This guitar is a commission sale. If you have a high-end or vintage guitar you are interested in selling please contact us.
Due to the value & fragility of this instrument, it is offered as COLLECTION ONLY from our Ashton-under-Lyne store. Specialist courier delivery is available from £55 - please inquire.
Here for sale we have a very special Excelsior Super 17 Archtop guitar in Gloss Natural finish. Handmade in the UK in 2008, Excelsior Guitars was started by Luthier Richard Fill and is the product of his passion for fine handcrafted instruments, 60 years of experience and fine eye for detail. This Super 17 exudes quality and displays the utmost care for craftsmanship and excellence. An all-solid construction is featured, and comprises a AAA Spruce top, Flamed Maple back and sides, Figured Maple neck and 22 fret Ebony fingerboard embellished with Mother Of Pearl block inlays. Gold hardware is featured including a unique hand-made brass tailpiece along with a Ebony adjustable bridge also adorned with Mother Of Pearl inlays and a set of three-a-side Grover Imperial tuning machines. A floating Mini-humbucker is fitted, and is wired to a discreet pickguard-mounted volume control.
The Figured Maple neck plays beautifully, with what might be described as a fairly substantial 'C' shape profile that feels particularly unique to this guitar. The broader 'shoulders' of the profile sit exceptionally comfortably in the hand and provide a smooth and responsive playing experience in any register. The Ebony fingerboard is effortlessly smooth under the fingers and adds a real sense of luxury- especially with the binding and Mother Of Pearl inlays which perfectly suit this beautifully made instrument. The 16” radius provides a nicely flat and consistent playing surface right the way up the register, facilitating both chordal and melodic styles of playing very well. The body design is on the larger side, measuring 17” at the lower bout. Despite this large design, the body sits comfortably against the body without being cumbersome and offers the player a fatigue-free playing experience, making this beautiful guitar enjoyable for longer periods of playing.
The acoustic voice of the Super 17 is rich in harmonics yet remarkably well balanced. The lows are understated yet accurate, whilst mids and trebles are more prominent, helping each note to ring out with a crystal clean clarity. The hand-made nature of this guitar and wood selection results in a lively and resonant playing experience, whilst the AAA Spruce top projects very well and provides a wide and sensitive dynamic range. This makes chords sing proud whilst single note lines produce rich and luxurious tonality. This is a beautifully hand-made instrument from one of the UK's most underrated luthiers, displaying a perfect example of a master craftsman.
This guitar is a commission sale. If you have a high-end or vintage guitar you are interested in selling please contact us.
Due to the value & fragility of this instrument, it is offered as COLLECTION ONLY from our Ashton-under-Lyne store. Specialist courier delivery is available from £55 - please inquire.
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.
Excelsior Super 17 Arch Top 2008 Gloss Natural Hand-Made Electric Archtop Guitar
Brand - Excelsior
Model - Super 17
Finish - Gloss Natural
Year - 2008
Made In - England
Top - Spruce
Back/Sides - Solid Flamed Maple
Neck - Maple
Fingerboard - Ebony
Fingerboard Radius - 16" (Measured)
Frets - 14 Clear, 20 Total
Scale Length- 25.5"
Nut Width - 1.713"
Pickups - Floating Neck Mini-Humbucker
Controls - Master Volume
Our ID: 1091125152192
Weight: 7.7lbs
Serial: 082
Aesthetic Condition:
Headstock: Overall very good condition, the front face demonstrates clouding of the finish surrounding the inlay and logo. The top edge demonstrates some ageing of the finish causing slight discoloration and a "powdered" texture. The front face demonstrates very light scratching visible only under direct lighting at certain angles. All aspects of the headstock demonstrate consistent nitro checking, typical for a nitro finished instrument of this age. Very light finish cracking is present to the front face around the seam between the headplate & binding.
Neck: Overall excellent condition, the rear of the neck demonstrates consistent nitro checking, typical for a nitro finished instrument of this age. This is perhaps most notable at the bass side rear near the heel. The treble side neck binding shows ageing of the finish, leaving a slightly ‘powdered’ texture in the upper register from the 17th fret upwards.
Body: Overall excellent condition, the sides and connection to the neck heel demonstrate consistent nitro checking, typical for a nitro finished instrument of this age. A finish imperfection is present at the bass side ‘F’ hole where a small area of the wood has not taken the dye, leaving a lighter section of the top. This is only noticeable under close scrutiny, and from a distance appears to be part of the ‘F’ hole binding. A very light wear mark is present in front of the bridge where the bridge was previously placed.
Condition of Frets:
The frets demonstrate very light signs of use, not affecting playability. There is considerable material remaining for any future fret work the new owner may wish to perform.
Current Set Up:
Truss Rod: Fully functional. Truss rod tool (5/16" socket) not included.
Hardware: Fully functional with light signs of wear.
Structural: No concerns or issues to note.
Height of the string from the 12th Fret-1.5mm - Bass 2mm
Please be aware that the action on a guitar may move slightly in transit and this measurement is the current height.
Strings on Guitar - 11-52
Electrics:
Fully functional.
Case & Accessories:
No case is provided with this guitar.
No truss rod tool included.