12-String players, gather round: we’ve got one of the all-time greats in the store today: a 1987 Sobell 12-String Archtop! Stefan Sobell is recognized as one of the original builders of Irish bouzouki, and other double-stringed instruments, and his long career attests to decades spent honing his craft. It is always a pleasure to have one of his guitars in the shop, and it’s even more of a pleasure to have one of his 12-String Archtops. With Indian Rosewood back and sides and a carved European Spruce top, this guitar has a rich and dynamic range, with octave strings that project with clarity. What’s more, this guitar features 12×12 construction: it is both a 12-String and a 12-fret guitar. When these two design features are brought together, the result is effortless playability and an enveloping, complex tonality. Finally, Sobell believes that a 12-string design is best supported by an archtop body–and it’s clear why that is: the arched top creates just the right separation between the notes and make the pairs of strings discrete and clear. This is one of only a handful ever made and is as collectible as it is beautiful.