The title Preston Thompson sounds prefer it might have belonged to a prewar poet laureate. And judging from the D-SMA dreadnought featured right here, the grasp luthier, who handed away in 2019, handed down the perfect poets’ capability to convey recent feelings to acquainted varieties.

If the everyday dreadnought is a prosaic workhorse, the instrument I examined—handcrafted in Thompson’s Sisters, Oregon, workshop—has a poetic aspect you may not count on from an instrument of its measurement and skill to face out on a crowded stage.

Prose is sensible, factual, and lives on the web page. Poetry lives within the air. Good poetry—particularly when learn aloud—lets the pauses do the work. It makes us really feel with out essentially understanding. It’s within the white areas after the phrases that feelings have time to steep and the place the literal which means of the phrases offers method to one thing extra complicated.

Out of the field, the D-SMA appears to be like like a really high-quality instance of handcrafted dreadnought building. The corporate says its design relies on the 1937 Martin D-28 owned by the late Charles Sawtelle of Scorching Rize. As you’d count on from a guitar in its class, it may well do all of the dreadnought issues fairly nicely, excelling as a loud, projecting rhythm guitar. And the place some dreads have a little bit of the bully to them, the Thompson is extra persuader than pugilist. It solely takes a light-weight contact to have a big effect. 

The guitar’s poetic energy actually comes by within the white areas, the air between the notes, the trailing overtones. These qualities allowed the instrument I examined to shine outdoors the dreadnought’s conventional consolation zone. All actually glorious flattop guitars produce wealthy however managed overtones, and that’s usually the place you’ll hear the variations in tonewoods and building. However in the case of complicated shimmering afternotes, I’ve hardly ever heard something just like the Thompson. It’s not simply the sound, however the ease of sound manufacturing. I felt like I might whisper to the strings and get a spectrum of colours in response.

Premium Supplies & Construct High quality

The D-SMA I examined is pretty conventional when it comes to supplies, however there are many choices from which to decide on. I loved wanting on the booklet within the case that confirmed what was used to construct this explicit guitar, in addition to thumbnails of the opposite obtainable supplies.

The overview guitar options the premium choices of an Adirondack spruce high (the wooden can also be used for the superior X-bracing) with strikingly figured sinker mahogany for the again and sides. 

Visually, the instrument is discreet but beautiful, particularly on shut inspection, and the construct high quality is impeccable. I particularly just like the reconstituted turquoise stone/white mother-of-pearl inlay work seen within the headstock torch motif and matching Regency fretboard place markers—a $695 choice that lends a little bit of aptitude to an in any other case conventional construct. 

Thompson’s web site describes its design philosophy as authentic classic. Having performed my share of AARP-age guitars, I’d say a extra correct description can be classic that’s been restored and fine-tuned to work higher. The mahogany neck feels smooth, enhanced by a low-friction end that makes it type of a cross between a conventional profile and a quick neck designed to enchantment to electrical gamers. However what actually units the Thompson aside from quite a lot of older guitars—at the least these owned by individuals with real-world upkeep budgets—is its consistency in motion and intonation. 

A Bearable Lightness of Being

Dreadnoughts are usually heavy—bear in mind, the title derives from pre-World Conflict I battle ships. However the Thompson has a lightness that’s noticeable as quickly as I take it out of the case. This bodily lightness foreshadows the instrument’s straightforward sound manufacturing. Some dreadnoughts—even actually good ones—solely come to life whenever you lay into them. The perfect of those are nice rhythm guitars and may be kickin’ lead devices whenever you work them exhausting sufficient, however they will lose a few of their magic whenever you play delicately.

The Thompson I examined, nevertheless, rewards the fragile contact. Observe the phrase delicate and never quiet. After all, the instrument may be performed softly. And doing so yields an exquisite spectrum of sounds and overtones. It’s at all times exhausting to explain sound with out coming off such as you’re writing a recap of The Nice British Bake Off: “Candy however savory with a contact of citrus, nicely achieved!” However I’ll put it this manner. If you understand what a extremely good mahogany guitar feels like, alter that tone as follows: Preserve the candy midrange, however give the bass a extra articulate voice, like a baritone with good diction, and carry that readability of voice all the best way up the frequency spectrum.

Then tune the recipe till the vibrations construct collectively for a managed end (that’s the citrus). What impresses much more are the tone and quantity the instrument produces from a comparatively mild contact. I didn’t must work as exhausting to provide the sort of strummy fullness dreadnoughts are anticipated to attain, or higher, display the physique type’s capabilities extra absolutely. The take a look at guitar was robust within the bass with out being tubby, clear within the midrange with out being harsh, and detailed within the highs with out making the higher register sound indifferent from the remainder. 

On huge open chords, the Thompson produces a three-dimensional sound lush with consonant overtones. You’d most likely wish to get used to it earlier than taking the guitar to a gig or session as a result of in any other case you may play the primary chord, get misplaced listening to it and overlook to play the second. All hyperbole apart, the mixture of articulate steadiness and well-tuned overtones—and the power to provide them with much less effort—offers one a way of management of each dynamics and timbre. My selecting hand feels extra relaxed, and that makes it simpler to make use of hand place to alter timbral colours. The convenience of sound manufacturing additionally makes flatpicking lead strains a breeze; a relaxed hand is quicker, extra rhythmic, and extra dynamic. It jogs my memory of the straightforward feeling you get whenever you choose up a smooth electrical guitar after gigging with a big acoustic. 

Pretty much as good as all that huge dreadnought stuff sounds, the factor that grabs my consideration probably the most is the best way the Thompson tasks extra intimate music. Easy little single-note strains radiate into the room. A giant guitar that may play with the intimacy of a small guitar, particularly one as mild as this, provides uncommon versatility. I imagine that’s particularly helpful in case you’re a participant who composes and improvises; that alone can take you down a path to new concepts or enhanced emotional engagement with what you’ve been enjoying all alongside. That is what evokes poetry for me. A superb guitar conjures up you to play; a fantastic one conjures up you to hear within the white area.

Specs

BODY 14-fret dreadnought; Adirondack spruce high with Adirondack spruce superior X-bracing; sinker mahogany again and sides; ebony bridge and bridge pins; bone compensated saddle with 2-1/8″ spacing; fake tortoiseshell binding; nitrocellulose lacquer end

NECK 25.4″-scale mahogany neck with single-action adjustable truss rod; 20 frets; ebony fretboard; 1-11/16″ bone nut; nickel Waverly tuners; nitrocellulose lacquer end

OTHER Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nanoweb Medium strings (.013–.056); Harptone case; left-handed obtainable

MADE IN USA

PRICE $6,250 road; $6,945 as reviewed

pktguitars.com

This text initially appeared within the Might/June 2022 challenge of Acoustic Guitar journal.