Retrograde Guitars Cambridge, Prototype #1

Description

"The goal of Retrograde Guitars is to explore the potential of the electric laminate top guitar, and to create a unique instrument with a clear and open voice. The design draws from the early jazz boxes of the 30s & 40s and the catalog guitars of the 50s & 60s. By using vacuum press technology, hand-carved necks, hand-rubbed colors and home-brewed varnishes, I combined modern building methods with old-world lutherie." - Glenn Nichols

Here's where it all began, friends - Cambridge #1, the prototype to be exact. We've had quite a few Cambridge models pass through the shop and while there's a common thread between them - gorgeous finish work, excellent playability, the perfect acoustic-meets-electric feel and tone - they all have their own personality and subtle differences. #1 draws a bit more on the slightly stout feel of, say, an Epiphone Casino or a Gibson ES-330. Meaning, you get the impression it'd hang in higher volume settings just as well as the aforementioned guitars. 

Visually? What a cool guitar, right? A lightly weather checked Black Pearl top along with a gorgeous, chocolate brown back/sides/neck, that tailpiece (!), MoP guard, and those funky knobs...We mentioned to Glenn that #1 makes you feel like you stumbled onto a hidden gem from the '60s in your favorite shop (TME, right?) - you got lucky that day and left with a killer guitar that doesn't look like anything your buddies have, wondering how you scored such a cool piece - like a well-kept secret. 

The Lollar P90s (with a 10% overwound bridge pickup) sound awesome in this mahogany/maple laminate hollow body guitar. Punchy, clear, great midrange growl (but not too much)...the thing about Retrograde guitars is how the notes feel under your fingers. Like a Casino or ES-330, there's a depth, richness, and punch to single notes that a solidbody can't deliver. You find yourself wanting to write - riffs flow effortlessly on a guitar like this (vs when we pick up, say, a Strat, where we're naturally drawn to lead work vs riffs - maybe it's just us?). 

Woods, pickups, finish, specs....all that stuff aside, at the end of the day, the real question with any instrument comes down to: Do I want to play this? Does it inspire me? To use familiar language, does it have a vibe...mojo? The answer in this case is, unquestionably, yes.

While the name Retrograde Guitars may be new to you, Glenn's work likely is not. Glenn was the finish department foreman at Santa Cruz guitars, was in charge of French Polish restorations for renowned classical guitar maker Kenny Hill, and is currently Bill Tippin's only employee. In other words, Glenn knows a thing or two about building exceptional instruments.

If you're into student model guitars but want something that's light-years beyond it quality-wise, look no further. This is such an effortlessly cool guitar and the fact that it's Glenn's #1 Cambridge makes it even more so. Priced with hardshell case.