Advertising for Archtop Guitar Luthiers

Hey, archtop guitar luthiers -- interested in acquiring more leads? Wish you could advertise to potential archtop guitar customers who want a hand-made guitar, but don't know where to start?

Having your biography placed on FineArchtops.com ensures that you'll be found by anyone searching the Web for archtop guitar luthiers. Not only that, but you'll be listed along with the best of the best -- the most well-known and well-respected archtop luthiers on the North American continent.

Click here to begin the sign up process. A monthly subscription is $35 a month, and allows you to place a short bio on FineArchtops.com, as well as link to your website (if applicable).

List of Guitar Luthiers

Archtop guitar luthiers are a rare breed. Only 100 or so of these talented guitar makers are located in North America, and not many are easy to find with an online search. If you want an archtop guitar built, how do you find a qualified luthier?

Easy -- FineArchtops.com. Fine Archtops is a website where luthiers and potential customers can connect in order to create the archtop guitar of someone's dreams. The website is more than just a list of guitar luthiers -- it offers a bio about the luthier and links to that individual's website (if one exists). In addition, Fine Archtops also helps archtop guitar enthusiasts find the right accessories.

Visit Fine Archtops today to get started on building your new archtop guitar!

Archtop Guitar Makers

Archtop guitar enthusiasts often enjoy the pastime of collecting guitars as well as playing them. Often times, however, it's difficult to find archtop guitar makers, especially ones whose work you like. That's why we created FineArchtops.com, to connect archtop guitar devotees with luthiers who custom craft these guitars.

When you visit FineArchtops.com, you're presented with 25 different luthiers who have chosen to make themselves available to archtop guitar lovers. Being enthusiasts themselves, they understand how difficult it is to find the artisans who create these beautiful instruments, and jumped at the opportunity to connect with fellow players and collectors.

Visit the Fine Archtops website at FineArchtops.com to get started on your journey today!

What We Do at Fine Archtops

Let's say you want a custom, hand-carved archtop guitar created. How would you go about doing that? Like most, you might search for someone who makes these types of guitars using a search engine. But there are many websites that aren't the official websites of archtop luthiers, and you might spend hours, if not days, searching for someone who can create the guitar you want. And when you finally find that person, they might be too busy! There has to be a better way, and there is -- Fine Archtops.

On the Fine Archtops website, you're connected with archtop guitar luthiers and their websites. Because we've partnered with these luthiers to list their bio and information on our website, we know the information is current. By following the link to the luthier's website, you'll be able to get in touch with them about building the archtop guitar of your dreams.

Visit the Fine Archtops website today, browse around and get to know the luthiers we've partnered with to help bring more archtop guitars into the world!

Archtop Guitar Accessories

If you're an archtop guitar enthusiast, you know that the guitar is just part of the overall experience when you're playing and performing. That's why we've added an Archtop Accessories page to the Fine Archtops website.

We've linked to several companies who sell accessories like jazz amplifiers, speakers, pickups, cables, effects, strings, cases, and many other types of archtop guitar accessories.

Click here to visit our Archtop Accessories page, or give us a call at 612-366-7120 if you want to add another archtop guitar to your collection!

Archtop Guitar Market

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

To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

How to Choose the Right Wood for your Custom Archtop Guitar

If you are planning to have an archtop luthier make a custom archtop guitar, one of the most important choices you'll make is the kind of wood for the back and sides of your archtop guitar. This is typically referred to as tonewood and different wood types are going to product different sounds when your archtop guitar is finished. There are plenty of quality tonewoods available for your use, but if you're searching for a specific sound, you want to be sure to choose the correct wood type or you'll end up disappointed with your guitar, and you don't want that, especially after all the work that goes into making it.
In this article, you'll find information about some of the most popular tonewoods used when building a custom archtop guitar and the sounds that they will give you.
Brazilian Rosewood: An extremely popular wood choice in the construction of classical guitars, this wood is difficult to get and is often expensive because it's considered an endangered species. It's a beautiful wood though and produces a sound that is deep and warm.
Mahogany: From South America, this wood is yellowish-brown or reddish-brown in color and is an extremely sturdy wood. It's considered to be a very beautiful wood and is a popular choice as well. Tonally, it will give you a strong loud sound and a very warm mid-range.
Rosewood: Here's another extremely popular choice for a tonewood when building an archtop guitar. It features a beautiful appearance and has dark purple, red, and brown grain. The sound that this wood produces is beautiful, with a deep, warm bass response.
Curly Maple: This is an extremely hard wood and has a bright sound.
Koa: Found only in Hawaii, this wood can be expensive and is extremely popular in the construction of the ukulele. It's a beautiful wood with a golden brown color and it features dark streaks and a gorgeous natural sheen. The sound that it produces is extremely balanced because its bass response is less than what you will find with rosewood and its treble is less than that of mahogany.
There you have the major tonewoods that are used for the backs and sides of archtop guitars. Take your time choosing the wood that's right for you and you'll end up with an instrument that plays exactly how you want it. In fact, it's best if you take the time to play some instruments that have been made with each of the tonewoods mentioned here in order to see what you like best, especially if you are not familiar with them.
To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

Why Play an Archtop Guitar?

Why would you want to learn to play the archtop guitar? Because you love the sound, because you love the feel of the guitar, maybe your hero in your favorite band is the lead archtop guitar player. Whatever your reasons, you have decided to learn and are looking for a quick route to stardom.
Contrary to popular belief, learning to play the archtop guitar is relatively easy. Like anything in life you need to be shown the basics and then it is just a case of practice makes perfect.
Although some people are naturally talented when it comes to musical instruments I have yet to see a student who picks up an archtop guitar and immediately blasts out a classic. To play guitar to a good level takes a lot of dedication and practice.
Although all this dedication and practice sounds like hard work it really isn't, if you have decided to go this far the chances are that you will actually enjoy the endless twanging that is needed to become competent.
Where to start?
Your starting point is your equipment. We always recommend you start with an electric archtop guitar. They are far more forgiving and easier to play than an acoustic. At the very least you will need a guitar and an amp.
You have your archtop guitar, your amp and a plectrum and you are ready to begin. First you need to tune your archtop guitar. There are various methods to do this ranging from simply tuning by ear to some ridiculously complex methods. By far the easiest way is to use a guitar tuner. These are cheaply available on the internet or from your local music store and are really easy to use. There are even apps for most smart phones as well as web sites that have guitar tuners.
There really is no excuse for not tuning and it is essential that you your archtop guitar is tuned, if you can't get hold of a tuner for some reason just pop into your local musical instrument store and they will be happy to tune it for you.
Guitar Chords
Chords are the basis of the guitar sound. Whenever you hear a big chorus in a song, these are chords. Chords are generated by playing 2 or more notes at a time. This sounds difficult but it just entails holding down 2 or more strings at a time whilst strumming the guitar. You should start with the C chord as this is the easiest to play and can be used endlessly. You play the C chord as follows:
• Index finger just behind the first fret on the second string (B).
• Middle finger, just behind the 2nd fret on the forth string (D).
• Ring finger behind the third fret on the 5th string (A).
• The first and third string are played open, whereas the 6th string is not played at all.
There are many more chords to practice and practice makes perfect. Practice swapping between chords as this is where most people fall down and can make the difference between sounding mediocre and sounding great.
Practice makes perfect but the right equipment can help tremendously!

To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

Archtop Guitar History

In 1894, Orville set up shop as O.H. Gibson, Manufacturer, Musical Instruments. Surviving examples of his workmanship—early mandolins, archtop guitars, harp guitars and such curious experimental designs as a lyre-mandolin and harp-zither—are ornate and exquisitely detailed. Now as it so happens, Kalamazoo was the epicenter of the American furniture industry, and in a whimsical fluke of destiny—like some odd confluence of Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Ford—five local businessmen decided to ground Orville Gibson’s baroque visions in the great American entrepreneurial tradition of capitalization and modern production techniques—they hoped to propagate an entire new generation of American string players. They realized that there were more efficient ways to compartmentalize the individual steps and streamline the construction of Gibson’s fretted-string designs—although handcraftsmanship remained a fundamental component.
Thus in the fall of 1902, Orville entered into an agreement with these Kalamazoo businessmen to establish the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Company, Limited. In exchange for a lump sum of $2,500 and a series of monthly payments, Orville Gibson authorized the new company to make use of his name, transferred his original 1898 patent for an archtop mandolin and undertook a two-year program of tutelage. The company subsequently expanded on Orville’s best ideas while dispensing with his idiosyncrasies. Yet ultimately it was the achievements of these early Kalamazoo craftsmen and their descendants that perpetuated the Gibson name, even as the company’s marketing mavens conveyed Orville’s mystic sense of superiority with the born-again fervor of a missionary. It was the golden age of string bands.
In various incarnations, the Style O remained Gibson’s top-of-the-line model into the early ’20s, when in 1919 the brilliant composer, acoustical engineer and string player Lloyd Loar was hired to head up the Gibson design team. And though Loar didn’t actually build any archtop guitars, like a great editor or conductor, he harmonized the collective talents of his designers and archtop luthiers into a consonant whole, leading to the development of a celebrated family of Mastertone instruments (bearing his personal signature of quality): these included the famous Mastertone banjo series, the F-5 mandolin, the H-5 mandola, the K-5 mando-cello and in 1924, the trendsetting L-5—America’s first f-hole archtop guitar.
The L-5 consolidated all of the Loar team’s patented breakthroughs for fretted-string instruments for the first time in one guitar. With the invention of the truss rod in 1922 by Orville’s old crony Ted McHugh, the old triangular style necks could be streamlined and the playing action slackened. And the L-5’s elevated fingerboard, height-adjustable bridge, floating tailpiece and elevated pickguard allowed the top to resonate as freely as possible. This original L-5 had a three-piece neck, a small 16-inch body (of spruce and birch, then maple), and a 24-inch scale length (to further reduce string tension and soften the action). Popularized by Italian émigré Salvatore Massaro (better known as Eddie Lang), the archtop orchestral guitar became the preeminent rhythm and solo voice in the earliest days of recorded jazz, and its dominance as a rhythm instrument in the swing era spawned a new generation of enhanced models, beginning in 1934, when the L-5’s own body dimensions were expanded to 17 inches and its scale-length increased to its present 25 inches: the classic noncutaway design Gibson recently honored with a Custom Shop reissue.
Its pervasive influence was subsequently reflected in the work of gifted archtop luthiers such as Epi Stathopoulo, Elmer Stromberg and John D’Angelico, who expanded on the ideas of Orville Gibson and Lloyd Loar with important refinements of their own. As a result, in one form or another, Orville Gibson’s vision of an archtop guitar has endured for over a century. Even today, despite the practicality of solid-body electric icons like the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul, semiacoustics (such as the original Gibson ES-335 and the new Paul Reed Smith Archtop Guitar and Hollowbody designs) and electric-acoustics crafted entirely from pressed laminates (such as the venerable Gibson ES-175), guitarists remain enamored with the rich sonority, depth of tone and acoustic intimacy of a handcarved archtop guitar. Thus 21st century luthiers find themselves happily occupied with adventurous custom orders from jazzmen and intrepid hobbyists, inspired to experiment with new combinations of materials and construction methods—because while the modern player hungers for something timeless, inevitably, as the music moves forward, they’re drawn to explore something new.
To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

Custom Archtops in the Making

Born in 1856, Gibson was an obsessive, eccentric genius in the great American poetic tradition of Stephen Crane, Herman Melville and Walt Whitman. He worked around Kalamazoo, Mich., in a number of odd jobs, but his skills as an archtop luthier and woodworker were such that he tried his hand at building musical instruments. His contempt for other instrument makers was immense, as was his belief in himself and his conviction that the sonority and projection of arched tops, backs and rims carved from solid pieces of unstressed tone woods was inherently superior to that of instruments formed from flat sheets and bent strips of tone wood.
In effect, Gibson adapted European violin-making techniques to the construction of mandolins and custom archtop guitars—where the top acted, the back reacted and the chamber resonated. “I don’t necessarily see one as having an advantage over another,” opines Seattle luthier Steve Andersen, whose archtop guitar and flattop designs have been championed by the likes of Bill Frisell and cartoonist-collector Gary Larson. “I started out building a traditional flattop, and in the last 10-12 years I really focused on the custom archtops. To me they’re both very valid instruments.”
“What the archtop guitar does best is make the sound of each string very clear, punchy, powerful and focused,” explains Stephen Grimes, a master luthier operating out of Hawaii who has built custom archtop guitars for George Benson, and is currently collaborating with the jazz guitar legend on new signature models for Ibanez. “The flattop guitar is a very full sounding guitar without a whole lot of projection. If you were to stand 100 feet away and listen to them both, you’d hear the distinct notes of each string on the archtop guitar, whereas the flattop would be little more than mush.”
By today’s standards, Orville’s original instruments, such as the classic Style O archtop guitar, were built like tanks. Orville experimented with different styles of internal bracing, various tone woods and huge hollow necks, trying to enhance the overall sonority and resonance of his instruments until each note could be plainly heard. Ultimately he selected spruce for the top because it was light, malleable and lively—it transmitted vibrations directly across the grain. He used maple for the back and rims because it was hard, dense and stable—it could reflect and sustain tone. Starting with a thick quarter-sawn board, Gibson would sketch a silhouette of the instrument, saw away excess wood, scallop out the insides and shave down the outsides to form a flexible arched diaphragm, graduating the tops and backs by shaving and sanding, tapping the wood as he went along, until he’d achieved the optimum shape, thickness, sonority and sensitivity.
To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

The Evolution of Archtop Guitars

When Chip Stern first brought his Johnny Smith Gibson to luthier James L. “Jimmy” D’Aquisto’s Farmingdale, Long Island, workshop in 1973 for a fret job, it was the beginning of a lifetime friendship that cemented my fascination with the archtop guitar, an instrument indelibly fixed in the collective consciousness due to the big band craze of the 1930s, and its role as the instrument of choice amongst jazz guitarists from Charlie Christian on up.

Like many youngsters, my first encounters with archtop guitars took place while trudging my way through the Mel Bay Method for a succession of teachers with bad complexions and big Italian cheesecake guitars, generally the Excel or New Yorker models crafted by the Lower East Side luthier John D’Angelico—D’Aquisto’s mentor. Plucking away on my $35 Danelectro hollow-body electric (a harmonious marriage of prime Formica and Masonite), I was in awe of these larger-than-life instruments, with their warm, penetrating sound—bejeweled as they were with ornate abalone and mother-of-pearl inlays, gold-plated fittings and elegant cream bindings. Following the elder D’Angelico’s death, Jimmy D’Aquisto was defined by that tradition and extended it—a source of both great pride and frustration for this bold, gifted artisan.

“He was torn between that world, and what he thought was right,” according to friend John Monteleone, a master archtop luthier from Long Island with a formidable reputation among players and collectors. “It must have consumed him, because he was a passionate, imaginative fellow, who really had the creative juices flowing. You see, when you begin to wrestle with these materials, you get used to dealing with it according to your experience. So people like Jimmy and I used to think about things a lot from a player’s point of view, and that gives you ideas, and when you have ideas, you tend to want to try them out. Some things may not turn out to be all that good; it’s just as valuable to learn what is wrong as what is right.”

To this end, D’Aquisto was always pushing the envelope. In the mid-’60s he began routing out acoustic tone chambers from solid pieces of maple, then sealed them with a carved spruce top for an instrument that looked and felt like a solid body, but sounded like an amplified acoustic archtop. And by the end of his life, with the Solo, Avant Garde and Centura models, D’Aquisto zeroed in on a more personal sound, feel and aesthetic, replacing those obtrusive plastic pickguards with a sleek ebony finger-rest, experimenting with height-adjustable ebony tailpieces and larger bridges in an attempt to fine-tune the down tension of the instrument’s top and voice through external adjustments. “Instruments back then were not designed to be played the way that you’re playing today,” said D’Aquisto. “They were designed for a specific style of playing. I know. I was there making ’em. An archtop guitar was made to have a penetration and a cutting power that would project. It’s the king of guitars, and there’s no limit to the number of ways you can voice a custom archtop guitar. But while the music’s changed, we’re still employing technologies of the ’30s.”

Veteran luthier Robert Benedetto, whose custom archtop guitars are employed by virtuosos like Jimmy Bruno and Jack Wilkins, the tried and true remains relevant. “The so-called ’30s technology really hasn’t changed,” he asserts. “Those fundamentals still work, and I have yet to see anything, from any makers, myself included, that constitutes a meaningful improvement. I guess that makes me the doubting Thomas of luthiers, and sure, there have been a lot of refinements: the tops and backs are being graduated and more finely tuned now than they were in the past, resulting in a guitar that should mature to have a better voice as it is aged. But I don’t see any radical changes in jazz or playing styles or the instruments themselves.”

Clearly, archtop luthiers differ as to whether the archtop guitar is best regarded as a finished painting or a blank canvas upon which to depict fresh tonal colors. “If you give everyone the same ingredients and recipe to make this guitar, they’re all going to come out different,” concludes Monteleone, bespeaking the enduring originality of this instrument, which like the country that bred it, is equal parts Yankee ingenuity and old-world artistry, dating back to the post-Civil War vision of Orville Gibson.

To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

Archtop Guitar Building

Trying to build that perfect archtop guitar? Here are some pictures to inspire you:

(From BarkingDogGuitars.com)

(From JoeDragonny.com)

(From Guitarrez.com)

To get in touch with archtop guitar luthier, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com. 

Custom Archtop Artistry

Archtop guitars fall into two groups: acoustic and electric. Acoustic archtop guitars are sometimes amplified with a floating pick-up, and electric archtop guitars have pickups set into the body.

Traditionally, great archtop guitars are built around a top and back that are carved, inside and out, into thin arched surfaces, which produce exceptional volume and tone. This process takes a lot of time by a highly-skilled craftsperson. Needless to say, these great archtop luthiers don’t come cheap. It is not a coincidence that these Rolls-Royces & Bentleys of the archtop guitar world cost more than Chevrolet & Fords of the archtop guitar world.

It is time for the jazz guitar education community to acknowledge the profound influence of guitarists on modern jazz, and to embrace the universal popularity of this instrument.

Most of the custom archtop luthiers in the world of higher jazz education know that the guitar is like the disenfranchised, problem child of the jazz guitar program. There is but one chair in the big band of vocal jazz group for a guitarist. He or she “chonks” away at the chords and battles with the keyboard player for comping duties, or dukes it out with 15 horn players for solo space. Small wonder archtop guitar players often prefer to return to the garage with jam buddies for after-school sessions, with no support, guidance or interference from anyone except mom and pop, who reluctantly contributed the garage space.

There is a short of music and playing situations in schools for archtop guitarists, where the music directors are seldom guitarists themselves. To make matters worse, the archtop guitarists are likely to be interested in genres that the music director is unfamiliar with, and not have the inclination to coach classes that don’t come with a “custom built archtop” repertoire for that instrument.

Today, archtop guitars are largely built by specialized luthiers. If you're looking for a custom archtop guitar, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

The Quest for Acoustic Sound

For the last 60 years, therefore, the archtop jazz guitar has been amplified, with either one or two pick-ups installed, the latter typemaking for a more versatile instrument. Be that as it may, one of the clear object that is good acoustically. But to produce a top-quality acoustic archtop is the sternest test of any luthier, experienced or otherwise. Having been to the workshops of highly regarded builders such as Ribbecke, Benedetto, Campellone Grimes and Monteleone, I know that everyone of these luthiers is deeply absorbed in making archtops of the highest caliber, acoustically speaking. Benedetto’s 25^th Anniversary Model, Monteleone’s exquisite “Radio City” model, Campellone’s “Special”, Grimes’ “35^th Anniversary Limited Edition” and Ribbecke’s “25^th Anniversary Edition” all come without pick-ups (though one can be added if desired). One only has to consult books like “The Acoustic Guitar” by N. Freeth and Charles Alexander, or “The Blue Guitar” by Ken Vose to reveal the extent to which luthiers are committed to producing beautiful acoustic instruments.

Yet the unassailable fact remains that the vast majority of jazz guitars are supplied with pick-ups. Some luthier builders employ one floating pick-up; others have one or two builtin. The key point here is that market conditions determine the nature of guitar, both its shape and looks, as well as its individual appointments.
Looking for an archtop guitar luthier? Fine Archtops hosts a directory of guitar makers who can make your dream custom archtop. Find the list at www.FineArchtops.com

Acoustic Archtop Guitar

The archtop guitar is largely synonymous with jazz in the context of public performance, in a small group line-up. In pre-amplification days fine archtops were somewhat large in body size and parallel (or near parallel) braced. In rhythm playing in the big bands this formula gave the archtop guitar a cutting edge and the big sound guitar players wanted. When instruments were fitted with pick-ups and amps, it was given to players to put the jazz guitar on the musical map as a solo instrument. Not only was the archtop guitar now able to hold its own in the big bands as a solo instrument, it was only a matter of time when the fine archtop guitar would fit in with diverse musical configurations. But whether in solo performance or in the midst of bands, the archtop guitar needed amplification if it was to be heard in the public forum.

If you're looking for a custom archtop guitar, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.

Making an Archtop Guitar

When you’re trying to make an archtop guitar, keep the following in mind:

• Read Robert Benedetto’s “Making an Archtop Guitar,” which is the leading authority for building custom archtop guitars.
• Don’t let the implementation of arched plates set you back. Perform the need intermediate steps and don’t skip over anything!
• Look online for videos of archtop guitar building to see if any inspire you.

Trying to find an archtop guitar luthier? Then contact Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com. 

Archtop Guitar Facts

Just beginning to learn about archtop guitars? Here are some facts you should know before buying your first archtop:

• The guitar as it’s known today dates back to 40 AD, when the Cithara was taken to Hispania from the Romans.
• The most ancient iconographic representation on the guitar is an over 3,000-year-old carving of a bard playing a guitar.
• Archtops are designed in a curve instead of the more common flat style, with magnetic pickups and flat-wound strings.
• Acoustic guitars emit sound using a soundboard, typically a wooden mount on the front of the design.
• Guitars have been made out of mixtures of different woods, and strings made from animal gut.

Looking for an archtop guitar luthier? Fine Archtops hosts a directory of guitar makers who can make your dream custom archtop. Find the list at www.FineArchtops.com. 

Archtop Guitar FAQs

Thinking about buying an archtop guitar? Be sure to take a look at the following list before you make your purchase:

Are archtop guitars right for me?

Ask yourself how you plan to use the instrument. Will you play it at gigs or is just for strumming at home? Will the gigs be at quiet affairs or loud clubs? Archtops are known for having the best acoustic tone with the least tolerance to feedback. If you plan to play at toned-down, coffeehouse-type affairs, then an archtop is best. However, if you plan to gig in noisy clubs, you might want to look into something else.

Which size is best?

You want to be able to comfortably play the instrument, so picking a size should be based on this. The typical sizes for jazz guitars are 15”, 16”, 17” and 18”. The larger bodies have a more bottom-end sound and acoustic volume than the smaller ones, but the bigger ones can be more difficult to play. Figure out what size you are most comfortable playing and stick with that.

What kind of pickup is best?

Floating-type pickups sit above the guitar and are attached either to the neck or the pickguard. Mounted pickups are more full sized, and are akin to the traditional humbuckers. It depends on your preference and the type of tone you want from your guitar.

If you’re looking for a custom archtop guitar, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com to find a list of guitar luthiers. 

A Brief History of Archtop Guitars

The archtop guitar dates back to the 19th Century when Orville Gibson, believing unstressed wood had superior vibration characteristics, carved the guitar's sides and tops from blocks of wood. In 1902, Gibson formed the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company, having applied four years prior for a mandolin patent that would enhance the instrument's power and quality of tone. Gibson's mandolin differed from traditional mandolins in that it an arched top and back, like a violin, and lacked many of the internal features (blocks, bridges, etc.), as he felt those robbed the instrument of much of its tone. Gibson's technique was expensive, but continues today in some models of archtop guitars, as it makes for a better, louder sound.

These early archtop guitars were made with cello-like bridges and tailpieces, which meant the neck had to form a particular angle with the soundbox. The guitars had an oval sound hole instead of the now famous "f" hole of later instruments, which was implemented in 1922, when the Gibson Company hired Lloyd Loar to redesign its instruments. The Gibson L5 was at the time a flop, but still remains in production and is highly revered.

Archtops were made subsequently by guitar luthiers and guitar manufacturers like Gretsch and Epiphone. Jazz and country acts adopted the guitar as its own, with big archtop guitars becoming an integral part of each genre's sound, especially jazz. Archtops are known commonly as jazz guitars.

Electric archtop guitars become common in the 1950s, as manufacturers developed amplifiers with more power. This was popular with jazz and country musicians, and helped laid the groundwork for what would become rock 'n' roll. However, interest declined in the 1970s and 1980s as many players switched to solid body guitars. Archtop guitars became popular again in the 1990s, with luthiers innovating the design while making them attractive to collectors.

Today, archtop guitars are largely built by specialized luthiers. If you're looking for a custom archtop guitar, visit Fine Archtops at www.FineArchtops.com.