. This is a very fine playing and powerful guitar with an overriding warmth and sweetness to the tone hard to find in many modern instruments.
Overall length is 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm.), 16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 7/8 in. (632 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar appears little played, although the finish has been aged on purpose and shows a few little dings and dents, some that may be actual wear! It is a very fine instrument with an expansive sound complete in the original HSC with paperwork including the COA/spec sheet. Overall Excellent Condition.