Archtop Guitars

Cronin Guitars produces handcrafted archtop acoustic guitars. Four models are available; the Master, the Journeyman, the Artist, and the Bostonian. Each archtop model offers fine craftsmanship, with features including hand-carved, graduated, and tuned tops and backs. All guitar models feature Venetian cutaways, parallel-braced tops, and graphite-reinforced necks.

The Benedetto Archtop Guitars come in a variety of models such as: the LaVenezia made from flamed maple; the Manhatten with fine–lined binding package, unbound ebony fingerrest and Benedetto cello–style tailpiece; the Fratello for the discriminating jazz traditionalist; the Bambino Elite with master grade, hand carved spruce top featuring a flamed or quilted maple hand carved back with matching sides. At 14" wide and 2" deep, the Bambino Elite guitar is small in stature but huge in tonality and flexibility. Electric Archtop guitar models also available.

D'Ambrsoio archtop guitars come in three models. The first, Model O-One, is well suited for traditional and big-band jazz as well as contemporary acoustic fingerpicking. Its oversized sound hole projects and increases bass response, and makes it louder than F-hole archtop guitars. The second guitar model, Prelude 020802, is of thicker, heaver construction which makes it stable and capable of projecting an enormous tone. The body has 3" depth and flame maple binding, and it has a bright red translucent finish. Prelude 030503, the third archtop guitar model, is a round cutaway S-holed type with a dark brown amber finish. The top is Sitka spruce with a three-layer purfling and quilted maple binding , and the shape is an "A" neck measuring 1 23/32" at the nut and 2 3/32” at the 12th fret.

Buscarino Guitars have an excellent record of retaining or increasing their value over the years. Because of the small numbers of archtop guitar models they make in a year their guitars are much more valued and sought after by guitarists and collectors.

Comins archtop guitars are produced by Bill Comins in his Pennsylvania shop. Guitar model types include the Chester Avenue, the F Master, the Heirloom, and the Woodland.

Frans Elferink builds acoustic archtop guitars from air dried, well seasoned spruce and maple wood. There are a variety of guitar models including the Tonemaster, Excalibur 17, Excalibur 18, Moderne, and Jesse van Ruller. Archtop model widths range from 16" to 18".

The Gibson ES-175 archtop, full hollow body electric guitar is legendary. It can be said that this guitar did the same for the jazz world as the Les Paul did for the rock and blues genres. The ES-175 debuted in 1949 and is still going strong some 60 years later. It is a 24 3/4" scale full hollow body guitar with a trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge.

Hopkins archtop guitars are handcrafted by Peter Hopkins. He offers four models: the Contessa, Marquis, Monarch, and Monarch Regal. All archtop guitar models are made with AAA Sitka spruce and big leaf curly maple and offered in 16", 17", or 18" bodies.

DiPinto offers the Philadelphian archtop guitar. This is a full hollow body model with an arched, highly resonant plywood spruce top with Flame maple back/sides. The neck is made of maple while the fingerboard is rosewood with block inlays. The hollow body has a 3" depth and the guitar uses one floating humbucker pickup.

Andersen Stringed Instruments are handcrafted acoustic instruments in both the mandolin and guitar families. Archtop guitars and flattop models are available. Premium models come with premium and American tonewoods. Traditionally styled standard archtop guitars come with a 16", 17" or 18" lower bout.

Ellsberry archtop guitars are built by James Ellsberry. Crafted entirely by hand, these guitars are customized to individual player needs, from overall sound requirements to neck form and fit. Guitar models include the L-35 Electric, which has a spruce top, 15" wide body, 2-1/4 " depth, and Venetian cutaway; the Jazz Standard, which has a spruce top, 17" wide body, 3" depth, and Venetian cutaway or non-cutaway; and the Arch de Lutan, an archtop guitar with a bent wood top made from spruce and a 17" wide body, 3" depth, and Venetian cutaway or non-cutaway.

Siegmund makes three type of archtop guitars: acoustic, electric and resolectric. Their guitars are all entirely carved by hand using violin making tools, techniques and materials. They don’t use any power tools or computer routers. The acoustic archtop guitar models have European woods for the body, western big-leaf maple for the neck, ebony for the base, lignum vitae adjustable wheels, split herringbone bound f-holes and bone inserts. It is also assembled with animal hide glue and parallel bracing. The electric archtop guitar models have laminated maple tops, mahogany sides, rosewoods necks, Schaller roller bridges and a shellac/nitro finish. The resolectric archtop guitars have laminated walnut tops and backs, walnut sides and ebony necks. You have a choice of your size specifications.

Gretsch is primarily a hollow body electric guitar builder. They offer many models of both full and semi hollow body guitars. Some of their most popular full hollow body archtop models are the Brian Setzer, Chet Atkins, Falcon, Country Club and Anniversary series'. Gretsch also offers their Synchromatic Series of acoustic archtops.

Ibanez offers a complete line of full hollow body archtop electric guitars. The George Benson Signature comes in four models. The Artcore Custom is the flagship of the Artcore series. It boasts a beautiful maple body and maple/walnut set-in neck. The AK models steer clear of the bright sound of maple tops and metal bridges, replacing them with a spruce top and an all-wood bridge.

American Archtop Guitars are handcrafted by Dale Unger. There are a variety of models available including the Maple Top, Spruce Top, Legend, the Collector Series and the American. Archtop guitar standard features include 16" or 17" body, body depth of 2 5/8" or 3", 25" fingerboard scale with 21 frets, width of neck at nut: 6 string 1 3/4" and 7 string 2 1/16", and the fingerboard, bridge, fingerrest and tailpiece are all made of solid ebony. Curt Sheller and Pat Lenz - Joy Spring playing American Archtop guitars.

Builder of archtop guitars with a 17" lower bout, European maple backs and sides, European spruce tops and maple necks. The guitar scale length is 25 inches with 21 frets. Tim Reede archtop guitars use a two way truss rod. The design of the bridge is more like a violin bridge. For acoustic reasons the bridge has no metal parts that restrict the vibrations. A bone saddle adjusts the string height.

Washburn offers their Jazz Series full hollow body electric guitar models, comprised of the J7, J5, J4 and J3. The J7 has a maple body and solid spruce top. The J5 is an all maple body archtop. Both guitars come with a Venetian cutaway. The J4 features a Flame maple top and body, while the J3 has a standard maple top and body. These two instruments come with a Florentine cutaway.

Blanchard archtop guitars are made by Mark Blanchard and feature curly European maple back and sides, European spruce tops, maple bindings, ebony fingerboards, gold played hardware, and subtle amber burst finishes in 16" and 17" sizes.

Alan Beardsell builds all types of guitars, including his 7E electric/acoustic hybrid archtop. This guitar features an "A" braced top in maple or spruce, mounted on a chambered mahogany back. The open ports on the guitar's top are situated at the far edges. The bridge is a single piece of ebony with a bone saddle. The pickups are mounted to the center block of the back.

Tom Bills makes steel string acoustic, classical and archtop guitars. The Natura Deluxe is the only archtop offering and features Flamed Big Leaf maple with lacewood, koa and bloodwood accents. The top is made of master grade Sitka spruce. Double carbon fiber neck reinforcement is standard, as is a hand rubbed French polish finish.

J.W. Murphy custom archtop guitars are built by James Murphy in his temperature and humidity-contolled shop in Fenton Michigan. Each instrument is handmade from start to finish, with approximately 100 hours spent constructing each guitar. These instruments are meticulously handcrafted using only the finest materials. You can choose an archtop guitar from his standard models or request one built to your exact specifications and choice of materials.

Steven Andersen builds hand crafted archtop guitars, offering three models to choose from. The Gold Standard is at the top of the Andersen archtop line, featuring a German spruce top, German figured maple back/sides, a 3" body depth, Macassar ebony detailing, and 14k gold inlaid wire. The Emerald City is among the most ornate of the Andersen archtop guitars, featuring an Engelmann spruce soundboard. The Emerald City Reserve is built with a European spruce soundboard and European maple back and sides.

Greg German builds acoustic guitars with a primary focus on jazz archtop models. The Magnolia is Greg's standard archtop model. The DB7 is a multi-scale 7-string archtop guitar. The DB6 is a multi-scale 6-string model. Custom designs are available, as are acoustic flattop and electric guitars.

Cushman archtop guitars are produced by Matthew Cushman according to plans by Robert Benedetto. Standard guitar features include 17" body width, 3" body depth, maple neck, 25" scale, 21 frets, 12" fingerboard radius, and natural, blonde, or sunburst finish.

Builder of Signature Series custom archtop guitars, offering options such as design themes, wood selection, binding style, inlay patterns and finish colors. Overall sound and tone are thoroughly explored and discussed on an individual basis. Holst also offers Standard Series guitars available in three distinct forms.