LaRose Guitars is the small Texas shop of luthier Todd D’Agostino, whose background building guitars at Hamer helped shape an approach to electric guitars that blends familiar vintage ideas with his own distinctive modern designs. Based in Tyler, Texas, LaRose Guitars produces in very small numbers, with fewer than 50 instruments leaving the shop in a typical year. LaRose’s designs draw on classic American forms while incorporating D’Agostino’s own ideas about construction, electronics, and the use of highly figured woods. The result is a line of instruments that feels more like the work of an individual artisan than a conventional production guitar. The 1 Ton Hollow Boy is one of LaRose’s signature designs, developed over several years as D’Agostino worked out its chambering, neck, and electronics to give it a voice of its own. Earlier versions of the 1 Ton established the basic semi-hollow concept, combining the classic single-cutaway shape with a bolt-on neck and a traditional f-hole on the bass side. This 2022 1 Ton takes the formula in an unusual direction with a spectacularly figured flame maple top and a trio of Lollar P-90 soapbars. The three-pickup layout yields a wide range of tonal flexibility, especially in a semi-hollow platform. The flame maple top makes this particular 1 Ton a standout visually while adding another interesting element to a design that already sits well outside the usual production-guitar offerings. This LaRose 1 Ton Hollow Boy shows some minor signs of play and use, but it's pretty clean all around (see photos). One thing worth pointing out is a ding on the edge of the headstock. It includes its original hardshell case and has a fantastic, low setup. The scale length measures 25", which sets this one apart from the 25-1/2" scale found on most T-style guitars. The nut measures 1-11/16", and the roasted maple neck has a rosewood fingerboard with a 10" radius. Outfitted with a 5-way switch, the three P-90 configuration offers a wide range of sounds from a surprisingly versatile semi-hollow platform. As with many independent builders, the appeal here is as much about the individual guitar as the model name. This is a hand-built instrument from a Texas luthier producing on a deliberately small scale. With the unique combination of a semi-hollow flame maple design and three Lollar P-90s, this 1 Ton has its own personality. For players who like the idea of a familiar electric-guitar vocabulary but want something outside the usual production-line choices, this is a particularly interesting example of Todd D’Agostino’s approach to building guitars.
