Here we have a beautiful Natura Deluxe archtop built by Tom Bills from 2003. This is easily one of, if not THE, finest archtops I have ever played. Tom's current build list extends to 2-3 years with new builds starting at over $25,000.
The acoustic tone is incredible. It ha a very mature sound, both bright and mellow, punchy and sweet, and when amplified, oh-so versatile. I could bore you to death with superlatives, so just assume this one embodies them all.
The Natura is a 16inch archtop with 1.75inch nut and 25inch scale. It is fully carved out of mastergrade sitka spruce and big leaf maple, with koa inlays, bindings, and double and triple purfles throughout. This is finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, which Tom no longer offers, and he confirms it is one of the last guitars he built using that finish. It comes with a custom Ameritage Gold Series case which is in excellent condition, but the combo latch no longer works.
I got this guitar from Guitar Gallery in Tennessee a few months ago. It is still listed in their archtop section where you can find multiple recordings, videos, hi-res photos, and more detailed specs of this very guitar. The embedded video is obviously of a different Natura...it is included because it is played acoustically and is meant to be representative of the tone.
This guitar is in perfect structural condition and overall excellent to very good cosmetic condition. There are a few areas above and below the bridge and elsewhere with small dings and microfine scratches, a few places where the finish has sunken or been lightly marred, as well as a total of 5 small checks above the bass side f-hole that are visible only at an impossible angle.
I do my best to describe my guitars accurately and provide more photos of any blemishes than of the entire guitar. I do not believe in providing pictures that hide any condition issues, or those that conveniently crop out any problems. Because of this, my items are sold completely as-is, with no option to return whatsoever. I sell all of my guitars this way to avoid buyers just looking to try out high end guitars and to avoid unnecessary shipping back and forth. If you cannot agree to these terms, please do not place an order...check my feedback if you have any concerns.
Please message with any questions. International buyers, please message prior to placing an order for an accurate shipping quote and to ensure that this guitar can be shipped to your country.
