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.