PAF Hollow

In any guitar builder’s life he hopes to create one iconic guitar design. A decade in, and so far this is it for Crimson Guitars. Based on the inimitable Gibson Les Paul, and called the PAF (Patent Applied For, because when we were designing the instrument PRS and Gibson were in a pitched legal battle and it is always amusing to send up the big guys :)

The multi-laminate mahogany and pau rosa neck was carved in a thick ‘d’ shape, at our client’s request, this enhanced the sustain and gave a warm, kind of woody, tone.  This is topped off with a premium snakewood fret board, this is a very hard timber and brings a brightness and sustain to the mix.  The body is a hollowed out piece of mahogany with ergonomic comfort carving and an all-access neck joint for the ultimate in comfort when playing at the dusty end.  The top is a book matched hand carved section of bubinga with our custom ‘f’ holes to give some acoustic volume. The pick-ups are a custom made set built by Wizard Pickups in the UK and designed specifically to work for a hollow bodied instrument.

The finish is a contentious issue with regards to tone and oil is widely regarded as one of the top options. It is known to let more of the character of the wood itself out and allows the timber to breathe, useful when moving through various venues.  As with all of our custom instruments this guitar was designed with a specific tone and feel in mind and we are very, very proud of the outcome.