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The cherry on top really makes the dessert. This Black Cherry archtop from famed Montreal luthier Michael Greenfield was originally commissioned by Jacques-André Dupont for his Red Guitar Collection in 2009. As such, Michael gave this 17 inch archtop, built with a Super 400 in mind, a sienna red sunburst over the Bigleaf Maple back and sides and European Spruce top. Michael enlisted the enviable skills of inlay maestro Larry Robinson for the pinup girl and cherry inlays along the fretboard and headstock (inspired by a pinup girl-clad gum display rack Michael spied at a local restaurant). A Kent Armstrong Alnico 3 pickup is mounted to the Ebony pickguard, custom built for this guitar to match the fretboard radius and tighter string spacing.
Of tone, this Greenfield’s flavor avoids the saccharine maraschino cherry altogether, instead favoring the dark, complex palette of the morello cherry. Michael’s F holes have a wider aperture than the traditional L-5, so there’s a snappier and crisper response than the Gibson grandaddies. A slim 1 23/32” nut harkens back to the feel of a Super 400 and keeps the strings within easy reach of the player's left hand for complex jazz chords and solo runs.
It’s safe to say, there’s not another Greenfield, let alone archtop, quite like the Black Cherry. Snag this delicious fruit while you can.

Other keywords: lutherie, l5, big leaf maple, western bigleaf maple. naple, jazz box, gotoh

Here’s a link to Michael discussing this guitar with Premier Guitar at the 2009 Montreal Guitar Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W3WzCDVZ30

Bring to mind the video of John Lennon and Yoko Ono for “Imagine.” You know the one: it begins with the two walking along a misty path, and before long John is sitting at an all-white piano in an all-white room of an all-white country estate singing one of their most famous songs. Tom Ribbecke took this alabaster image to heart when he first conceived of this particular Halfling pin bridge archop project.

Indian Rosewood back and sides are paired with a three-piece Maple neck Cedar top which are both painted a creamy white. Simple Ebony bindings and trim delineate Rosewood from Spruce, and the Ebony pickguard and bridge set off the milky expanse of Ribbecke’s Halfling top plate—bass-side flat, treble-side arched—and the offset soundhole balances out the image. Beneath the hood lies a B-Band 22r UST pickup with volume control mounted inside the soundhole and terminates in the end pin jack. A 1 3/4” nut and 25.4” scale feel right at home on the gently curved C profile neck, and the setup is dialed in for slinky playability.

The voice is round, focused, and warm at the edges, with hints of punchiness in the bass. It’s not quite a flattop for brashness, and it’s not all the way an archtop for woof, but it blends the two in such a way that individual notes are three-dimensional and distinct, and they have a habit of hanging in the air. It’s easy to spend a long time exploring the tonal (to say nothing of the visual) nuances of Ribbecke’s unique top voicing techniques and the ability of his pin bridge archtops to provide a unique flavor to a wide range of genres and playing styles.

Here's an additional demo with Al Petteway: https://youtu.be/sXXxoe8VWgw

True balance is a rare thing in this world. Poised perfectly between bass and treble, sustain and attack—a rare thing. Tom Ribbecke’s Halfling top threads the needle just so. Check out Al's demo for this Indian Rosewood & Cedar Halfling pin bridge archtop, listen for the roundness of the treble response and just a tinge of Cedar warmth in the lower register to brighten up the bass. There’s an archtop-esque pop to individual notes that allows for flatpicked passages to stand out, and lots of headroom for chord vamping and accompaniment.

Ribbecke blessed this neck with an oil-slick setup that practically plays itself. When we experimented with dropped tunings, the voice remained crisp and focused and cut well. On top of all of this, a B-Band UST for amplification with volume control tucked into the soundhole.

This Ribbecke was held in inventory by the company to allow it to fully cure and mature, and has never been sold or used. We’re selling it for a good cause: proceeds will go to a fund raiser for the Celebration Lutherie Education Fund (CLEF) hosted by the Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration. Click here to see what they’re all about: https://tinyurl.com/y87fm5ly.

Dale Unger is well known for creating great archtop guitars for Jazz players. Here we have an American Archtop 'American Dream' model with Flamed Maple Body and Top. It has several upgrades including an Armstrong pickup, ebony tuner buttons and the Violin Burst Finish that is simply stunning. This guitar is perfectly setup and plays fast and easy. Both the acoustic and electric sounds are full and punchy.

Here we have a mint condition Andersen Emerald City 17" Archtop Guitar. This work of art is one of Steve Andersen's most ornate models, beautifully guilded with Deco Mother-of-Pearl appointments on the headstock and fingerboard and handcrafted bridge, pickguard and tailpiece. But the tone is what we are all smitten with here. Acoustically this Emerald City Archtop Guitar from Steve Andersen has a warm, rich and strong voice. It's punchy, but beautiful and clear. The Benedetto humbucker captures the full voice when amplified. It plays like a dream and has been kept in mint condition by it's original owner. This is one of the finest archtops you'll find.

This is Brian Applegate's expression of the modern Archtop guitar complete with 2 interchangeable pickups. Impeccable build quality, top notch woods and superb playability make this an Archtop guitar that you should be sure to consider in your quest. This Applegate guitar comes with both a Kent Armstrong pickup and an Appelgate Singlecoil. These are plug in pickups that can be changed in seconds or you can go completely acoustic. Very cool indeed!

We love an archtop that has a strong acoustic quality, and this one has it in spades. When an Archtop is vibrant and lively unplugged, that energy comes through the amplified tone and gives it life. That's what you get from this Applegate Archtop, real tone and energy that makes your music better.

The Hollow Standard is one of a series of guitars that luthier Matt Artinger is building for Dream Guitars. Incorporating sophisticated design and refined appointments, this beauty is a great fit for playing any genre of music. The combination of the carved mahogany top and back, plus the Cat's Eye soundholes, and ebony tailpiece make tremendous visual impact. There is also a custom paint job on the top of the back by Justin Barnes (JBGrafix, he was the original painter on American Chopper...painted thefirebike, jetbike, lance armstrong bike, Comanche bike, etc). The Electric City RD59 pickups yield tones that sound great clean or distorted. It also comes in a luxurious faux alligator Cedar Creek case.

We've got another gorgeous offering from the workshop of Matt Artinger--a 2015 Venetian Hollow in European Spruce and Mahogany! Between those choice woods and an all-East-Indian-Rosewood neck, this electric guitar is dressed to the nines with an Electric City Artinger humbucker pickup and gold Waverly tuners.

A smoking Jazz machine with the single pickup, this semi-hollow is much lighter than a typical Jazz box, and is easy on the left hand with an oil-finished neck profile and slinky low action. The voice has a gorgeously clear bottom end, with a middle register that has an articulate punch that's excellent for fingerstyle arrangements and present, crisp trebles. And when we cranked the amp to 11, all that clarity and drive was still there, ready for some Jazzy action!

With just a few moments on this Victor Baker "Bop" Archtop guitar you can tell it was made by a player. Only a builder that is also a great player can achieve this level of feel in an instrument. The neck profile is wonderful, the fretwork is great and everything about the way it fits in your arms is right. This 17" "Bop" Archtop from Victor Baker has a big acoustic voice that is deep and alive, plugged in you get an accurate recreation thanks to the Kent Armstrong handmade humbucker. Volume and tone as well a Delta Series Gotoh tuners with a 21:1 ratio make this a sincere musician's tool for gigging or woodshedding.