The Sadowsky SS-15 features a comfortable thin body that measures 15" across at the lower bout. It is fully acoustic with traditional jazz guitar appointments and styling. The thin body provides more immediate acoustic response than bigger archtop guitars, and it remains more predictable when amplified.
Most SS-15s have only a single humbucker in the neck position, but this 2020 SS-15 was custom ordered with a second humbucker in the bridge. You'll note that—since this guitar was built—Sadowsky has introduced the Frank Vignola signature model. To be fair, this guitar has almost the exact same specs as the Frank Vignola model, but the label still reads "SS-15" next to Roger Sadowsky's signature.
Thanks to a 1-3/4" nut width and a short 24-3/4" scale, this SS-15 feels incredibly playable and fast in your hands. The body is small and thin—more like an electric guitar than a wide archtop box. It's lightweight, too, at 5 lbs 4.1 oz.
All in all, the SS-15 is designed to be an expressive jazz guitar, and the custom bridge pickup introduces another dimension of sound. This guitar covers a wider territory than the standard SS-15. It has singing sustain as well as precise articulation and clarity that allows complex chord voicings to shine through.
This 2020 Sadowsky SS-15 is gently used and it includes its original case. It shows incredible Maple figure and substantial build quality all around. It is very clean cosmetically, but there is a small finish chip on the back edge of the lower bout (see photos). It's currently set up with a plain steel 3rd string, but it includes a carved ebony saddle that is compensated for a wound 3rd should you want to switch. It would be a great fit for flat-wounds, but with roundwounds you can open up the bridge pickup with some overdrive.