We have been familiar with Matt Cushman (Great Falls, Montana) as a luthier for many years, but this is the first opportunity we've had to  carry one of his archtops.  We are really impressed.  The guitar has an X-braced solid carved spruce top and a very Benedetto-style build, and the sound is very much what one would hope for.  It has a balanced tone without the mid-range punch a parallel braced guitar would usually have.  As an acoustic guitar, this one leans hard toward a solo guitar work type sound, rather than big band comping.  The floating Benedetto pickup has a single volume control with a custom made knob which matches the pickguard.  The pickup, as expected sounds amazing, and the presence of an endpin jack means no worries.  Plugged in, one would still be capable of using the guitar to comp with a horn section.
 
The playability is remarkable.  The action can be set very low with clear ringing notes, which can be a great benefit to those who don't need as much acoustic volume.  The frets are in excellent conditon with lots of life left.  The nut measures a generous 1.82", but is very comfortable to play.
 
The workmanship is top-notch with fretboard binding work reminiscent of top-tier vintage Epiphones.  The fit and finish are all very-well done.  The flamed maple overlay on the back of the headstock is a nice added touch.  The guitar shows some light surface scratches only.  As can sometimes happen in a flamed maple back with a thin finish, slight ripples to the wood can be felt, but the finish shows no cracking or other issues.  This is not uncommon, nor does it pose any issue to stability, but the buyer should be aware.
 
Weight - 6.2 pounds
Nut width - 1.82 inches
Rim depth - 3 inches
 
The guitar will ship in a Canadian made TKL hardshell case, labeled with an Epiphone epsilon logo.
 
Ships free in the continental United States.  We also ship worldwide.  Please contact us for international rates.