On the workbench...

Currently there are four custom orders on the workbench and one Phidelity Imperial that will be available sale at the Montreal Guitar Show.  

Making headlines...

Announcing the new "Solomon Guitars" logo!  Starting in 2011 it will grace all models. The four arms of the logo represent the wood, the buiider, the player and the music all working together.

Check out the article in the Spring 2011 issue (#21) of The Fretboard Journal magazine featuring Solomon Guitars.  The Fretboard Journal is a premier publication for guitar enthusiasts.  More than a magazine, it is like a coffee table book that comes out four times a year.

2011 Healdsburg Guitar Festival
This was a great show.  I hope some of you caught  my mini-concert featuring Mark Goldenberg on his new Phidelity guitar.

2011 Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase
Thanks to Baker, Betsy and their team the show was just incredible; a laid-back good time with great music and guitars.   My mini-concert featured the Maanouche  Swing Trio from Montreal with Damien Levasseur, Lou Boustani and Simon Page.  They were very well received and played their hearts out.  You can hear a sample of Damien and Lou at the 2010 Montreal Guitar Show playing Solomon guitars on YouTube.  They are amazing!! 

Erich Solomon and Lie Nielsen Toolworks Collaboration
This year, I designed a special woodworking plane especially for archtop guitar and violin family instrument makers for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, the Rolls-Royce of production hand planes. It is a beauty of a tool, and Lie-Nielsen will be able to do it justice. In addition, I will also be featured in an instructional DVD produced by Lie-Nielsen on how to use the plane and carve the exterior arch of the top of an archtop guitar. The plane is scheduled to go into production next year, with the DVD to follow shortly after. I am hoping that a limited edition of the first planes will be individually numbered and signed by myself and Thomas Lie-Nielsen. If so, the limited edition tool would be guaranteed to become a Lie- Nielsen collectable. (The 500 limited edition 25th anniversary planes from last year have already doubled in value in one year!) Be sure to check out Lie-Nielsen online at www.lie-nielsen.com If you are a luthier, L-N has a NEW, absolutely MUST HAVE tool, the Boggs Concave Spokeshave. It is the PERFECT tool for carving necks! BTW, one of my necks is featured on the L-N Boggs Concave Spokeshave web page. :)

2006 Erich Solomon Weissenborn slide guitars
In 2006, I built two identical Weissenborn style guitars of my own design. They both sound exceptional  and I am proud to say that they went to two fantastic  musicians, Nicholas Petumenos and Tom Doughty. 

Be sure to check out these YouTube videos of Tom playing "Maggies Pies" and "Into the Bong" his Solomon long scale Hawaiian guitar.  In fact, Tom's channel slideytunes is packed with great videos and you can view his official website here.

Nick Petumenos is a gifted multi-instrumentalist from Alaska, who graduated at the top of his class at Berkley School of Music. He is currently performing with Alaskan Native American Tribal Funk World Rhythm Band, Pamyua. They recently toured Europe and performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival this year, and also won the Native American Record of the Year in 2003. Nick also happens to be my best friend!

The "Abraxas" model by luthier Erich Solomon is featured on the Winter 2006 cover of Guitarmaker magazine, one of the foremost trade publications for luthiers and a beautifully produced magazine by the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans.  If you are at all interested in luthierie, then you owe it to yourself to become a member of the Association of Stringed Instrument Makers and the Guild of American Lutherie.  See them online at www.guitarmaker.org and www.luth.org