This is the first Duke acoustic guitar I have ever tried and my experience with this incredible instrument was quite serendipitous.  Right place at the right time & WOW!  It just shows once again how fate will play its hand - and how our experiences shape our knowledge and understanding of what is possible.  

So what did I find special about this guitar?  Tonally - this guitar is spectacular.   Shaped somewhat by the 630mm scale length (20mm shorter than standard).  Physically, this gves a softer feel, with less stretch between fingers when forming chords and tonally there is a warmth and fullness that I have no doubt is partly due to this shorter scale lenth too.

The body of the guitar is auditorum and full bodied - no cutaway.  Maybe this is playing its part too in the fulness of the sound?  However - it chimes like a bell and reminiscent of the Furch guitars of early years.

From what I have learned so far, the quality of this instruments tone is not by chance - with each instrument hand made in a workshop in China, then finished in another workshop in Germany where they also fully hand build guitars (but naturally you pay more for them) and this dual production concept is very similar to Auden guitars - a UK brand which I am also a massive fan of.   This partnership between chinise  and European builders is enabling the most wonderful instruments to be made, well below the price that would be possible if made completely in Europe.  

As I say, this is the first instrrument from Duke I have ever experienced - and my recommendations are gold plated - and my reputation relies completely on my honesty and integrity (hence why I am saying right now - this is the first one I have tried - I may find problems - issues - I may not even be able to sell them if I hit such barriers) - but... from my personal experience with this guitar - reading more about their background - and witnessing some videos of players with them - I can sense what they are about - and I am INCREDIBLY excited by what I am witnessing.  I am HOPING this is yet another wonderful new find.

I am SO proud to have ben the first to introduce UK guitarists to instruments that went on to become widely regarded as benchmarks at the price.  Fuch, Dowina, Eastman, Auden, Cort, LAG, FGN - the list goes on.  In pretty much every case I was the first or one ofthem  to tell the World about these guitars - which have then slowly, over years, been more widely accepted as such.   

My gut feeling is Duke will be another on the list - or at least I am hoping so :)

The Duke A-PF-Solid is a classic Triple OOO / Auditorium all solid version. The body combines East Indian rosewood with a solid spruce top from the high alpine regions of the Swiss. The abalone applications, the herringbone binding and many other loving details make the A-PF-Solid a treat for the eyes for every lover of classic steel strings in addition to its outstanding sound.

Like every Duke, the A-PF-Solid is finalized by guitar builders in Tübingen, Germany. All Dukes are sent to the market with newly dressed and polished frets and a play-ready string action. This guarantees perfect playing pleasure from the first chord.

In addition to selected materials such as bone saddle and ebony fingerboard, an Elixir Nanoweb string set is also part of the high-quality standard equipment of every Duke.