Thompson Molly Tuttle Signature Model

A slightly customized version of the contemporary flatpicking star’s dreadnought.

July 31, 2024

Molly Tuttle is one of the brightest lights on the current flatpicking guitar and roots music scenes. With blazing chops, an individual playing style, and gorgeous vocals, Molly is part of a new generation of players who are bringing a fresh attitude and energy to traditional music styles. Molly has played a variety of guitars throughout her career, including a Thompson D-BA and a sinker mahogany version of her signature model, which the company is offering as a limited edition of 30 instruments. We recently had a chance to check out one of the final guitars in the series, and on Thompson’s suggestion, enlisted San Francisco–based guitarist Ian Ly to help out with the demo. As the 2023 National Flatpicking Champion, Ian has been making waves of his own, and his band Crying Uncle has become a festival favorite.

The Molly Tuttle Signature Model is based on Thompson’s mahogany dreadnought. Instead of the standard sinker mahogany, the guitar we checked out was built with figured Cuban mahogany. The guitar’s top is bear-claw Adirondack spruce, and the guitar features a vintage, brown-sunburst finish. Thompson often finds creative ways to modify traditional appointments, and the Molly Tuttle model is no exception. While the guitar has tortoise binding and black-and-white purfling, its three-ring rosette features a middle-ring made of redwood, which is also used for the center of the fingerboard’s position markers. Speaking of the fingerboard, it is made from a gorgeous piece of Brazilian rosewood, which matches the guitar’s bridge. Without a doubt, the most unusual aesthetic element is the set of palm leaf designs inlaid on the bass side of the fingerboard’s first two frets as well as on the treble side of the very end of the fingerboard. The guitar has Thompson’s soft-V neck profile, prewar scalloped Adirondack spruce braces, and a flatpicking-friendly string spacing of 2⅛ inches at the saddle.

Tonally, the Thompson Molly Tuttle signature model has the power and clarity that great mahogany dreadnoughts are known for while also providing excellent playability. I was impressed with the guitar when I played it, but it was even more impressive listening to it from a few feet away while Ian gave it a flatpicking workout in the Peghead Nation studio. “What jumped out to me when I picked it up was the playability of it; it feels really good to play,” Ian says. “There’s a lot of bass there that I wouldn’t expect from a lot of mahogany guitars, and it has a lot of great high-end tone as well once you get up the neck a little.”

All in all the Thompson Molly Tuttle Signature Model is a wonderful guitar built from premium materials. It features some unique design elements and offers excellent tone that blends vintage character with modern refinement. Players who want to experience one of the guitars should hurry, however, as there are only a couple of build slots left in the limited run!