Archtop Guitar Dealers Now Featured on Fine Archtops

Fine Archtops continues to grow and become the Internet’s No. 1 resource source for archtop guitars, and as a result, we’ve expanded our purview to include archtop guitar dealers.

Now, visitors are able to find information of some of the most prominent archtop guitar dealers. The three we’ve added so far have a great deal of experience in the custom archtop market, and has an excellent track record in selling custom archtops.

Many of the luthiers at Fine Archtops have had long-standing relationships with individual dealers, and new archtops may be commissioned and sold through these vendors.

Here are the dealers now featured on FineArchtops.com:

Larry Wexer

Larry has over the past 25 years gained notoriety for being an expert with vintage and luthier-built guitars from D’Angelico, Stromberg and D’Aquisto to the finest, modern luthiers. Larry has always had a passion for archtop guitars, which can be seen by taking a visit to his website, which is a cyber journey into his Manhattan shop. Additionally, he done freelance consulting for Christie’s Auction House, evaluating acoustic guitars in Eric Clapton and Richard Gere auction sales.

George Gruhn

For over 50 years, George Gruhn has made himself known as the one to see if you’re looking to buy a stringed instrument: new, used or vintage. Customers to Gruhn Guitars have included some of music’s heavyweights, including Clapton, Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney and many, many more. Visiting his website will take you to diverse inventory of luthier-built archtops, vintage guitars and other, fine fretted instruments.

Tom Van Hoose

As a world-renowned expert and collector of custom and vintage archtop guitars, Dr. Thomas Van Hoose is well known among archtop guitar fans for his expertise in custom and vintage instrument history, assessment and valuation. In 1991, he founded Van Hoose Vintage Instruments, which is dedicated to bringing the finest guitars in an open, friendly and honest manner. 

International Guitar Month | Fine Archtops

April is International Guitar Month. It began in 1987 by the National Association of Music Merchants and the Guitar & Accessories Marketing Association as a way to help retail guitar shops generate interest in their stores. Today, International Guitar Month is celebrated, without sponsorship, by guitar enthusiasts around the world. International Guitar Month is a special occasion to celebrate the vast and wonderful world of guitars. It is a time when all guitarists can connect, no matter what type of guitar is their specialty.

Study Something New About Your Guitar

If you play a guitar, celebrate International Guitar Month by learning something new about it. Learn a new technique on it or educate yourself about the history of your guitar. Find out how the type of guitar you play is made. You might be surprised!

Learn to Play Guitar

If you don't play a guitar, International Guitar Month is the perfect excuse to learn how to play one. Research some local music shops and take a guitar lesson from someone in your community. Read a book or watch a video about guitars. There are many resources on this history of guitars, how they are made and more.

Share Your Knowledge

Share your knowledge about guitars with someone who has not taken the opportunity to educate themselves. Passing information around may inspire someone new to pick up a guitar. Motivate others to enjoy future International Guitar Months as a guitar player.

Together we can spread the joy of playing music. Pick up your guitar and play it or teach someone else how to play it. Learning new things can enrich anyone's life.

Start your education today by visiting our website www.finearchtops.com. Learn about archtop jazz guitars and the luthiers who have dedicated their lives to producing such a fine product.

Meet archtop guitar luthier Erich Solomon

Meet Erich Solomon, the newest addition to the FineArchtops.com family of luthiers.

For over 20 years, Solomon has honed his craft: archtop guitar building according to heirloom-quality standards. He combines innovative design and time-honored construction techniques to build his instruments, characterized by simple elegance, refined form, function and a distinctive sound that retains the punch and essential archtop qualities, but have more bass response, articulation, sustain, warmth and dynamic sensitivity.

His guitars are meticulously handcrafted, one at a time. Old fashioned values for classic instruments.

Learn more about Erich Solomon at FineArchtops.com.

Great Jazz Guitar Videos on YouTube

There’s nothing like hearing jazz guitar playing, and YouTube has more than enough to give you your fix. Here are some of our favorites:

A Russell Malone solo


Guitar master Jim Hall


The great Charlie Byrd

Latest Updates from Fine Archtops

There's been lots going on in the world of archtop jazz guitars, and here are a few highlights:

• Luthier Wyatt Wilkie was interviewed for the latest issue of Just Jazz Guitar
• Steve Anderesen recently announced his new Double-Top Archtop
• Luthier Cris Mirabella completed a guitar that was being built by Jimmy D'Aquisto at the time of his death
• Mark Lacey recently finished building six guitars for author/musician Rich Shapero

Keep checking Fine Archtops News & Events page for all the latest!

Playing the blues on an archtop guitar

One of the best things any archtop enthusiast can play on his or her guitar is the blues. Archtops are perfect blues guitars, and here are some videos from YouTube showing that to be the case:

Two New Archtop Luthiers Join Fine Archtops

The number of archtop guitar luthiers at keep growing at FineArchtops.com! Recently joining the ranks are Nigel Forster and Richard Heeres.

Nigel Forster always knew he would make custom guitar building his craft. At the age of 17, he trained under Stefan Sobell, a renowned British luthier. He stayed with Sobell from 1988 to 2004, when he opened his own shop. Forster's designs are unique, and may be the first new, real approach to archtop guitar making. 

Read the full entry on luthier Nigel Forster.

Richard Heeres trained as a cabinetmaker and mechanical engineer, and began making guitars out of necessity for himself. In 1992, his battered, old guitar given to him years earlier by his uncle finally gave out, and he built his own with master luthier David Freeman. He fell in love with the craft, and has been building guitars full-time beginning in 1988. 

Read the full entry on luthier Richard Heeres.

We're pleased to add the talents of Richard Heeres and Richard Forster to the FineArchtops.com family!