Archtop Guitars: An Introduction to Arch Top Guitars by Thom Casey
The archtop guitar is a very characteristic style of the stringed instrument that was developed initially in the United States in the latter part of the 1900s. An arch top guitar is recognizable by the arched top and back, complete with teardrop shaped “f” holes in the body, akin to the kind you find in violins. Some are covered by a scratch plate raised above the guitar’s belly, so it doesn’t dampen the instrument’s resonance. Archtops are made with a very large sound-chamber which allows louder volumes even if the instrument is an acoustic. Arch tops possess a distinctive and impressive sound quality, and can be found in acoustic and electric versions.
Unlike many other guitars, archtops have retained their popularity and have been used across a wide variety of musical genres. Jazz guitar players chose archtop guitars as their guitar of choice, and players from Eddie Lang to Chet Atkins and John Lee Hooker to Eddie Cochran have all played archtops.
Orville Gibson pioneered this type of guitar, and many of the most famous archtops are Gibsons. The guitars advanced constantly during the 20th Century, assimilating aspects like cutaways, improved pickups and enhancements to their creation, which aided the acoustic sound. They were built originally with heavy gauge strings so the acoustic response was augmented, and many players choose to use heavy strings to this day.
Electric archtops became more common in the middle of the last century, as guitar makers developed amps with increased power. These became popular with many country and jazz musicians, and helped laid the path to what became known as rock ‘n’ roll. Interest, however, declined in the 1970s and 1980s, with many players switching to solid body guitars. In the 1990s, the guitar became popular again, and luthiers made innovations to the design while at the same time making them attractive to collectors.
Mass-produced archtops became cost friendly thanks to lower labor and manufacturing costs. Guitar companies like Ibanez and Samick jumped into the fray, and began to sell them thanks to their renewed popularity. Acoustic archop guitars also became fashionable once again during this period.
Famous models of archtop guitars include Gibson’s L-5, which first appeared in the early 1920s, with an electric model being released almost 30 years later; the Gibson Super 400, which replaced the L-5 as the company’s top model, as it offered more volume and had a wide body; the Gibson ES355, which was released in 1957 and assimilated the aspects of conventional design and solid body aspects; and the Gretsch 6120, an electric model which included a three-way selector switch, volume for two pickups and became popular with early rock ‘n’ rollers.
Fine Archtops is dedicated to helping loves of archtop guitars find an archtop guitar luthier to create their dream instrument. Find out more at www.FineArchtops.com.
About the Author
Thom Casey independently author’s articles for WebDrafter.com, Inc. http://www.webdrafter.com for SEM clients. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those solely of the author, and not of any other person, company, or organization. No guarantee or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, fitness, or use of the content herein.
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