Archtop Guitar - Why A Number Of Guitarist Give Preference To This For Their Music

Egmond archtop - body
Photo by simonm1965

Of the various types of guitars available today, one worth considering when deciding which guitar to use for learning to play is the renowned Archtop Guitar.

Archtop guitars are favored by players in every genre due to their volume, resonance, and tone. While archtop guitars may not excel in certain aspects compared to other guitar types, understanding why they are designed the way they are can enhance your musical experience by playing the instrument as intended.

The Archtop guitar, also known as a blues guitar The Annals Of Blues Guitar - The blues guitar is a genre of music that can be vocal, instrumental or both. It primarily uses the 'blue' notes, which are based on a 'minor pentatonic' scale, also known as the blues scale. Blues music originated in African-American communities in the U.S., drawing from work songs, spirituals, field hollers, chants, shouts, and simple… , is a steel-string guitar with a distinctively curved waist and a unique sound associated with archtop and blues genres. As a result, archtop guitars have earned the nickname “archtop boxes.”

Archtop guitars were initially developed for rhythm accompaniment in mandolin orchestras and later gained popularity in jazz and dance bands. They are designed to produce notes with maximum force, making them louder than flattop guitars while maintaining a distinct character.

Archtop guitars typically feature three-on-a-side pegheads and necks that are similar in width to steel-string acoustics rather than electrics. Higher-end models often have “block” or “trapezoid” position markers.

The top (and often the back) of an archtop guitar is either crafted from a solid block of wood or constructed using laminations through heat pressing, which is a more cost-effective construction method.

The waist of an archtop guitar usually features two f-holes, with the lower one partially covered by a scratch plate raised on the body to prevent dampening of vibrations. The arching of the top and the f-holes are reminiscent of the violin Play the Violin - A Whole Novice's Guide - The violin, also known as a fiddle, is a bowed string instrument. It has four strings that are tuned in perfect fifths. The violin is the smallest and highest pitched member of the string instrument family, which also includes violas and cellos. Although playing the violin can be quite challenging, when mastered, it produces a… family, upon which archtop guitars were based.

Various types of spruce, such as European spruce, Sitka spruce, and Engelmann spruce, are commonly used for the resonant tops of archtop guitars. Some guitar builders also employ Adirondack spruce (Red spruce) or Western red cedar.

The early acoustic archtop guitars were designed to enhance volume, which is why they were built to be used with relatively heavy-gauge strings. Even as electrification became popular, jazz guitarists continued to use strings of 0.012 gauge or heavier for tonal reasons.

Visit our website and explore our free Archtop Guitar section, which offers a series of lessons where you can learn new chords and rhythm patterns. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to play the song “The Midnight Special” along with the Jamorama band.

Manuel Marino

Manuel Marino is a seasoned Senior Producer, Music Composer, and Artist with over a decade of experience. He specializes in branded entertainment across various mediums, including video games, films, and advertising campaigns. With 20+ years as a game music composer, Manuel has worked on numerous platforms, creating diverse orchestral soundtracks. HIRE ME