The Dual Port Archtop sits perfectly in the sweet spot between compact and full-size archtop guitars, offering a comfortable 16″ body that projects a rich, resonant tone while maintaining effortless playability. Building upon the same meticulous craftsmanship and acoustic excellence as all of Tad’s models, the Dual Port adds an immersive feature that enhances the player’s personal sound experience: dual sound-ports. These large ports are located in the upper bout and project sound directly toward the player’s left and right ears, creating a natural stereo effect. While the sound-ports don’t alter the instrument’s fundamental sound, they offer an additional listening experience, allowing you to hear yourself clearly—just as if you had personal speakers positioned beneath your ears—while still providing the normal projection to the audience.
Along with the dual sound-ports, the Dual Port Archtop also features an innovative dual pickup system, providing unmatched tonal versatility and range, whether you’re playing unplugged or amplified:
Ultratonic Soundboard Transducers: This state-of-the-art pickup system captures the full acoustic character of the guitar with stunning clarity. Custom-installed into the archtop, the Ultratonic transducers allow the Dual Port to excel in both acoustic and amplified settings, delivering a rich, detailed sound that remains true to the instrument’s natural voice.
1950s-Style P-90 Pickup by Ron Ellis: Complementing the Ultratonic system is a vintage-style P-90 pickup, handcrafted by Ron Ellis. This pickup is custom mounted floating on the fingerrest, offering warm, vintage tones that balance perfectly with the acoustic nuances captured by the Ultratonic system. Together, these pickups offer a broad dynamic range, perfect for any musical context.
Like the finest orchestral instruments, the Dual Port Archtop is designed with acoustic efficiency at its core. From the feather-light bridge to the finely tuned top and back plates, every element of the guitar is engineered to resonate with maximum tone, resulting in an instrument that responds with sensitivity, depth, and clarity.
Built from the finest hand-selected spruce, flame maple, and rosewood, the Dual Port Archtop features all-wood bindings and solid linings to ensure greater structural integrity and superior acoustic response, while the custom rosewood tailpiece maximizes harmonic overtones.
The guitar’s tailpiece is suspended on a titanium cello tail gut wire, allowing it to vibrate freely for enhanced resonance. By tuning the string afterlengths to 1/6th of the scale length, much like a violin, Tad’s design avoids the wolf tones found in many archtops and instead produces rich harmonic overtones that complement every note.
Whether you’re playing unplugged and want to enjoy the immersive stereo sound offered by the dual sound-ports or amplifying your performance with the dual pickup system, the Dual Port Archtop is designed for musicians who seek both versatility and acoustic excellence, making it the perfect instrument for a wide range of genres and playing styles.
