Acoustic Guitar Magazine | 9 years ago
With the Phidelity model, New Hampshire luthier Erich Solomon offers his personal take on the time-honored American archtop. Inspired by the visual and sonic characteristics of Gibson’s early L-5 models—as well as midcentury instruments built by John D’Angelico and James D’Aquisto—the Phidelity is at once classic and modern. Euclidian geometry, too, has had some influence on the design of the Phidelity, hence the peculiar spelling of this model’s name. Phi, as you may know, denotes a particular geometric ratio that can be found in nature (nautilus shells, the DNA double helix, and so on). Leonardo da Vinci used phi proportions in his art and designs. Renowned 17th-century luthier Antonio Stradivari apparently used phi when calculating the placement of F-holes on his violins. Indeed, there really does seem to be something special about this so-called “golden ratio.” (Solomon Guitars’ website includes a link to goldennumber.net, a site devoted solely to the examination of phi.)
For the full review, see the May 2016 issue of Acoustic Guitar or go to AcousticGuitar.com
