While connoisseurs have been buzzing about Preston Thompson’s elite prewar-inspired acoustics since the company’s late namesake began building them in the 1980s, it was Billy Strings’ Signature DBA dreadnoughts—beginning with a limited-edition run in 2019—that finally put the builder on a much wider map.
Built from premium tonewoods like Adirondack spruce and Brazilian rosewood, with design architecture drawn from Thompson’s exhaustive study of Hot Rize guitarist Charles Sawtelle’s collection of golden-era guitars, Thompson instruments don’t just look the part; they capture the tonally rich, weighty voice of prewar acoustics as well. While dreadnoughts may remain Thompson’s mainstay, the Sisters, Oregon–based shop has also been producing some of the finest 00 and 000 models in recent years.
With the 0000-EIA—evidently the first body shape drawn and built by Thompson at the School of Guitar Research and Design, designated T1—the company marries the 16-inch lower-bout girth of a classic dreadnought with the slim waist and narrow body depth of a 000. The result is a guitar with both rich bass response and volume, paired with detailed midrange articulation.
First Impressions
You hardly need to know the price of the 0000-EIA to recognize its quality the moment you lift it from the deluxe hardshell case. A tobacco-sunburst nitrocellulose gloss finish tops its Adirondack spruce soundboard; old-growth East Indian rosewood back and sides shimmer with character; a Brazilian rosewood belly bridge provides contrast; and diamond-and-square Regency inlays of mother-of-pearl and bloodwood gleam against the ebony fingerboard. Grained ivoroid binding and herringbone purfling add period charm, while Waverly tuners and a three-ring Style-28 rosette underscore the guitar’s classic aesthetic.
Even apart from the upscale appointments, the instrument simply feels light and well balanced from end to end. The construction and materials—right down to the Adirondack spruce on the scalloped prewar X-bracing and carefully crafted bone nut and saddle—are top tier. The double-action truss rod, accessible from the soundhole, is easily adjustable with the included 5/32-inch Allen head wrench, which sports a handy wooden handle for easier rotation. Simply put, the 0000-EIA shows careful attention at every point in its construction and feels built to last a lifetime.
In the Hands
Despite its slimmer waist, which evokes the feel of a classic 00, the 0000-EIA carries the long 25.4-inch scale length associated with a D-28. With a solid Honduran mahogany neck and satin-finished ebony fingerboard in a substantial soft-V profile, the guitar has a confident feel. Strung with Elixir mediums, it offers a firm but responsive playing experience. A quick truss-rod adjustment lowered the action slightly, making upper-position playing more comfortable.
The 1-3/4-inch nut and wide 2-5/16-inch string spacing favor players with larger hands, leaving plenty of room for clean hammer-ons and pull-offs in first position. This is not a slim neck—it has real depth at .860 inches, and while that demands more hand strength than many modern profiles, the payoff is a correspondingly big, resonant tone. (Note that Thompson offers a variety of neck widths and profiles for this and all of its guitars.)
Sound and Vision
The 0000-EIA’s voice is striking. It combines the immediacy and presence of an orchestra model with the wide dynamic range and piano-like resonance of a dreadnought. Chord ornamentations—whether a suspend-ed pull-off or a “Heart of Gold”–style hammer-on—ring out with clarity. Flatpickers will appreciate the consistency of tone and volume across the fingerboard, while open strings blend seamlessly with mid-neck arpeggios and cascades. Fingerstyle players will enjoy its rich overtones, sustain, and the way chords ring around each individual note in even the most complex voicings.
Lean into longer single notes and double-stops, and the difference is clear. Where budget guitars often sound static, the 0000-EIA lets notes bloom and decay with character, the large lower bout adding a sweet natural reverberation. This lends slow passages remarkable expression and pathos, and delivers exceptional horizontal harmony during faster arpeggios and scale runs.
Plectrum placement makes a huge difference: pluck close to the neck for a focused, thick, and dark tone; immediately above the soundhole for a fleshy, broad-spectrum tone equally invested with mids and lows; and use a thinner pick toward the bridge for the kind of classic zing that sits so well in a mix with drums. With a condenser mic pointed at the 19th fret, and perhaps a splash of vintage room reverb, it’s hard to imagine a classier rhythmic bedrock for folk, bluegrass, or rock.
The Verdict
Preston Thompson Guitars cuts no corners with the 0000-EIA. What matters most, though, is the experience of playing it—the way it responds with power, nuance, and character across styles. The result is a guitar that’s both versatile and inspiring, equally at home in vintage blues, intimate fingerstyle, or bold strummed accompaniment. It may command the price of several good instruments, but its depth, balance, and responsiveness make a convincing case for being the one guitar you reach for in any setting—whether writing, recording, or performing.
Specs
BODY 0000 size; Adirondack spruce top; advanced X Adirondack prewar-scalloped bracing; old-growth East Indian rosewood back and sides; herringbone top purfling; zig-zag back strip; ivoroid binding; Style-28 rosette; tortoise pickguard; Brazilian rosewood bridge with bone compensated saddle (2-5/16″ string spacing) and ivoroid pins; gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish
NECK Mahogany; soft-V profile with volute; 25.4″ scale; Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl and bloodwood Regency markers; 1-3/4″ bone nut; Brazilian rosewood peghead veneer with mother-of-pearl Thompson logo; nickel Waverly tuners; satin finish
OTHER Elixir Nanoweb 80/20 Bronze medium strings (.013–.056); Harptone hardshell case
MADE IN USA
PRICE $9,375 (as reviewed)
