The evolution of the archtop acoustic guitar has made a lot of sense. It was designed for acoustic rhythm volume back in the 20's, and stayed that way until amplification opened the door to many other options. At that point archtop remained a mainstay only in jazz, but were fitted with pickups, rendering the original form pretty much obsolete.
Decades passed, and eventually both archtop luthiers and guitarists became interested in archtops again as an instrument style in its own right. Not because it was necessary for something anymore, but because it was desirable as a thing of aesthetic beauty and a vehicle for the craftsman's vision to be expressed. But now, because the archtop guitar's former musical niche was no longer an overriding concern, archtop luthiers tried new things - exploiting and tweaking the platform to see how it could sound if different variables were modified from the original classics.
And so here we are. At this time the archtop guitar market offers just about everything: Classic rhythm machines that hearken to yesteryear, with parallel bracing and lots of midrange volume; "modern" sleek touch-sensitive parlor instruments that flit between the sonic territories of steel flattop and nylon, landing in some unique hybrid place. Traditional looking things; outlandish things.
They run the gamut described above. In the future, it would be great to see some really new archtop acoustic guitar design elements and a bit less focus on slaying the customer with overwhelming aesthetic details. It has caused archtop guitars to enter the realm of the luxury item
Decades passed, and eventually both archtop luthiers and guitarists became interested in archtops again as an instrument style in its own right. Not because it was necessary for something anymore, but because it was desirable as a thing of aesthetic beauty and a vehicle for the craftsman's vision to be expressed. But now, because the archtop guitar's former musical niche was no longer an overriding concern, archtop luthiers tried new things - exploiting and tweaking the platform to see how it could sound if different variables were modified from the original classics.
And so here we are. At this time the archtop guitar market offers just about everything: Classic rhythm machines that hearken to yesteryear, with parallel bracing and lots of midrange volume; "modern" sleek touch-sensitive parlor instruments that flit between the sonic territories of steel flattop and nylon, landing in some unique hybrid place. Traditional looking things; outlandish things.
They run the gamut described above. In the future, it would be great to see some really new archtop acoustic guitar design elements and a bit less focus on slaying the customer with overwhelming aesthetic details. It has caused archtop guitars to enter the realm of the luxury item
To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.
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