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Add to CompareBrand New Tad Brown CC Gold, Red Maple/Adirondack Spruce
Are we excited? That’s an understatement. We’ve just taken on our first archtop from Southern California’s own Tad Brown—and this brand new CC Gold model is a dream come true. Honey amber hues abound with Red Maple back and sides and a Red Spruce top, pale Maple bindings (rounded for such a lovely play feel), and a CC Pickups ES250 Charlie Christian pickup. Slim, slim play weight (just a hair over five pounds, depending on how heavy your strings), combined with those rolled bindings, makes for an effortless player; setup is gossamer from tuner to tail. Rosewood center strip along the back of the neck as a nod to the vintage Charlie Christian ES-175s, and Tad extended that motif for the pickguard, cello bridge, and tailpiece in Rosewood. The ES250 Charlie Christian pickup is strong and crisp when playing electric, and this CC Gold offers a vibrant and balanced acoustic tone as well. One of our favorite Jazz players, Sean McGowan, plays Tad’s instruments—and we can’t think of a finer recommendation than that.
Other keywords: arched top, lutherie, luthier, boutique guitar, f holes, wavily, calton, fingerstyle, p/up
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.225 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Maple - Red 
Add to CompareBrand New Tad Brown CC Gold, Red Maple/Adirondack Spruce
Folks get ready! We have another CC Gold Archtop from Tad Brown that’s an absolute beast. This beauty features Old Growth Adirondack Spruce, Red Maple, and African Blackwood. The pickup is an authentic reproduction of the original 1930’s Gibson Charlie Christian pickup. Nearly all modern reproductions are substituting with compact alnico magnets for convenience, however this one notably features the real deal genuine full size cobalt steel magnets, made by CC Pickups in the UK. Jazz guitarist Sean McGowan plays a Brown CC Gold as well.
Other keywords: andy jurik, duane simpson, fingerstyle, jazz box
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.225 in Woods Spruce - Adirondack (Red), Maple - Red 
Add to Compare2021 Buscarino Rhapsody, Mahogany/Sitka Spruce
According to the dictionary, the word ‘rhapsody’ means: ‘an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling.’ This is an appropriate name for this 2021 16″ Archtop from John Buscarino. It features 100-year-old aged and seasoned Sitka spruce on top, with lightly figured and flamed mahogany for the back and sides. The guitar includes Buscarino’s signature leaf soundport, EVO frets, a Buscarino humbucker paired with a James May Ultratonic pickup system that can be blended via controls on the floating pickguard, which is made of Malaysian Blackwood. Nearly every other appointment on this guitar — including the fingerboard, adjustable bridge, tailpiece, and headplate — is also crafted from Malaysian Blackwood.
Other keywords/misspellings: Luthier, lutherie, bespoke, asheville, hollowbody, jazz, gotoh, hiscox, DS04128221
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Mahogany 
Add to Compare1996 Buscarino Monarch Archtop, Flamed Maple/Sitka Spruce
Full size, full tilt, full frontal: our 1996 Buscarino Monarch Archtop in Sitka and Flamed Maple. This is the cream of the archtop crop from ’96 that’s been waking up handsomely in the intervening years, and is now oh so wide awake. AA aged and seasoned Sitka Spruce top pairs up with an AA aged and seasoned Flame Maple body and a 17” lower bout, Abalone tree of life fretboard inlays plus Burl headstock veneers and Scheller M6 tuners. Benedetto humbucker with volume at the pickguard, and a 25 inch scale that’s just so easy on the hands. This is a showstopper Buscarino Monarch—you won’t want to put it down.
Other keywords: jazz box, arch top, big-leaf, custom guitar, B1029795, arched top, duane simpson
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.688 in String Spacing 2 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Maple - Figured 
Add to Compare1994 Buscarino 17″ Archtop, Quilted Maple/Spruce
Somehow John Buscarino manages to coax a huge amount of power and presence out of his tops while also maintaining clarity and articulation—this gorgeous 17 Inch Archtop from 1994 exemplifies that with a silky setup to boot. AAA Quilted Maple back and sides paired with Spruce on top, a Benedetto humbucker with volume knob on the guard, and 25” scale for sweet, sweet trebles. This beauty has opened up handsomely in the almost three decades it’s been making music, and it’s set up for another three!
Other keywords: jazz box, arch top, big-leaf, custom guitar, AT0719794, arched top, duane simpson
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.68 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce, Maple - Quilted 
Add to Compare1998 Buscarino 14-String, 5A Bigleaf Maple/Sitka Spruce
This one’s in a category all its own. In 1998, renowned teacher and music writer Robert Yelin commissioned this force of nature 14-string archtop from the one and only John Buscarino, and the result is quite a unique piece. The 14-string setup is essentially a 7-string Jazz guitar in double courses, with the additional strings adding a low B (or A, or C) to the bass register. There is a long line of 7-strings in Jazz, but this is the first time we’ve seen one set up with octave strings. You’d be amazed how much color and flexibility that single string (well, double) adds to your playing.
Tuned to A, chord positions which root on the 5th string suddenly have a fat bottom end when you fret on the seventh pair, instead. Or you leave it at B for easy access to more legroom for those walking bass lines. John built this one out with carved 5A Bigleaf Maple back and sides and a Sitka Spruce top, Maple bindings, and a flower-and-vine inlay scheme along the fretboard and tailpiece. The neck carve has a wide, shallow profile that’s comfortable in hand, and the setup has the classic silk smooth feel we’ve come to expect from every Buscarino.
Other keywords: jazz box, arch top, big-leaf, custom guitar, 14 string, RY0150699
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 2.125 in String Spacing 2.5 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Maple - Bigleaf 
Add to Compare1997 Buscarino Artisan Custom Maple/Sitka
All you jazz box aficionados, gather round: we’ve got a contender for the finest Archtop of 1997 on the line here. If it comes from John Buscarino’s shop, you know the guitar’s going to have golden tone, and this Maple-and-Sitka–Spruce beauty has the looks to match. An Artisan Custom, this Archtop has a single Lindy Fralin Humbucker pickup below the fingerboard which cranks out some of the fattest, juiciest tone we’ve seen in a jazz box in a long time.
In this guitar, traditional aesthetics (see the Ivoroid bindings and MOP-and-Abalone parallelogram fret markers) are married to contemporary voicings to give the guitar classic looks and an increased dynamic range. When the low-end warmth and mellowness that we expect from vintage archtops combines with these trebles, rich and bright with a well-defined edge, you get an Archtop perfectly set up for fingerstyle jazz comping and solos. Just under 20 years old, this Artisan Custom is fully opened up and ready for more action!
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.06 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Maple 
Add to CompareBuscarino Virtuoso European Maple/Spruce
A king among Jazz boxes! Whenever John Buscarino’s hands touch wood, the wood sings. This, his top-of-the-line Virtuoso, is no less than what we’ve come to expect from his guitars: strong attack, flawless construction, a hearty, meaty tone with that big jazz box feel, dynamically voiced for rhapsody or jitterbug.A gorgeous set of European Maple has here been paired with a European Spruce top to produce a muscular sound, with very present trebles with great sustain, and a fat low-end dripping with sweet sustain. For such a large-bodied guitar, it is surprisingly gentle to play, thanks in part to Buscarino’s glossy Nitrocellulose finish and glass-smooth neck profile, but it’s the little details and appointments which really let this looker shine. Featuring bound F-holes, Burl headstock veneers, Maple bindings throughout, and a laminated tailpiece and pickguard which exhibit gorgeous alternating bands of Ebony and Maple. Of course, let’s not forget his custom floating Humbucker pickup or the fleur-de-lis inspired soundport on the upper bout–a motif which is returned to in both the headstock inlays and in the tailpiece.With warmth like a roaring fire, and attack like lightning, this Virtuoso is ready to get down to the business of making music.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce - European, Maple - European 
Add to Compare2006 Buscarino Virtuoso Big Leaf Maple/European
The Virtuoso model is John Buscarino’s Masterpiece design. This is the very model that exemplifies what John does as a luthier. Only the absolute finest materials are chosen including Flamed Big Leaf Maple and Burled woods. Only the most intricate details are employed including the mother-of-pearl ‘Virtuoso’ banner and delicate fine line purflings. This one also included custom soundport cut into the side bout as well. One minute with this guitar in your hands and you understand why George Benson, Gene Bertoncini, Steve Morse and so many other top players have selected John Buscarino to craft the guitars that make there music. This Virtuoso comes to us from it’s original owner in like-new condition. The acoustic voice is alive and rich and plugged-in it’s a knock-out. Truly a Dream from John Buscarino.
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.81 in String Spacing 2.13 in Woods Spruce - European, Maple - Bigleaf 
Add to Compare2013 Comins “Black Tie” Classic, European Maple/European Spruce
Sharp dressed for a special occasion–this 2013 Black Tie Classic from Bill Comins is appropriately named. European Maple back and sides with sweet figuring pairs with X-braced European Spruce on top, understated Ebony appointments, bridge, tailpiece, and pickguard, and outfitted with a floating Kent Armstrong humbucker. Together in a 17 inch package, the result is a classically modern archtop that plays like glass in your hands. The acoustic voice is punchy and quick, even with flatwounds, while the amplified tone is thick, expressive, and dynamic. This Comins Black Tie Classic is one-hundred percent the professional, dressed to impress and ready to sing.
Other keywords: lutherie, fingerstyle, duane simpson, arch top, euro spruce, blonde
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.125 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - European, Maple - European 
Add to Compare2017 Comins Salutation Archtop, Flamed Maple/Sitka Spruce
This 2017 Salutation model from Bill Comins feels right at home in your hands after the first chord. 16 inches across the lower bout with a 6 pound playing weight, this Salutation is extra comfortable and comes setup for fast action with the 25″ scale and 1 11/16″ nut. Flame Maple back and sides (and neck), with Sitka Spruce on top plus an upgraded black chrome Kent Armstrong pickup and gold Waverly tuners with Snakewood buttons. This Salutation model comes with smooth S holes to match the curvaceous lower bout and cutaway. The Salutation stripe motif extends from the headstock veneer to the pickguard, tailpiece, and heelcap.
Other keywords: comins guitars, duane simpson, lutherie, luthier, 0289, fingerstyle jazz
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.688 in String Spacing 2.063 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Maple - Flamed 
Add to Compare2016 Jackson Cunningham L5, Figured Maple/Adirondack Spruce
Here’s a chance to land a gorgeous interpretation of the classic Gibson L5, this time from Jackson Cunningham of Virginia. Red Maple back and sides with Red Spruce on top, Flame Maple neck with gold hardware and a spirit varnish sunburst finish. The neck profile is a little extra crazy, which feels very comfortable and easy in our hands, and the setup is effortless to boot.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, jazz box, l-5, the cunningham, shade top, 1612, waverly
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.75 in Nut Width 1.688 in String Spacing 2.188 in Woods Spruce, Maple - Figured 
Add to Compare2017 D’Ambrosio Angel City, Italian Maple/Alpine Spruce
A heavenly host indeed. This is Otto D’Ambrosio’s full-size, 18” archtop, the Angel City, here rendered with pale Alpine Spruce over Italian Maple, plus Flame Maple bindings and appointments throughout. Otto’s been in the lutherie business since he was a teenager, working at the fabled Mandolin Brothers repair shop. Later with Flip Scipio and even John Monteleone, and even later with Guild, Otto has had his hands on hundreds of instruments, which experience has informed his present day builds. In this Angel City we can definitely see the influence of Monteleone at the soundholes and headstock, for instance. Across the board, this instrument is exquisitely crafted for an effortless playing experience—a 18” archtop which doesn’t feel like a 18” archtop in your hands. Otto has included an Armstrong pickup integrated into the Maple pickguard, but you’ll find the volume and tone knobs are integrated lower down, into the chrome tailpiece itself. This allows the right hand to very easily reach the knobs without having to stretch your arm further out and across the guitar.
This is the kind of instrument that checks all the boxes: flawless execution, playability, and elegance.Other keywords: duane simpson, fingerstyle, jazz box, arch top, 02213, gotoh
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25.4 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - Alpine, Maple - Flamed 
Add to Compare2012 Forster “Charlie,” Carved Maple/European Spruce
In Nigel Forster’s “modern classic” archtop stable, his Charlie model comes to us with carved Maple back and sides, carved European Spruce top, and an innovative “long neck” design that marries electric guitar sustain and playability with the resonance and dynamic range of an acoustic instrument. Here with a handmade Kent Armstrong AlNiCo III Jazz humbucker and old school paper-in-oil capacitor with volume and tone knobs recessed under the Ebony pickguard, compensated zero fret and saddle, and Maple neck, our 2012 Forster Charlie cuts a fine figure, and plays flawlessly and spot on all across the board. The neck is 1.75 inches at the nut, giving the left fingers a bit more room to stretch out, and the Armstrong humbucker is a powerhouse pickup for everything from Jazz to Blues, and even further afield.
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, n.k. forster, archtop guitar, evo frets, cutaway, stefan sobell
SOLD Read moreScale Length 25 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2.125 in Woods Spruce - European, Maple 
Add to Compare1991 Gibson L-4 CES Master Model, Mahogany/Spruce
Black as night and sweet as sin. This 1991 Gibson Master Model L-4CES is a tall, dark drink of water with a wide range of tones under the hood. Warm neck position down to a quacky bridge position with strong motown vibes; it does it all, and so well at that. Mahogany body with Spruce top, three-way toggle, twin humbuckers, and gold hardware throughout. Parallelogram position markers, 1 1/16″ nut width, tortoise-style pickguard.
Other keywords: duane simpson, fingerstyle, jazz, arch top
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.625 in Nut Width 1.688 in String Spacing 2.063 in Woods Spruce, Mahogany