Soloway LN6 Swan

Rating is for a 2006 guitar, number F108. This is a hand-crafted work of art. All Soloway guitars are made by Jim Soloway in Portland OR, using exquisite woods and top flight components. Mine is in the Original body style, which means it has a flat top with a single tear drop shaped sound hole on the bass side of the body. As Jim says, each guitar is a unique instrument; mine has a beautiful lacewood top and swamp ash body, and a one-piece maple neck with pau ferro fingerboard. The 3-ply body binding is handsome and expertly installed. Chrome hardware for the string-through bridge, tuners, knobs and strap button. Poly finish with a clear top and vintage tint back and satin nitro finish on the neck. Fitted with Fralin P92s selected via a 3-way switch. Strung with TI-Jazz flats and shipped in a sturdy-side square gig bag. While it's a straight-forward two-pickup guitar, I'm giving it a 10 for the variety of woods, electronics and details you can request on your guitar.

Soloways are all built using a 27" scale. The extra length is not a problem to play, and adds an incredible focus and detail to each string. It is in standard tuning, although I imagine a drop-D or DADGAD tuning would sound amazing on this guitar. Jim designed his guitars to sound best for fingerstyle jazz players (think Ted Greene, John Stowell, etc.). Jim had three or four of his guitars in a booth during a recent Vintage Guitar Show in Seattle, and I was drawn over by these amazing clean, rich bell-like tones hanging in the air. I ran into three or four people from Seattle Jazz Guitar society and my old guitar teacher Tim Lerch who kept coming back to play these guitars. Everyone was amazed at the clarity and complexity this scale gave to each note. I tried two and fell in love with the tone and appearance of the lacewood model. I play it through a THD Univalve and Avatar 1x12 Celestion Blue, and the combination of guitar, tubes, and speaker are truly awe-inspiring, even in my uneven hands. But even through my old Champ, the guitar sounds rich, full, and complex. If you are into chord voicings, or want to be, one of these guitars will inspire hours of exploration. For my style, it is a 10 because it completely captures what I want my guitars to do.

Again, Jim's guitars are works of art. He pays attention to every detail, so the frets are expertly finished, the binding is perfect, even around the F-hole, and the finish is flawless. The maple neck is tightly fitted into the swamp ash body and attached in a standard four bolt arrangement. The action is amazingly easy, even at the nut end, where I expected the longer scale to be hard to work with. The thin neck, flat radius and extra large frets all combine to make it very easy to play. My small hands have had no trouble adjusting to the scale length. My Gibson seems cramped now!

Luckily, my playing situation is jazz casuals and in-house jams, so it won't be subject to a lot of abuse. The guitar is so well built that I can't imagine it would have any trouble standing up to weekly gigs in a biker bar. Think Thinline Telecaster, but hand-made from exotic wood and using nothing but high-end components and you'll be in the right ball park. Solid, light, not neck heavy (like a Carvin Holdsworth I tried), it is well-balanced and easy on the shoulder.

Jim was great to deal. I can reach him via phone or email and found him very easy to work with. Jim is one of the few (only?) builders I know who will ship you a guitar for a test drive before you buy. Because the scale is unique, he has a couple of models that he will send to you so you can evaluate the sound and playability in your own situation. If you decided it's right for you, then you can discuss pickups, finish, woods, etc. and he'll build yours to order. As he said after I purchased mine, "welcome to the family."

I am getting to the point in my playing and my age where I am more concerned with the guitar's ability to sound like me, not having a guitar that sounds like someone else. I have had so many guitars that fit one purpose or one sound, or forced their personality on my playing. This guitar has a unique voice and has actually forced me to listen to each and every note. The clarity and articulation just calls out for another voicing, another melody. I can't put it down. It is expensive, and will probably force you to make some hard choices. You could buy 2 Eric Johnson Strats or a Clapton Strat and a signature Les Paul instead. For me, it's a great value because I have exactly what I want now.

What can I say - I mean really!!

I have a Rosewood LN6 without a semi-hollow hole. GORGEOUS!!

The tone is killer - always. The simplcity in the electronics is perfect. SOunds like what ever you want it to. Great string spacing for fingerstyle, great piercing sound for rocky-edge type tonalities.

Set up will differ from player to player. I'm always of the belief that if a guitar is great out the box, it can be greater once it's set up for you! And that's what I did, I had a special setup done for me after I received the guitar and I never looked back.

The neck! Oh the neck!!! TOO SEXY!!! perfect around the hands. Everything is where it should be.

The problem with this guitar is that you will begin to do everything with it!!! Rock, blues, jazz (for sure), fingerstyle, country, etc.

So well made you'll feel indestructible, so special you'll protect for dear life!!

Jim Soloway is the only customer support you'll need. And that's because he's the builder!!

I've been playing professionally for 26 years. I'm a college professor of music in New York City. The guitar is perfect. Period. I love torturing my guitar classes with the instrument! I actually let them play it - then I take it back quickly!

Mean - I know.

FYI; I am *NOT* an endorser for Soloway guitars and am not affiliated in any way with the Soloway guitar company. I just wanted to state that up front lest I be accused of writing ad copy for Jim Soloway's instruments.

I haven't been this excited in a long time. I just took possession of a Soloway Swan LN6. For those of you not familiar with these guitars, they are unique in that they have a 27" scale. This put me off for quite a long time and even though I was very interested in these guitars, I thought that I couldn't handle the longer scale. Mainly because I have small hands and do a lot of closed voicings with half-steps.

It turns out that the long scale is a non issue for me. The longer scale seems to only effect the first 2 frets. From the 3rd fret on, it's like a 25.5" scale guitar. (I haven't done the math but that's what it feels like to me). Even on the first and second frets, I don't feel like I have to do a lot of stretching or tensing of my fingers in order to reach notes. Part of that is the ergonomic way in which the guitar is designed. The way the cutouts in the body fit you when you're sitting or standing, the entire neck of the guitar is accessable without you having to stretch. I had kind of imagined it to feel like a bass guitar which is uncomfortable for me but instrument doesn't feel that way at all.

Jim Soloway had explained to me that with the Limba body and Koa top, my guitar was among the heavier guitars that he's built. Heavy turns out to be a relative term though because this guitar weighs about 6.5 LBS. Apparently, the ash versions weigh 1 to 1.5 LBS less.

Another reason it took me so long to try one of these guitars is that I've always been bugged by guitars that are neck heavy and with the deep cutaway on the treble side along with the light weight of the instrument, I figured it was a recipe for disaster. Again, it turns out that Jim has already thought about this. By moving the horn of the upper bout towards the peghead, it shifts the center of gravity just enough to make the instrument PERFECTLY balanced.

How does it sound? AMAZING. The only way I can describe it. For clean tones, the notes ring out and remind me of Ted Greene. Ted Greene accomplished this sound with heavy strings and very low tunings on a 25.5" scale guitar. With the Soloway, I can get that tone with standard strings (.011-.049 plain 3rd) and standard tuning. I can only imagine what it would sound like with .013 strings and tuned down a step or two. (In fact, I plan to try that soon)

It's also got a very versatile pickup configuration with a 5 way switch and various combinations of series/parellel switching to give you single coil type sounds. Very cool and every pickup setting sounded great.

Lately, I have been playing a lot of solo acoustic guitar and incorporating slapping, popping and tapping into my playing. This guitar sounds fabulous for that type of stuff. I plan on using this guitar for my SOS III (slapping/popping book and video). (Not kidding about that)
Just for fun, I plugged the guitar into a Rockytop JTM-45 head through a THD 2x12 cab with Eminence Read White and Blues speakers and a Zendrive. Let me tell you, this guitar is also a rock and roll and blues BEAST. It just screams and twangs like you wouldn't believe. It reminded me a little of Robben Ford's tone but spankier. This guitar would be perfect for blues, fusion, classic rock, or jazz. It's easily the most versatile instrument I've ever played.

Of course, the drawback to all this is that my mind is turning a million miles an hour...
WHAT IF...
WHAT IF I had a spruce top with a mahogany back, mahogany neck?!?
WHAT IF I had a maple top with a mahogany back, mahogany neck?!?
WHAT IF I had an ash body, maple neck?
WHAT IF I had an ash body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard?

Anyway, if you want to look at the guitar or see what features it has, here is the relevant info:
http://www.jimsoloway.com/InStock.htm
Koa/Black Limba LN6
http://www.solowayguitars.com/JTColor.PDF
Features:
Koa top, Black Limba back
Three-piece maple neck
Nitrocellulose finish on body and neck
Three ply binding on body & sound hole (Iveroid with black/white purfling)
Chrome Hardware
Cocobolo Fingerboard with high contrast side markers
Sea Snail position markers with surrounding brass dots
DiMarzio PAF Classic (neck) and Air Zone (bridge)
5 way pickup switch (Three humbucking and two split positions)
Rosewood truss rod cover with inlaid swan

How does it sound? AMAZING. The only way I can describe it. For clean tones, the notes ring out and remind me of Ted Greene. Ted Greene accomplished this sound with heavy strings and very low tunings on a 25.5" scale guitar. With the Soloway, I can get that tone with standard strings (.011-.049 plain 3rd) and standard tuning. I can only imagine what it would sound like with .013 strings and tuned down a step or two. (In fact, I plan to try that soon)

It's also got a very versatile pickup configuration with a 5 way switch and various combinations of series/parellel switching to give you single coil type sounds. Very cool and every pickup setting sounded great.

Lately, I have been playing a lot of solo acoustic guitar and incorporating slapping, popping and tapping into my playing. This guitar sounds fabulous for that type of stuff. I plan on using this guitar for my SOS III (slapping/popping book and video). (Not kidding about that)

Just for fun, I plugged the guitar into a Rockytop JTM-45 head through a THD 2x12 cab with Eminence Read White and Blues speakers and a Zendrive. Let me tell you, this guitar is also a rock and roll and blues BEAST. It just screams and twangs like you wouldn't believe. It reminded me a little of Robben Ford's tone but spankier. This guitar would be perfect for blues, fusion, classic rock, or jazz. It's easily the most versatile instrument I've ever played.

Meticulous. Gorgeous guitar. Probably the most beautiful instrument I've ever owned.

Built like a tank

Jim personally talks to each buyer since his instruments are hand-crafted and made custom. His support is THE BEST

6-sting chambered body, flat top, bolt-on neck. One of the main features of the Swan is its 27-inch scale. It is very roughly Strat-shaped. Jim Soloway obviously spent a great deal of time with the visual design elements of this guitar; you wouldn't really say it looks like a Strat. The body and headstock are beautifully proportioned. I appreciate this attention to detail down to the design of the "S" in the logo on the headstock and bolt plate and the swan inlaid on the truss rod cover.

This particular guitar is one that Soloway made to allow prospective buyers to check out his product. The Swans I've seen posted on the Soloway web site are mostly chambered ash bodies, many with exotic wood tops and a single f-hole - which is also visually striking. This one is the only painted on I've seen. It is a nice blue metalic sparkle with no f-hole. Not exactly my kind of thing, but someone will love it.

Soloway uses a number of different pickups and will probably install anything the buyer wants. This guitar is fitted with two custom pickups made for Soloway by Vintage Vibe. It has a single bar pole piece. It sounds like a single coil. However, there is no hum so I assume it's either a stacked humbucking or somehow the side-by-side coils have one dummy coil. It's the same dimensions as a humbucking pickup.

There is a single master volume, master tone, and three-way toggle. I give this a 10 because it has exactly the features I'd want - not a lot of superfluous controls, and especially for the understated elegance of the visual design. I should mention that it is easily the lightest guitar I've ever held despite the 27 inch scale. I should also mention that it's very well-balanced where I might have though it would be a bit neck-heavy.

I want to try to avoid reviewing the pickups - They're great-sounding pickups but Soloway uses several different pickups. This guitar does share certain tonal characteristics with every clip Soloway has posted on the web site of many different guitars. First is a very tight, focused bass with a piano-like attack. I believe this has everything to do with the 27-inch scale. This scale should also have more accurate intonation than a 25.5 or 24.75 inch scale. The second major tonal characteristic of the Swan is a lot of "presence" in the high end. It's very "airy" sounding and this gives it an acoustic quality when played clean. There's really noreaso this guitar wouldn't be capable of any type of music. I would think the very tight low end would be a nice thing even for metal players. As a bonus, it seems like you should be able to tune down with no "floppy" issues due to the long scale length.

The fit and finish are impeccable. I'm not too into the blue metalflake of this particular guitar, but it is superbly done. The light blue pearl position dots are a cool idea to go with the blue finish - This is the kind of creative detail that really sets Soloway apart. It's subtle and distinctive, not gaudy.

I was happy with the action as it was set. It was pretty easy to adapt to the longer scale. It completely disappeared as a factor above the about eighth fret - I just didn't even notice it.

It seems like a particularly solidly constructed guitar.

I've spoken with Jim Soloway a couple of times on the phone. Of note is that he's not at all trying to push his product on you. When considering a 7-string - one of Soloway's primary focuses - he suggested several inexpensive models to me as a way to see if I even wanted a 7-string before committing to his making one. Considering that most of Soloway's customers are custom-ordering their guitars, I think they're probably quite satisfied.

I've been playing for 40 years. I've gone through a lot of guitars in that time. I really appreciate the overall visual design of the Swan. It's somewhat familiar, but it's much more of its own thing than most of the boutique luthiers' products. Just my opinion: The world doesn't need one more Strat- or Tele-shaped guitar. I'm much more interested in new designs and innovation. The 27-inch scale really adds a dimension to the sound of the Swan - particularly in the bass - that sets it apart. The surprsingly airy, acoustic quality is also a different coloration that works for me. If you're strictly into vintage tones from 40 years ago, the Swan is probably not for you. The Swan isn't different for the sake of being different, though. It simply sounds great. It is very expensive at between $2,000 and $3,000. My 9 rating is because the rating of 10 in this review format means strictly "fantastic value." I don't think I can say this about the Swan in a monetary sense. But in terms of absolute value regardless of price, the Swan is just an exquisit example of design and craftsmanship. Some day I hope to own one.

This is a 2004 Swan in Swamp ash. Blue lacquer (nitro) finish with a pair of DiMarzio humbucker pickups. Pau Ferro (sp?) fingerboard and a wealth of fine deatils to finish the eye appeal. Paua shell inlays with brass rings, ebony knobs and pickup rings, black w/ white pinstripe binding. A single Volume and Tone control and a special 5-position switch designed for handling 4 coils. Position 1 and 2 are setup like a Strat (one single, two single coils), 3 through 5 are setup like a Les Paul (front hum, dual hum, back hum). Locking tuners (Sperzel) and of course, the famed 27" scale length.

I have played this guitar through several amps, an older Fender Concert, a Reverend Kingsnake, a Mesa Boogie Mark IIc, a Line6 Flextone II+ and at least several guitar store "test amps". The sound is flat out superb. This is without question, the finest sounding guitar I have ever played. Period. It can do Rock, Jazz, Country, Blues and anything else I've heard thrown at it. I have dropped from upwards of 10 patches for varying tonalities to 3. Except for a few custom effects in a song here or there, I can get whatever tonal shifts I need from the guitar alone. The discussion revolving around the 27" scale is that it increases the clarity and "cutability" of the notes. I couldn't agree more. "Jump off the fretboard" is the best way to put it. The added clarity does expose you as a player, however. Sloppy playing is "rewarded" with a clearly heard audio record, so practice your chops!

Every guitarist I show this guitar to is immediatley impressed with the obvious quality of workmanship. The last guy literally picked it up and in the first second (before even playing a single note or even getting into playing position) exclaimed what a precision instrument it was. Since I had the first "mega switch" used on these guitars, there was a small problem with the mounting screws hitting the knob on the switch. As soon as I brought to Jims' attention, the problem was solved. And I hear subsequent guitars are also solved by the same means. Jim Soloway obviously takes tremendous pains to ensure that EVERY guitar is one he would be pleased to play himself. One of the most amazing things is how well balanced the guitar rides. I jump around a lot onstage and the guitar is always right where it should be, even if I take both hands off. It's not neck or body weighted.

I use this in gigs all the time. This is now my regular guitar. I never like to play without a backup since a broken string can happen anytime and I like to be able to just grab the backup and keep playing (mid-song if need be). But I have used this axe "without a net" and I will certainly do so again. The reliabilty is simply not an issue. I could probably brain somebody with this guitar, check my tuning and keep on playing.

I had two issues that I wished resolved after getting my Swan. The first was that I was very accustomed to using a heavier gauge string and playing quite hard. I had a problem with increased string breakage. Without the slightest hiccup Jim had my saddles replaced with Graphtechs and the problem has been alleviated. The second was the previously mentioned mounting screw knocking the switch in positions 1 and 5. Again, it was no problem to have the issues resolved. In fact, in both cases, Jim had a suggestion right off the bat. Clearly he had considered possibilties ahead of time and was ready with solutions.

I've been playing this guitar for several months now, as a working player in three bands. Anything I could possibly have thought to ask about was asked of me during the order/build process. In fact, I have always been more of a player than a gear guy. This guitar, however, is totally different. Jim consulted me and garnered my opinion on things I didn't even know I had an opinion about! If I could afford another, I would own (or at least play) no other guitar. In fact, I fully intend to own more than one in the future. If one omes out with a vibrato, I'd like to try it, but since I'm not a major whammy user, it's not really required.
In fact the only thing about this guitar that hasn't completely wow'ed me is the case. It came with a very solid coffin case, but for a reason at which I cannot guess, Coffin did not put a storage pocket in the hard plastic case, although there is one in the flight-style one (which I didn't opt for). In spite of the long scale, BTW, this guitar WILL fit into other standard cases, including the very cool-looking Reverend case.

I want to emphasize. It is very apparent that Soloway Guitars takes tremendous pride in their work. An AMAZING level of attention to detail so clearly went into every facet of this build and a great excitement infused the entire process. It is simply not possible for me to give a higher rating (for, indeed, the highest rating I can offer is not high enough). EVERY guitarist I have shown this guitar to has requested contact information and I have taken to carrying several Soloway Guitars business cards with me in my case.

100 out of 10 stars!!

This is a custom made guitar so obviously it has tons of options available. My model has a swamp ash body, a maple neck, a pau ferro fretboard, poly-satin finish, DiMarzio pickups - Air Classic in the neck position and the Air Zone in the bridge position - and string thru body construction. The bridge is custom made by Hipshot and the open backed tuners are from Sperzel. It has a V T, V T knob configuration in a Les Paul manner and a coil split switch in addition to the pickup selector switch. Both are mini toggles and the pickup selector switch is placed where my pinky can flip it without moving may hand from the strings.

The real secret of this guitar's incredible tone, however, lies in the 27 inch scale length. The difference in scale is addressed by extra large frets and two graphite reinforcing rods running the length of the fretboard. The freboard is also very flat which, once you get used to it, makes the guitar incredibly easy to play.

This is off the charts. 10 is too low a rating for how this guitar sounds. The 27 inch scale produces piano like clarity. The open strings are astonishingly clear and the notes literally JUMP off the fretboard. It's the richest, fullest, brightest sounding guitar I've ever picked up. It's also the most versatile guitar I've ever played. The coil split option turns it from a full scale rock assault machine into a sweet sounding jazz or blues box. And it sounds amazing in either setting.

VERY slight fret buzz but that's because I asked the builder to set the action as low as possible. Amplified it is not noticable. I raised the neck pickup slightly but that was the only minor adjustment I made to the guitar. Otherwise flawless.

This guitar is TIGHT. The neck joint, the tuners, and the strap buttons do NOT move. You can easily use this guitar for a gig as the only guitar because it's so versatile but the construction is beyond question as well. Solid.

Every question was answered thoroughly and informatively. It was delivered the exact date it was promised and all follow up questions were answered promptly.

This is far and away the most underpriced custom guitar I've ever come across. I can't even play my other guitars anymore and I've got some really nice ones. The playability is amazing but the tone is priceless. I can't recommend this guitar highly enough. I'm absolutely ruined for any other brand. More info can be obtained @ http://www.jimsoloway.com/solowayguitars.htm . Order yours today.