Alister Atkin is a true vintage guitar master — deeply knowledgeable, passionate, and able to capture the spirit of pre-war vintage guitars like no one else in this decade. He crafts new guitars that embody the specs and soul of those golden-era instruments to an astonishing degree.

 Today, we introduce the Atkin Hawaiian Master, a slope-shoulder guitar that will captivate your senses from the very first touch.

 This model is heavily inspired by the golden age of acoustic music and by the legendary Roy Smeck, famously known as the Wizard of the Strings — a gifted musician from the 1930s who left a major mark on music with his unique playing techniques.

 The Atkin Hawaiian Master is modeled after the type of guitar Smeck regularly played. In the 1930s, Hawaiian-style guitars were typically played on the lap using slide techniques. They featured necks as wide as 2.5 inches and extremely high action. However, thanks to their incredible tone, many musicians modified them by removing and reinstalling the necks to make them narrower and easier to play in standard Spanish style.

 Yet not all vintage pre-war guitars meet today’s playability standards. Many have been altered — sometimes well, sometimes poorly — rendering some nearly unplayable. That’s why modern master luthiers have revisited and reimagined these instruments. Today, many high-end boutique brands have crafted their own take on this iconic slope-shoulder design.

 If you love slope-shoulder guitars with a warm, focused, and deep tone, the Hawaiian Master Aged is the answer.

 With a lightly braced body and a 24 7/8” scale length, this guitar delivers a sweet, compact tone with great responsiveness — perfect for both fingerstyle and strumming.

Specifications:

Top: Solid Baked Sitka Spruce

High-grade spruce that has been torrefied (heat-treated) to simulate decades of aging. The result: an open tone and enhanced resonance.

Back & Sides: Solid Mahogany

Warm, balanced, with excellent sustain

Nut Width: 1 3/4”

Body Style: 12-Fret Slope Shoulder

Designed for a comfortable and familiar feel across a range of playing styles.

Finish: Early 1930s Gibson-style Small Sunburst

A timeless classic look inspired by vintage Gibsons.

 The “Heavy Relic” aging process is where Atkin truly shines. Alister applies an 8-step nitrocellulose lacquer finish, including a thin amber-yellow layer, followed by a meticulous cold-aging process to produce realistic lacquer checking and vintage wear. Not just the body — even the saddle, bridge pins, and tuners are aged for a coherent vintage look. The result: a brand-new guitar that looks and feels like it’s lived decades of stories.

 Atkin Hawaiian Master isn’t just a new guitar made to look old — it’s a carefully crafted tribute to vintage sound, feel, and style in one remarkable instrument.

 This guitar isn’t for everyone — it’s for true collectors who understand Roy Smeck, love vintage tones, and want modern playability in a classic design.

 Available now at Cin Guitars, The Promenade.