Custom archtops offer a one-of-a-kind look and sound

Fine Archtops, a company devoted to linking custom guitar buyers to luthiers, explains the differences between custom archtop jazz guitars' body styles and the advantages of each style.
Are you a rocker? A picker? Maybe you prefer country music? No matter which style of music you prefer your best bet for your custom archtop jazz guitars is a solid body. According to Steve Wagner, owner of Fine Archtops, "A semi-hollow body produces a nice sound, but sometimes there are issues with feedback"

One can find a nice standard stock archtop guitar but when musicians are searching for that unique sound a custom archtop jazz guitars is really the only option. And with such a complex and rich sound, these are the guitars most people associate with jazz music. A custom archtop guitar allows each luthier to create a unique, one-of-a-kind identity and sound for a future player. Now how does one get their hands on a custom archtop guitar?

The access to these beautiful works of art is easier than you might think. Fine Archtops bridges the gap between custom archtop jazz guitars enthusiasts and the luthiers who make these lovely instruments. The luthiers featured on Fine Archtop's websites are the some of the best in the business, as each one of them pours hours of their time, love and attention into every custom guitar they make.

To find out more about Fine Archtops, browse their luthiers, look to purchase or simply learn more about custom archtop jazz guitars, visit visit our website.

New Archtop Guitar Dealers Added to FineArchtops.com

Fine Archtops recently unveiled our archtop guitar dealers page, which started with three of the most prominent dealers of archtops. Now, we’ve expanded the page to feature seven dealers, and hope to continue to keep building on this momentum.

New additions to the dealers’ page include:

Stan Jay

With friend and partner Harold “Hap” Kuffner, Stan Jay started Mandolin Bros. in 1971, setting up shop in the heart of Staten Island. Hap left the store in 1982, but Stan has continued the store, becoming one of the largest dealers of vintage and new fretted instruments. The shop was named as “the best guitar store in New York” by New York Magazine, and Mandolin Bros. has sold instruments to top musicians like George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. The store does not carry just anything, as Stan is careful to choose only the best instruments from top manufacturers and the finest of today’s luthiers.

John Reynolds

John Reynolds won’t display a guitar he himself doesn’t want to own. Whether it’s new or used, John’s shop, Golden Age Fretted Instruments, displays some of the finest guitars imaginable. In recent years, John has developed an appreciation of modern, handcrafted guitars, and he has formed business affiliations with several FineArchtops.com luthiers. For John, it’s all about relationships, from the customer’s relationship with Golden Age to their relationship with the instruments.

Dave Rogers

Beginning in July 1982, Dave’s Guitar Shop in La Crosse, Wisc. has gone from featuring 17 guitars of Dave Rogers’ own stock to becoming one of the nation’s largest and most reputable guitar shops. Dave’s Guitar Shop is 20,000 square feet of new, used and vintage electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers and accessories from top manufacturers and independent luthiers. The shop has done business with many guitar luminaries, including Joe Walsh, members of Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Keith Richards and Vince Gill.

Buzzy Levine

Guitar players, collectors and aficionados have trusted Buzzy Levine for over 30 years. His long list of happy and satisfied customers include legends like Billy Gibbons, Jackson Browne, Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Brian Setzer, Bucky Pizzarelli and more. From its humble beginnings performing all aspects of stringed-instrument repairs, Levine’s Lark Street Music now features new and used acoustic and electric, while continuing to specialize in repairs, restorations and appraisals.

Nate Westgor

Located on a quiet Saint Paul street corner, Willie’s American Guitars and owner Nate Westgor have formed close relationships with many of yesterday’s and today’s biggest starts, like the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Eric Clapton and more. Over the past 24 years, the store has become a popular destination for touring guitarists and bands. It’s become a gathering place for local guitarists and musicians to find unique and hard-to-come-by instruments.

Pete Wagener

The only job Pete Wagener has ever had has been working at Lavonne Music, the business started by his father when Pete was in grade school. For over 20 years, Pete has been the store’s owner. His passion has been to collect archtop guitars, and has included every archtop made by Gibson, in every color. His collection and inventory features archtops from Epiphone, D’Aquisto, Stromberg and many, many more. Pete is respected as a leading archtop authority. 

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. 

Meet Archtop Luthier Jef Demers

Jef Demers

The latest addition to the archtop guitar luthier roster at FineArchtops.com is Jef Demers. Since 1999, Jef has owned and operated Demers Guitars, building 15 guitars a year, which are in high demand from archtop enthusiasts. Each of Jef's guitars is a single project, and every piece and part of the process is looked over with a great deal of attention.

Here's what Guitar Noize had to say about his work:

I’d never heard of Demers Guitars before but I stumbled upon this very fine looking guitar and was intrigued. At first I was drawn in by the Bigsby Trem and P-90 pickups but there is far more to this guitar like the AAA Flame Maple top on a Swamp Ash body, Mahogany neck with Ebony fretboard and laminated Carbon Fibre headstock with Sperzel TrimLock tuners.

Visit Jef Demers' page on FineArchtops.com.

Guitar Luthier Doug Harrison Joins Fine Archtops

Guitar luthier Doug Harrison

The Fine Archtops staff is excited to announce that luthier Doug Harrison has joined our site.

Doug Harrison began building archtop guitars in 1992, and his work is nothing short of spectacular. His work has appealed to the most discriminating guitar players and collectors, as only the best products are used in his products, and the sounds are incredible and the instruments effortless to play, thanks to Doug spending years on examining the dimensions of sound production.

For more information on Doug Harrison and other luthiers, visit www.FineArchtops.com. 

The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the Archtop

When Lloyd Loar joined Gibson in 1919, the guitar world was turned on its head. Loar, who himself was not a luthier, but was a part-time musician and consultant to companies like GM and others, came in and took the famous guitar company by storm. Loar is credited with creating much of what today's archtop guitars feature: the arched top, floating bridge, and f-holes. Musicians of the time loved them.

Of course, different waves of music pushed different types of guitars into the spotlight, and in the 1950s, solid guitars took over, and many musicians left archtops behind. When compared to some of the more sleek solids, the archtop looked much larger and old fashioned.

Fortunately, the archtop would experience a renaissance. In the 1990s, some musicians started to come back to the instruments, and their popularity began to rise once more. Like the saying goes, "Everything old is new again." Archtop guitars are no different. Still today, they're sought after instruments, and luthiers are booked years into the future to build custom guitars for interested customers.

Are you thinking of having an archtop guitar built on your behalf? Check out Fine Archtops and get in touch with a skilled archtop guitar luthier today.

Archtop Guitars from our Facebook Community

Last week, we put out a call for those in the Fine Archtops Facebook community to post a photo of their favorite archtop guitars. We got a great response, and would like to put the spotlight on some of the guitar photos that were posted. As always, if you're on Facebook, we'd love for you to like the Fine Archtops page and share your own guitar photos and stories.


This 15-inch Elm and Purpleheart belongs to Daniel Whitt.


Peter Warmington's custom-built archtop. One of its unique features is a trilogy bridge that can drop the low string from E-D-C, and can also drop other strings a half step.


A 2001 Gibson ES165 Herb Ellis, belonging to Dennis Shea.


Maurício MI's Benedetto 16-B.

Are you a fan of archtop guitars, or are you looking to have a custom archtop built? Check out the Fine Archtops website at FineArchtops.com.

NEW! Archtop of the Week

If you're reading this blog post, chances are, you're a big fan of archtop guitars. So are we, and we're always looking for ways to bring more interesting archtop guitar-related content to the Fine Archtops website, as well as our communities on Facebook and Twitter. One interesting suggestion came in from a user on Facebook, suggesting that we have an "archtop of the day/week/month" feature.

We love the idea, and we're going to run with it.

So here's what we're going to do. Each week, we'll put out a call to our friends on Facebook and Twitter to provide us with a photo or two of an archtop guitar they own, as well as a bit of backstory on how they ended up with the guitar. Then we'll publish the story on our blog as "Archtop of the Week!"

Interested in getting started today? You can post on our Facebook timeline, send us a private Facebook message, or tweet us to tell us more about your archtop.

Bob Benedetto: A Just Jazz Guitar Interview

After his 60th birthday, Bob Benedetto wasn't content to retire and take it easy. Instead, he saw this milestone as the perfect opportunity to start a new journey; to strike out on his own once more and make guitars by himself.

Benedetto's relationship with Fender lasted seven years, and Bob said that he and the Fender family separated on very good terms. The opportunity was there for Benedetto to have his own manufacturing facility, and he felt he had to take it.

But will Bob continue making his own custom archtop guitars?

"In our new facility in Savannah, Georgia, I have set up my own personal workbench in my own corner of the building, where I will continue to make unique instruments as I always have," Benedetto said.

For fans of Benedetto's guitars, that news is certainly music to their ears.

You can read more of Just Jazz Guitar's interview with Bob Benedetto in the February 2007 issue.

Excerpts from Just Jazz Guitar's Interview with Steve Grimes

Steve Grimes is an accomplished archtop guitar luthier who some might say is living the dream. Originally starting his business in Washington State, Steve relocated to Kula, a small town situated 4,000 feet above sea level in Maui, Hawaii. This higher elevation and more consistent climate helps keep his shop dehumidified, which benefits his guitars tremendously.

Just Jazz Guitar asked Steve a little bit about his work in Maui.

JB: For your archtop bodies, what woods do you select for the top, sides, and back?

SG: For thirty-five years, I've been making archtop instruments almost exclusively from spruce and maple. Recently, hwoever, I've been making archtops with koa sides and backs. Koa is a very wonderful tonewood, with great variety in sound-producing characteristics.

You can read more from Steve's interview in the August 2007 issue of Just Jazz guitar magazine. And if you're interested in learning a bit more about Steve on the Web, you can visit his archtop luthier page on the Fine Archtops website.

Just Jazz Guitar Q&A with Luthier Bill Moll

Luthier Bill Moll

Over the years, Just Jazz Guitar has published several great interviews with many of the archtop guitar luthiers featured on FineArchtops.com. In August 2003, luthier Bill Moll was interviewed by the magazine, and talked about his early days building archtop guitars and his building technique at the time of the interview.

Here are some quotes from the five-page feature.

On the state of the guitar-building business at that time:

It’s always been my philosophy that you have to keep guitars in an affordable range. While many guitar prices have gotten astronomical, I can’t help but think that value has kept us thriving. I’ve noticed now that Guild has come out with a new model in a lower price range, (Jim) Triggs has come out with one, and (John) Buscarino came out with a laminated model in this range a while ago. It seems like everyone is realizing that we need to back up here and answer the call from the marketplace. It really had to happen, it was just a matter of time.

On differentiating himself from other luthiers:

Well, there’s value, track record and reputation, but our most frequent complement is on our sound. Right now, we are truly in the golden age of lutherie. There are more good makers than ever before. In fact, at least year’s New York show, I looked at the roster and about 75% of the names were unfamiliar to me. Higher-priced builders now have to compete with these makers who are building outstanding guitars and extremely high prices get more difficult to justify. Many of these new folks will have a tough time building recognition in the crowd, but there are several who will be contenders for many years to come.

On laminate vs solid-carved guitars:

I cut my teeth hand-carving violins and bows, so I never wanted to work with “plywood.” It wasn’t until I was approached to build a guitar for John (Pizzarelli) that I even considered it. John is all over the world and really has to have the climatic stability of laminated plates. Solid carved plates give me the ability to “sculpt” an instrument’s sound – to voice and tune the instrument, but the laminates sound a lot better acoustically than I thought they would at first. They also make it possible to build in a price range that people can more easily afford.

Just Jazz Guitar Talks with Gary Zimnicki

Archtop guitar luthier Gary Zimnicki

I didn't know anything about setting up the neck. A friend loaned me a guitar book. The last twenty pages covered how to build your own guitar, including some basic information about fret spacing. This was in 1976 and 1977. My first guitar was terrible, but playable. 

- - - Gary Zimnicki on his first guitar

In November 2000, Just Jazz Guitar ran a great interview with renowned archtop luthier Gary Zimnicki. In the four-page interview, Zimnicki talked about his early days building archtop guitars, and his building techniques. Gary was very honest about his progression as an archtop luthier, and it's why he's become one of the world's best.

A few quotes from the interview:

On his early guitars:

They had a good sound, but looked awful.

The writer, Mark A. Miller, on Gary's creations:

While visiting Zimnicki's shop, I had the privelege to try two completed 18-inch archtop guitars, a sunburst and a blonde. The sound holes on these guitars were located farther outboard than is commonly seen. Gary often places the holes outboard, allowing the maximum area of wood in the top to vibrate uninhibited. He feels that this contributes to a rich, full sound. These guitars were fabulous players with strong power sound. How I envied the lucky owner of the blonde! The sunburst model was also breathtaking, with a red spruce top, quilted maple back and sides, and maple binding. 

On meeting renowned luthier James D'Aquisto:

He (Gary) had always admired D'Aquisto as a great builder and as a pioneer in modern archtop design. Jimmy talked with Gary and encouraged him to try building an archtop. "Don't be intimidated," he said. With this encouragement, Gary bought the needed wood at the show, and within a year had completed his first archtop guitar. He still has it and keeps it for sentimental reasons. 

John Monteleone Interviewed by Just Jazz Guitar

Archtop luthier John Monteleone

Archtop luthier John Monteleone was interviewed in 2007 by Just Jazz Guitar magazine. In the eight-page interview, John talked about his "Radio City" model, and his experience building archtop guitars. The interview is a great read, and here are a few snippets from it:

On whether the design potential of the classic archtop guitar has been fully realized ...

John: There may yet be some areas to look into. If I were to wear a lab coat and be financially endowed by some illustrious patron, I could explore various avenues to improve on some aspects. The guitar history is still quite young, but I would say that the main parameters of the guitar have been established already. And when it comes down to it, the archtop must have certain parameters; it must be playable for example. Guidelines must be followed in order to make a guitar successfully.

On tap-tuning the top and back plates ...

Tap-tuning is misleading when people believe that luthiers tap-tune an instrument. That means that you are tuning a specific piece of wood up to a certain pitch. For me, that does not allow for that individual piece of wood to emerge at its best possibility for tonal quality because it does not allow for a lot of things. It does not allow for density or weight, and no two pieces of wood are going to be the same. Everyone knows that. The frequency in the wood is going to vary. When you work with wood, you become aware that it is beginning to vibrate and to pulse in a manner that is familiar to you. At that point, you know that that piece of wood is alive; it starts to shimmer. When I am tapping, it is not so much for frequency, but for the quality of tone, a resonance factor. 

On plastic vs wooden bindings ...

I use both for different reasons. When it comes to it, I can do without the inlay, but the customer cannot. The inlays do not make the instrument; they adorn it. I prefer to use wooden bindings because I have had to repair so many guitars with plastic bindings which have a limited lifespan. 

The interview isn't online, but you can order the issue of Just Jazz Guitar it's in by clicking here.

Ryan Thorell joins Fine Archtops

We're proud to announce that today, we've added famed luthier Ryan Thorell to the list of luthiers at Fine Archtops.

From his Cache Valley, Utah one-man shop, Thorell operates Thorell Guitars. It's been a love of his since he was 13, when he built his first guitar. Since then, he has become an accomplished jazz guitarist and teacher, and has studied under notable luthiers such as Tim Gonzalez and Tom Ribbecke.

For more information about Thorell and Fine Archtops, visit www.FineArchtops.com. 

Archtop Guitars from FineArchtops.com

Archtop guitars have a long, rich history and a large following. First introduced in 1936, these guitars have provided jazz guitar enthusiasts with a unique handmade look and sound, though most modern archtop guitars from major guitar brands are now mass-produced.

Fine Archtops, a website created by archtop guitar connoisseur Steve Wagner, aims to connect luthiers (those who create archtop guitars) with those who want to order a quality, handmade archtop guitar. By clicking the "Archtop Luthiers" link on the website, you can view luthiers from across the North American continent.

Check out the Fine Archtops website today if you're looking to have a custom archtop guitar built for you or someone you know.

1945 Levin Archtop Guitar Shown & Played

Archtop guitar enthusiasts who are fans of the guitars from the 1940s will get a lot of enjoyment out of this. A YouTube user purchased a 1945 Levin archtop (originally built in Sweden) at an auction and decided to record a video to show it off to the world. The song he chose? "Wildwood Flower," by Mother Maybelle Carter.

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!