Atkin The Forty Three J43 Acoustic Guitar with Baked Sitka and Mahogany in Lake Placid Blue

Spec Card for Atkin The Forty Three J43 Acoustic Guitar with Baked Sitka and Mahogany in Lake Placid Blue

Case for Atkin The Forty Three J43 Acoustic Guitar with Baked Sitka and Mahogany in Lake Placid Blue

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The Atkin The Forty Three J43 in Baked Sitka Spruce and Mahogany is a stunning blend of vintage inspired acoustic soul and unmistakable visual attitude. Finished with an Age Toned Relic Gloss Nitrocellulose Lake Placid Blue top, this guitar takes the familiar slope shoulder spirit and gives it a bold, electric sense of personality. It looks cool before you ever pick it up, but the real story is the way it comes alive in your hands.

Built under the direction of founder Alister Atkin and brought to life by his small team of highly skilled craftspeople, the J43 reflects everything Atkin does so well. These guitars are not trying to be museum pieces. They are built to feel seasoned, responsive, broken in, and ready to make music from the first chord. The relic gloss nitro finish gives this guitar the look and feel of a well loved old companion, while the Lake Placid Blue top brings a unique flash of character that feels both classic and fresh.

Tonally, this J43 is warm, dry, punchy, and full of life. The Baked Sitka Spruce top gives it a quick, opened up response, while the Mahogany back and sides add focus, woodiness, and a strong fundamental voice. There is a wonderful looseness to the way the guitar responds, with chords that bloom easily and single notes that carry a clear, vocal quality. It has the thump and air you want from a great slope shoulder, but with enough clarity and definition to keep the sound from ever getting murky.

The shorter 24 7/8 inch scale length gives this guitar a slightly softer feel under the fingers, making it incredibly comfortable for long sessions, vocal accompaniment, and expressive playing. There is a natural give to the strings that makes bends, vibrato, and dynamic right hand work feel effortless. Strum it hard and it gives you that dry, woody, chesty push. Play it gently and it reveals warmth, sweetness, and a relaxed musical character that feels instantly familiar.

Atkin’s prewar scalloped bracing gives the top room to move, helping this J43 produce a big, open voice with plenty of dynamic range. The guitar has real horsepower when pushed, but its charm is not just about volume. It has that lived in compression, warmth, and breath that makes a slope shoulder feel like a songwriting machine. It is the kind of guitar that makes simple chords sound finished, complete, and inspiring.

The appointments are clean, tasteful, and perfectly suited to the instrument. Cream binding and a cream rosette frame the Lake Placid Blue top beautifully, while the walnut headstock overlay, Atkin decal with banner logo, Santos Rosewood fingerboard, and Santos Rosewood bridge give the guitar a warm, understated elegance. Mother of pearl dot fret markers, cream side dots, bone nut and saddle, and nickel Gotoh tuners keep everything traditional, practical, and player focused. The two way truss rod with soundhole adjustment makes setup access simple and dependable.

With a 21 1/8 inch body length, 4 7/8 inch body depth, 16 inch lower bout width, and 41 inch total length, this J43 has the full slope shoulder presence players love. At just 4 lb 0 oz, it feels light, resonant, and alive, with the kind of quick response that makes it hard to put down. The 16 inch fingerboard radius and 1.77 inch nut width offer a comfortable, versatile playing surface that works beautifully for strumming, flatpicking, and fingerstyle alike. It comes housed in an Atkin Black case.

This Atkin The Forty Three J43 is equal parts workhorse and heartbreaker. The Baked Sitka and Mahogany voice is dry, warm, and powerful, while the Lake Placid Blue finish gives it a stage ready presence all its own. It is a soulful, responsive, beautifully broken in slope shoulder with the tone, feel, and personality to become somebody’s forever guitar.

Other specifications of The Forty Three include: