Island Atoll Baritone # 9, Flamed Maple & Spruce

Montreal-based luthier Nic Delisle has been crafting some of the most unique electric guitars on the market for years. His love for famed catalogue guitars of the 50s and 60s shines through in his work, taking those wonderful mid-century concepts into the modern era with taste, refinement, and a keen eye for artful design that tows the line between familiar and fresh.

We're doubling up on firsts here with this incredible Atoll Short Baritone!

The Atoll in its own rite is another one of those instruments that gives a couple of subtle nods to the past while pushing forwards a level of artistry and individuality that make these guitars so captivating. Leaning towards the early Danelectro U-2, the Atoll features a slender single-cutaway solidbody with a bolt-on neck design. That's about where the comparisons end, however. We ordered this Atoll in a custom "short" baritone variation, and we can confidently say that it's one of the very best sounding and playing examples of this style we've encountered. The 28" scale length and 19-fret neck allow it to play more like a standard electric, making it a bit more approachable than some of the longer scaled traditional electric baritones. No knock on those, but a "tucked in" baritone offers a more ergonomic playing experience that we just love!

A pair of custom wound MOJO Hersheybuckers with Island's signature pickup enclosures make this Atoll absolutely sing. It's an unbelievably dynamic and responsive baritone, with great acoustic-like qualities in its tonal register due to the slightly microphonic nature of the pickups. The 1 3/4" nut width creates plenty of spacing for comfortable chord work as well as double stops and single note runs as well.

We'd be remiss if we didn't call attention to the great use of reclaimed woods in Nic's builds. This Atoll's got a lovely figured Maple top set on a reclaimed Spruce body, and the Douglas Fir neck (a staple of Island builds) is paired with a rich Ebony fingerboard. The combination of both soft and dense tonewoods yields a certain warmth and roundness, yet clear and well-defined in terms of fundamental. And with a thinly applied finish, you feel EVERYTHING this guitar is doing.

If we've got any say in the matter, this Atoll Baritone will be in the Island lineup here at TME indefinitely. What a guitar!