Two New Dolphin Models Join The Line-Up
Those of you that came and visited us at NAMM (or followed our updates online) will have seen our exciting announcement: we have two new members of the Dolphin family!
Especially with the continued success of our Piet and Surfmeister models, it made sense that we complete the Dolphin shape line-up so we can offer a set option in the shape for every kind of player. I think it’s fair to say that that’s always been possible across all the custom options we can offer, but we wanted this to be the case with set models in our line-up too.
Our original body design, the Dolphin goes all the way back to 1994, and over the years we’ve brought a lot of different ideas and combinations of features to it. But through all of that, the DNA of the Dolphin – the original body shape – has remained, and with these two new variations, we’re making some of those special options available as a standard package.
Both of these new variations on the Dolphin model will look somewhat familiar to all of you following our work for a while, as they’re each influenced by another specific model from our past and present…
Dolphin ’59
No prizes for guessing that this one takes the concept of our Orca ’59 model and brings it to the Dolphin. At this point, it just made sense to complete the offering of the Dolphin line-up with a variation that appeals to vintage and classic guitar fans. The result combines the Dolphin body shape with specs that those players will love: a maple top with a classic carve (rather than the more extreme carve that the usual Dolphin has), a 24.75” scale length, and all the traditional aesthetic elements of the Orca ’59.
And to get really vintage correct with the details, the inlays on the first Dolphin ‘59s are made using genuine NOS celluloid from the ‘60s – the exact same stuff used on the guitars back then. Of course, our stocks of that are limited, so that’s very much a ‘while stocks last’ deal. But if you’re into having those real-deal traditional details, all of our Dolphin ’59s will have this feature until the celluloid runs out, and we’ll only be using it on the Dolphin ‘59s, no other models.
Vintage celluloid or no, the Dolphin ’59 brings traditional tastes to the Dolphin shape, a combination that was very well received at NAMM – a massive thank-you to everyone for the kind feedback and to all of our dealers for already jumping on the Dolphin ’59!
Dolphin Special
Those of you following our work for a bit longer will recognise the inspiration for this one, as we offered a Special model back in the day.
But rather than a revamp of the old Special, the Dolphin Special is our offering of a stripped-down Dolphin with some tweaked features. Like the ’59, this one has a 24.75” scale length, and we’ve finished it off with crown inlays, neck binding and the four-knob layout. And like the ’59, this one completes the Dolphin line-up with something a little different, in this case offering a stripped-back, straightforward instrument in our Dolphin shape that gives a guitarist everything they’d need in terms of versatility, finished off with some nice, subtle detailing.
Where many Dolphin builds feature some of our fanciest wood stock and eye-catching features, and while the Dolphin ’59 has all the classic high-end appointments, the Dolphin Special is straight to the point. Putting it all together with these two new variations, we’re wanting all players to find something to suit their tastes in the complete Dolphin line-up.
Once again, I’d like to say a massive thank-you to everyone for the positive response to these new Dolphins, both at NAMM and online. Knowing that we’re making instruments that interest and inspire people is what fuels us.
And hey, it’s just always nice to hear that people are into the new guitars!
So, thank you so much as always for following our work, and stay tuned to see more Dolphin ‘59s and Dolphin Specials.
– Nik
