Koll Duo Glide Thinline

This Saul Koll Duo Glide Thinline , made in Portland , OR in 2000 , features :
A chambered light weight alder body , figured solid maple top , and mahogany neck.
The shape is a unique retro shape , off set double cutaway ...very stylish. The guitar is a beautiful orange burst bound top and back in a cream colored binding . The top is a book matched piece of figured maple, with a single custom shaped sound hole. (Saul spent time communicating about every aspect of this instrument to make sure I received what I asked for)
There are two TV Tron mini humbuckers pick ups (the cleanist things I ever heard)
Controls are simple , a 3 way toggle , and a master tone and volume control.
The bridge is a tune-o-matic roller bridge
I ordered a bigsby tail piece.
The mahogany thin neck has an ebony fret board , 22 frets, with a artistic headstock . Tuners are Klusons

As stated above , I got the sound and feel I asked for .
I like that great gretsch sound , especialy 50s chambered gretsches.
I wanted a crisp ,clean, punchy sound ....Beatles, Petty, Stills , young . This guitar sounds better than any gretsch I have ever owned or played . I usually like the bridge pick up for its brightness , but I find the neck pick up has a smooth bottom , punchy mids and crisp highs .
No matter what amp I use , Marshall jcm900 , Peavy Classic 50 , or even a Roland Jazz chorius ... this guitar rocks.
It is impressive that it can be sooo clean and clear , then when I add fuzz, overdrive or gain .... this guitar rocks . Great sustain.

When I received the duo glide , it was set up , flawlessly.
The workmanship , fit , finish, sound , and feel of this guitar is a benchmark for other guitar makers.

I do not play out , so this baby will not have to wory about abuse.

This is another benchmark for manufacturers.
Koll is the defination of customer service and communication .
I ordered a guitar with out a pick guard .. Saul sent me several to choose from ... I kept two and returned the others.
When I wanted a different spring for the bigsby , Saul sent it.
I have ordered another guitar from Koll, the flagship Super Glide.
That is what I think of Kolls work.

I have played fo 30 years.
I own 30+ guitars , a few are PRS Hollowbody 2, Tom Anderson , Classic and a Hollow T , 335s ,a Les Paul, gretschs 6120 , 6129 ,and double aniversary ,a McInturff empress, Rickenbackers 650 and 360 12v64 ....
Amps Fender, Roland, Peavy, and Marshall.

This guitar is close to perfect for me , and I am purchasing another Koll guitar .

I submitted a review of this guitar on 3/8/00 but neglected to mention the body design, so I'm adding a brief comment. This guitar has a unique, slightly unusual retro-but-in-a-modern-way body style. It's hard to describe, but looks the bastard child of a Thinline Tele, a Les Paul Special, and a Gretsch. It has a double offset cutaway and a peg head that looks to me like it belongs on an archtop guitar.

This guitar was made in December 1999 by Saul Koll in Portland Oregon. It has 22 frets and a gorgeous figured maple top. It looks a lot like the guitar on the home page of his website (www.kollguitars.com)only better. He offers a variety of pickup configurations; I ordered the guitar with Duncan Vintage P-90's, and got a second pickguard with humbuckers installed in it. It has one volume and one tone control, both passive. The neck, back and sides are mahogany. Fingerboard is rosewood. The wonderful neck is 1 11/16" at the nut and has a compound radius. Tuners are Kluson. It has a tune-o-matic bridge and a Bigsby B5 tailpiece (which I requested). I purchased a hardshell case with the guitar. Since I don't need a lot of bells and whistles and don't like active electronics it has every feature I want.

I play blues, jazz, soul, rock, rockabilly, and country (sometimes all at once!). Most often I am fronting a soul/blues band with up to three horns (although we only use the horns when we can afford to). I usually plug into a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia amp (a wonderful amp- 18 loud watts of pure class A heaven)and use a 1x12 Dr Z cabinet. I also sometimes use a '59 Fender Tweed Pro. The only effect I always use is reverb or delay, usually a Boss DM-2 analog delay. Sometimes I use a Fulltone Clyde Wah as well (a great unit). This guitar has single coil pickups so it is noisier than a humbucker guitar would be. I usually stay on with the bridge pickup, which is bright but fat and has a wonderful rich sizzling presence. The neck pickup produces a warm jazz sound at low volumes, a Duane-style slide sound when cranked, and, especially when used with the wah wah, all kinds of interesting fat lead tones. I find the neck pickup to be more useful for rock or blues solos than most I've tried. I tried both 250k and 500k capacitors on the volume and tone pots, and found I preferred the 500's, which are make the guitar a little brighter and louder. Saul sent me both 250's and 500's free of charge. As I mentioned above, for an extra $220 I also bought another pickguard loaded with humbuckers, but the guitar sounds so good as it is I'll never take out the P-90's - guess I'll have to save up for another Koll! I can get a killer blues/rock sound, a credible jazz sound, good slide sound, and a nice jangly rhythm sound. I hear elements of Telecaster, Gretsch, and especially LP JR & Special in this guitar. It sounds somewhat like an LP Special only more complex and rich. It doesn't do the Strat thing at all. I love P-90's and this is the best P-90 equipped guitar I've ever played. I'm trying to think of something I don't like about it, but drawing a blank. I rarely use both pickups at once (never have) so I guess that sound doesn't do much for me on this or any guitar.

The set up on this guitar was flawless. This guitar is more fun to play than any I've owned- the neck is simply the best! It's also very light. I lowered the neck pickup a little to get a better balance between neck and bridge. Other than that I can't find anything to complain about. An amazing instrument.

I always bring a backup guitar to every gig, but this one has been my main guitar ever since I got it in December and I've had no problems whatsoever. Finish, hardware, etc are all top quality.

Saul Koll is very accessible and extremely helpful. He sent me a variety of capacitors to help me get the guitar dialed in, and compared this fine tuning process to adjusting the carbueretor jets on a car. He is very friendly, open to suggestions, and not defensive or pompous at all. He obviously cares deeply about his instruments and doesn't cut any corners.

I've been playing for almost 30 years. I own an old hardtail Strat, a reissue Tele with Barden pickups, a Gibson ES295, and a Les Paul JR with one P-90. I would instantly order another if it were lost or stolen, even if I had to rob a bank to pay for it.I love the pickups and sound, but my favorite feature is the wonderful neck. I don't hate anything about it. I realize this review lacks criticism, but what can I say? This is the best guitar I've ever owned!