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Revolutionary ‘Double-Top’ Acoustic Guitars from Rathbone

Posted: 26/03/2021
"Rathbone Guitars are proud to be at the forefront of bringing the benefits of Double-Top technology to you. So, what exactly are Double-Top models? "

Rathbone Guitars’ ‘Double-Top’ acoustics offer you a unique and exciting new playing experience.

So, what exactly are Double-Top models?

Rathbone Double-Tops feature a technologically advanced soundboard made of two super-thin layers of tonewood with a carbon fibre lattice in-between.

Although far from common, the use of double-tops has been most prevalent in the construction of Classical Guitars. Given their primary reliance upon natural volume and projection, adding a Double-Top to a Classical Guitar to add soundboard strength and stiffness and therefore increase volume and resonance has been widely hailed. The use of this technology on steel-string acoustics is, however, still quite rare. Rathbone Guitars are proud to be at the forefront of bringing the benefits of Double-Top technology to you.  

Rathbone Double-Top Guitar Technology

The fact that their construction features not-one, but three layers of soundboard material, mean they’re significantly stiffer whilst remaining a little thinner overall. Herein lies the magic of the Rathbone Double-Top!

By crafting the guitar top to the optimal level of stiffness, a remarkable amount of tonal resonance is achieved. The soundboard becomes balanced, ultra-responsive, dynamic and voluminous through a greater control over each frequency range and how they interact with one another. Low-end frequencies remain measured and don’t dominate or cloud the mids and highs, instead allowing space for single notes to shine with excellent clarity.  

Rathbone Double-Top Guitar Technology 2

This opens-up new tonal opportunities that reward a broad spectrum of styles. So, whether you’re a fingerpicker or strummer, you’re guaranteed to love the expression and power of Rathbone Double-Tops.

“A really unique construction method… there’s a lot of low-end warmth and breadth but still enough sensitivity and projection for fingerstyle and single note playing. The playability is as good as I’ve ever felt on a Taylor guitar!” GUITAR INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

Much like a ‘Resto Mod’ – a beautiful vintage car with a modern and efficient engine tucked discreetly under the bonnet – Rathbone Double-Top models let you enjoy the best of both worlds with guitars that exude a traditional aesthetic with the benefit of a strong tonal core that resonates like no other.

So now you can experience the brilliant Double-Tops for yourself thanks to Rathbone’s application of this 21st Century technology.

See Rathbone No.5 Double-Top in action here... 

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