This Double Cut Special is a slightly more elevated, elegant take on a DC Special, made by a master of his craft...that can't be bad, right?

Why We Love This

We are really excited to be working with the extraordinarily talented Thomas Rodriguez. Based in Virginia, Thomas has been building guitars, including highly regarded nylon strings, for the last 35 years alongside fellow VA-based contemporaries Lindy Fralin and Bill Callaham.

This "Fancy Double Cut Special" (Thomas' words) is his take on the classic Gibson Double Cut Special. Reminiscent of how Jol Dantzig of Hamer Guitars fame approached this style of guitar, this DC Special features a non-contoured quilted maple cap atop a lightweight solid Honduras Mahogany body (and neck), Indian rosewood fingerboard, a wraptail bridge, volume/volume/tone/3-way, and exposed Fralin Pure PAF pickups in a double cream bridge / zebra neck orientation (where the playful nod to Hamer shows itself). Rounding out the basic spec is a signature Rodriguez touch - one of our faves - offset fingerboard dots.

Like all Rodriguez guitars we've had in the shop, this guitar feels - and sounds - incredible. Thomas makes guitars "the old fashioned way" - all by hand from start to finish with no CNC work, nothing automated, simply old school. The results of this approach speak for themselves.

This guitar is simply a joy to play in a blissful, old school rock n roll sort of way (the best way, right?). It's got elements of golden era Gibson and Hamer in it by the way it resonates, the way the guitar responds to your input, the dynamic range, the way the Fralin Pure PAF humbuckers deliver sweet, midrange drenched tones that will push your tube amp into the sweetest breakup....In a lot of ways, this guitar delivers exactly what you think it would based on its appearance.