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.