Soloway Swan LN7 addition to the family

[ATDVSBL]

I have been following the story of Jim Soloway and his quest to build his own line of guitars for a few years now. When he came up with the Soloway Swan LN7, I knew someday I would try to get one. The problem is, money is tight, and I have no business getting any more guitars right now. But, as we all know, GAS is a powerful thing…..so when I saw the Swan for sale in the classifieds, I offered up a trade. Lucky for me, the seller was interested in an acoustic….so we made the trade. I am now the proud owner of the second production Soloway Swan 7 string guitar.

This is a fantastic guitar in all respects. The fit and finish are exactly what you would expect from a well built custom guitar. The Pau Ferro fretboard has a really nice grain and color to it. The fret work is excellent. The curved sound hole is a pleasing change from the standard f-hole. The guitar is very well balanced, light weight, and has a nice shape to it. The 27” scale length really makes a difference in the clarity of the low A string. The swan inlay on the truss rod cover is a nice touch.

When I took it out of the case, the first thing I noticed was how nice the unplugged acoustic tone was. The semi-hollow swamp ash body and top resonates very nicely. For an electric guitar, the acoustic tone and volume are perfect for “couch playing” while your wife tries to force you to watch reality TV

The Air Norton and PAF 7 are great pickup choices in this guitar. They compliment each other well, and with the coil splitting option, there are many tone possibilities. Whether I am playing metal, rock, jazz or blues….I can find the right tone. Jim did a great job of matching tone woods and pick-ups….nice work Jim!!

Overall, this guitar looks, plays, and sounds fantastic. Everything on the Soloway website is true….the Swan performs exactly as advertised. I would highly recommend a Swan to anyone looking for a high quality guitar. In fact, my other guitars are getting a little jealous

Here are some pics from the Soloway site. Scroll all the way down, it is the last Swan on the page (cherry sunburst). The only difference is that it now has Ebony knobs which match the pick-up rings….another nice touch.

http://www.jimsoloway.com/InStock.htm

Jim Soloway—thanks for building such a unique 7 string guitar. In a world of fading-away and discontinued 7 strings, the Swan is a welcomed addition.

thanks
Shad

[bduersch]

Congrats! That is an absolutely beautiful guitar, and I'm sure it sounds and plays just as great as it looks!

--B

[Jem7RB MK]

Congrats to both owner and builder, If only shipping of a new guitar would'nt drive the customs fee's through the roof i'd seriously look into getting one myself

Now a review if you please sometime sir :-)

Rob

[Jim Soloway]

Thanks for the very kind words.

I originally got into this for the sole purpose of building what I considered to be a better 7-string and I think we succeeded. The 6-string was a spin off, basically as an afterthought. Ironically, almost all of our business now is in 6-strings and demand for the 7-string has been horrible. I'll only do 7-strings now if it's been ordered in advance. We're not exactly a high prodcution shop, but all the basic production (such as it is) is in 6-strings. As a 7-string player and advocate, I find that both sad and frustrating.

[Jammy]

Very sweet guitar. Id love to have a chance to play one of those things, shame Im in the UK eh?

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

Thanks for the very kind words.

I originally got into this for the sole purpose of building what I considered to be a better 7-string and I think we succeeded. The 6-string was a spin off, basically as an afterthought. Ironically, almost all of our business now is in 6-strings and demand for the 7-string has been horrible. I'll only do 7-strings now if it's been ordered in advance. We're not exactly a high prodcution shop, but all the basic production (such as it is) is in 6-strings. As a 7-string player and advocate, I find that both sad and frustrating.

Unfortunately the market consumed it, after mtv was done with all the seven string bands, they ditched em, and six string sales went back up. More or less true. I must say I applaud you though for still making sevens for customers. That will be your gimick one day. The thing alot of us hate about big guitar companys, is you cant get just what you want, you get flavor of the month, and thats why i see your guitars way up there someday. The build quality looks impeccable, and the sound clips of your seven string swan you were working on, were shocking to say the least. Great tone = great selling guitar

[ATDVSBL]

I enjoy supporting the small guys like Soloway, LGM, Heatley, and anyone else willing to make what the customer wants. If it weren't for guys like Jim, Jeremy, and Scott.....there wouldn't be too many other places to get high quality 7's. I'm starting to think I'm the weird one still interested in 7 strings...oh well, I like playing them, so I better get them while I can.

I've even been toying with the idea of selling my UVMC to get one of LGM's new guitars....it's hard to part with ATD swirls though

[Polaris20]

Originally Posted by ATDVSBL

I've even been toying with the idea of selling my UVMC to get one of LGM's new guitars....it's hard to part with ATD swirls though

How about a swirled Soloway? Eh, kind of a clash in philosophies, I guess

Soloways look best with the stunning tops. The flame koa top on the 6 string just knocks me on my ass.

[Two hands31]

Originally Posted by Polaris20

How about a swirled Soloway? Eh, kind of a clash in philosophies, I guess

I don't think you could swirl a hollow body could you?

[Jim Soloway]

Originally Posted by Two hands31

I don't think you could swirl a hollow body could you?

It might be tough, but it should actually be do-able. Eventually I really want to do one with a silver sparkle finish and moterh-of-toilet-seat binding.

For now, I'm sticking to mostly natural finishes though. I've got another koa and one with a Bolivian rosewood top underway now and I just picked up an incredible piece of quilted mahogany that I'm planning to use for a pair of matching tops after that. Check it out. It's just the most amazingly perfect board you could imagine.

[Two hands31]

Nice wood

[Polaris20]

Originally Posted by Two hands31

I don't think you could swirl a hollow body could you?

where there's a will, there's a way

I wouldn't though; part of the character of those guitars is the wood grain.

[ATDVSBL]

Yeah, with Jim living in Oregon, he seems to have access to some pretty awesome wood. I would love to see a killer quilt top Swan...do you have any quilts in progress Jim?

[Jim Soloway]

Originally Posted by ATDVSBL

Yeah, with Jim living in Oregon, he seems to have access to some pretty awesome wood. I would love to see a killer quilt top Swan...do you have any quilts in progress Jim?

Something like this perhaps?



Although I kind of like this one as well.

[ATDVSBL]

well....that is what I would classify as killer quilt !!!!

hmmmm...my keyboard just shorted out