Preston Thompson Guitars available at The Acoustic Shoppe

Preston Thompson Guitars offer some of the finest acoustic guitars in the world. That’s a bold statement, but history and accolades bear truth to that statement.

The Acoustic Shoppe in Springfield, MO, is proud to be among a select group of dealers, about 15 in the entire United States, to be authorized to sell Preston Thompson Guitars. It is truly an honor to be part of the legacy created by a legendary guitar luthier.

Preston Thompson was born May 2, 1956, in Dallas, TX. Sadly, he passed away on April 11, 2019, after a lengthy illness. His legacy includes recreating the pre-war Martin sound, developing incredible relationships with people from all walks of life, building the Preston Thompson Guitars brand, and perhaps most importantly his loving family.

As the designer and original luthier for Thompson Guitars, Preston Thompson had become a household name among serious flatpicking guitarists, and those who sought the qualities of pre-war flat tops made with materials available now. Many top bluegrass artists such as Billy Strings, Peter Rowan, Molly Tuttle, Jake Workman, and Trey Hensley play Preston Thompson Guitars and consider them their go to instrument.

“I love my Thompson D-BA,” says Billy Strings. “It’s become an extension of my soul, like a faithful companion. When I’m on stage performing, this is the guitar that feels most comfortable in my hands and sounds the best to my ears.”

Molly Tuttle is equally impressed with her signature model.

“I love my signature model Thompson so much,” Tuttle says. “It sounds amazing like all of their guitars, but I especially loved getting to contribute to the design and the special touches they added like the fern inlay, the redwood fret markers and rosette. The sinker mahogany back and sides give it a precise woody tone that I love for playing lead. It is so balanced up and down the neck and cuts through a band which is always the struggle with playing lead acoustic guitar.”

Thompson’s first foray into guitar building was in the late 70s at the School of the Guitar Research & Design Center in Vermont where he studied with luthier Charles Fox. Preston refined his skills at Randy Wood’s Old Time Pickin’ Parlor in Nashville, TN. His handmade guitars made it into the hands of several notable artists during the 80s, including former Hot Rize guitarist, the late Charles Sawtelle.

Charles and Preston became fast friends, and Thompson was given the opportunity to carefully study Sawtelle’s extensive collection of pre-war instruments. This study was pivotal in the journey to recreate the sound of those magnificent old Martin guitars. He drew on the vital knowledge he gained examining those old guitars in the designs used by PK Thompson Guitars today.

Since the creation of PK Thompson Guitars in 2013, headquartered in Oregon, Preston has shared and trusted his team with those detailed measurements to build a company that produces that vintage sound he so cherished for musicians to enjoy.

Here are the highlights that make these instruments special.

ADIRONDACK SPRUCE TOPS

On Spruce top models, Adirondack Spruce is offered as the standard top wood but other excellent woods like Sitka Spruce, European Spruce, Lutz Spruce, Western Red Cedar, Port Orford cedar CAN BE used for the soundboards on our guitars.  Our tops are on the thinner side so they tend to be light and lively.

TONEWOODS

Thompson Guitars are built using the finest woods for back and sides available today. The company is constantly seeking suppliers of older salvaged woods and sustainable new woods. At this time the Shipwreck sets are limited – however, they do offer salvaged old Brazilian Rosewood Beam wood sets, 5-A Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian Rosewood, Honduran Mahogany, Koa, Oregon Myrtlewood, and a striking flamed Walnut. Also in the works are limited editions of Cuban Mahogany, Sinker Mahogany, Quilted Mahogany, Flamed, Birdseye and Quilted Maple.

DOVETAIL NECK TO BODY JOINT

Use of a dovetail joint for connecting the neck of the guitar to the body has long been recognized as a stable and strong method of construction for steel string instruments. Dovetail joints are 5/8” deep and are an integral piece to the signature Thompson Guitars tone; they provide a vital sound-conducting link from the body to the neck and also serve as a functional construction element, allowing for disassembly of the neck and body if needed.

HAND-GRADUATED TOPS

Quality material deserves to be heard so extra measures are taken to achieve the most tone that a piece of wood possesses. Soundboards are hand-graduate to assure each top delivers the utmost in responsiveness and tone. Each top is sanded in a symmetrical pattern, so the bass side of the top thins out from the bridge plate area. The resulting top has the ability to excite more vibrational energy and therefore deliver superb tone and volume.

HAND CARVED BRACES

Just as the tops are individually hand graduated, the braces on our tops are hand carved and scalloped. This traditional approach gives us the control to achieve the most from the soundboard. We can lighten the overall mass while retaining strength. There are many configurations for the placement of the X brace. This X position frees up the rocking movement of the bridge and the top is allowed to move more, once again adding to responsiveness, volume, and tone.

NITROCELLULOSE LACQUER

This mainstay finish, which was developed in the 1920s, does a wonderful job of showing the beauty and grain of the wood. It hardens but never completely cures like a poly finish, which makes it an excellent protector. It retains a degree of flexibility and is therefore not as constricting as other finishes, which adds to the guitar’s resonance and volume.

Preston Thompson Guitars currently offers over 10 different models with various options. If you are interested in acquiring a beautiful Preston Thompson Guitar, please contact us at The Acoustic Shoppe.