Ben Wilborn’s 2020 Nautilus model comes to us with high expectations—and more than answers the call. Wilborn has gone back to the drawing board and returned with a whole family of new features for his Nautilus. Here, the traditional soundhole has been kiboshed in favor of an upper bout version which acts as an integrated soundport. This allows Ben to brace the top radially and escape the restrictions of the classic X brace system—the result being added power in the bass register, and exquisite clarity and presence for the mids and trebles (oh, the trebles). Additionally, this allows Ben to use a multiscale setup (here 26-25.4” at our request) that better corresponds to the radial bracing pattern. A slim Ryan-style arm bevel and rib bevel, plus dramatic florentine cutaway, round out the suite of creature comforts. Honduran Mahogany neck with a medium-to-slim C profile feels lovely in hand, old growth Adirondack Spruce from Ben’s premium stash on top—and the pièce de résistance: the best set of Brazilian Rosewood for the back and sides from Ben’s personal primo collection.
The Nautilus is a powerhouse with volumes of tone under the hood, appointed with an understated aesthetic that lets the quality of the materials speak for themselves, and it plays like grass-fed butter.
Check out Ben walking through his deflection testing method for tops here: https://youtu.be/m5Epr3U0rDw
Here’s a bit from Ben himself:
“The Nautilus in a mid-sized guitar that changes all the rules. The impetus for this design was the idea that in a traditional X-braced guitar with a centrally located soundhole, approximately one-third of the top is rendered inert due to the demands of the structure required to keep the top from collapsing. The Nautilus, by relocating the soundhole to the upper treble bout, frees up a great deal more real estate for vibration, which after all, is how a guitar amplifies sound. Off-set soundholes are nothing new, but all the previous attempts I have seen fail to fully take advantage of this radical realignment. The Nautilus is not an X-braced guitar, but is instead radially braced, with all the braces arranged like spokes on a wheel, from the bridge outward. Whereas the traditional X locks the the bridge area into a relatively inflexible unit, the radial arrangement allows the bridge much more freedom of movement. The result is a tremendous increase in bass response, a warm and sophisticated top end, and overall greater output of volume. Playing this instrument is a revelation of what potential a guitar possesses.
The Nautilus features a number of modern innovations, all of them critically contributing to a thoroughly and thoughtfully designed whole. Not just a mish-mash of contemporary features, but a through-composed suite of interrelated sonic and ergonomic details.”
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