Vintage archtops do not hang on our wall in large numbers the way flat-tops do. Good ones surface a few at a time, get bought by people who have been waiting years for exactly that one, and disappear. So this page is usually short, and what is on it changes
The real question is which kind of archtop you want, and no amount listing to demos is going to 100% answer it. A carved solid top and a pressed laminate top are different instruments doing different jobs, and neither one is the lesser guitar. Body depth and width change how it sits against you and how it behaves once there is a loud amp in the room. A full-depth carved 17-inch and a thinline are both archtops and share almost nothing else. Archtops are not a sideline for us, which is why we can talk this through properly. That means we will tell you honestly when a vintage instrument is the right call and when a modern one will get you there for less money.
Every guitar here is documented for originality before it is listed and set up on our bench first, since an archtop with a poorly fitted bridge is not telling you the truth about itself. Tell us what you play and what you wish your current guitar did differently, and we will point you towards the right one. Some people settle it over the phone and have the guitar shipped. Others drive in from across New England to spend an afternoon with it at our showroom, about 20 minutes from downtown Boston.
