Bigger isn't always better. Versoul's scaled-down version of its flagship Swan Electric Acoustic guitar delivers all the terrific features of its bigger brother in a more compact package.
So what sets a Baby Swan apart from, well, ugly ducklings? Generally, electric acoustic guitars are made of plywood, especially smaller models. Not surprisingly, plywood acoustic electrics deliver a thin sound with very limited sustain. Versoul's Baby Swan sports sides of solid curly maple and a slightly curved European spruce top. The top and back are nearly as thin as those of an acoustic guitar, though the top is braced more heavily with two major bars running the same direction as the strings.
The Baby Swan's body size is akin to that of a classical guitar, its upper width 285 mm, it lower width 368 mm. Its body depth is 65 mm. Double bolts secure the bolt-on neck, made of sturdy aspen-maple-aspen construction. The fingerboard, with its 25.4" scale, is East Indian rosewood. There are two Versoul single coil or humbucker pickups with Versoul's distinctive pickup covers. Two volume controls and one master tone knob tune the sound output. For twang devotees there is a classic Bigsby B7 vibrato arm. The high quality tuners are Gotoh 510 series models. Factor in the cutaway, pickguard, abalone fret markers, and Versoul's distinctive boomerang f-holes, and you've got one exceptionally cool-looking little guitar.
But the sound is the paramount priority in the Baby Swan concept. The combination of its compact size with acoustically resonant solid woods and the right bracing creates an instrument that very much holds its own alongside bigger acoustic electrics. Baby Swan delivers sustain and a dynamic range you simply don't expect from a compact acoustic electric. Whether you play jazz, blues, or rockabilly, Versoul's Baby Swan will up your game in a very user-friendly package.
- Top: book matched solid European spruce, slightly curved
- Back: book matched solid European curly maple, curved
- Sides: book matched solid European curly maple, curved
- Bridge: Gotoh Tuneomatic
- Tailpiece: Bigsby Vibrato B7 unit
- Neck: bolt-on, aspen/curly maple/aspen, two-way steel truss rod
- Fingerboard: East Indian rosewood, radius 12"
- Frets: 21 / Dunlop 6130 or similar
- Tuners: Gotoh SE700 nickel plated
- Pickguard: tortoise shell plastic
- Pickups: dual Versoul single coils or humbuckers
- Controls: two volume, master tone, 3-way Switchcraft switch
- Finish: black top with vintage amber, colored back and sides, nitrocellulose lacquer
- Peghead veneer: visa birch
- Decorations: 23 carat gold leaf
- Bindings: maple/black fiber
- Inlays: gold leaf
- Nut: moose shinbone
- Neck width at nut: 43 mm
- Scale length: 24 3/4"
- Lower bout: 368 mm
- Upper bout: 285 mm
- Depth at side: 65 mm
- Overall length: 1000 mm
OPTIONS:
- Gold plated metal parts
- Versoul tailpiece
- Three Versoul humbuckers or single coils
- Kluson waffle back tuners