Finnish mythology exalted the swan to the role of the underworld's guardian, its song of such bewitching beauty that a hero determined to slay it is instead spellbound.
No ordinary bird is its namesake guitar, either. Kari Nieminen invested years into perfecting its design, and considers it the crown jewel of his Versoul line. What makes it so very special? A meticulous attention to detail precedes every stage of this instrument's production, starting with the careful selection and seasoning of the finest European tone woods, spruce and curly maple. The top and back of the guitar are painstakingly hand carved and tuned. The neck is fashioned from 5-ply of curly aspen and curly maple. Elegant satin-finished ebony offers a stylish sharp contrast to the bright spruce and maple, bringing its dark beauty to the instrument's fingerboard, bridge, uniquely designed tailpiece, headstock veneer, pickguard, tuner buttons, even the Versoul humbucker cover.
Contrasting light and dark echo the somber power of the old Finnish myths, and tonal power flows with balanced grace across this guitar's sonic spectrum. Bright and lively as an acoustic guitar, a Schertler Lydia under saddle transducer electrifies it for natural-sounding amplification. An extra kick is also on offer; Versoul's uniquely designed humbucker pickup assures the Swan Jazz a seat at every table without overpowering the noble beauty this instrument shares with its avian namesake.
- Top: selected European spruce, solid
- Back & sides: selected European curly maple, solid hand carved and tuned
- Bindings: maple, mahogany and black fiber
- Bridge: Versoul ebony
- Tailpiece: Versoul ebony, brass with loop end cello style
- Neck: selected 5 ply curly aspen/maple w/ two-way adjustable truss rod
- Fingerboard: ebony (12" radius)
- Inlays: green abalone shell, selected heart quality
- Frets: 20 / Dunlop 6130
- Tuners: Kluson waffle back, gold plated with ebony buttons & green abalone shell dots
- Pickguard: Versoul ebony
- Colors: vintage natural amber or vintage sunburst
- Pickups: one magnetic Versoul humbucker, floating at neck end
- Transducer: Schertler Lydia undersaddle with a preamp, separate outputs
- Controls: volume and tone thumbwheel pots for magnetic pickup
- Finish: nitrocellulose lacquer
- Tailpiece: Versoul custom ebony
- Bridge & pickguard: Versoul custom ebony
- Soundholes: Versoul
- Humbucker cover: Versoul custom ebony
- Inlays: gold leaf
- Nameplate: platinum/palladium leaf
- Nut: moose shinbone
- Neck width at nut: 43 mm or 44.5 mm
- Scale length: 25.4"
- Body thickness: 2 7/8"
OPTIONS:
- Parallel or X-top bracing