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Carved Archtop Guitar

comments (5) August 6th, 2009 in Reader's Gallery

okotok okotok, member
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Here's an archtop guitar I built recently. The top is carved from Western Red Cedar, the back from one piece of quilted maple. The neck is a lamination of Curly maple and Pau Ferro (Bolivian Rosewood) with a lacquer finish. Hope you like.

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Comments (5)

golfgloeckner golfgloeckner writes: Okotok;

A beautiful guitar! Well done!

To tell the truth, I didn't notice it until you had commented on the Cherry toolchest I made and told me you had made one substantially larger! It must have taken two men and a boy to get it upstairs; mine is heavy, even tho smaller!

But that's OK; someday in the far distant future, you can use it for a coffin!

It reminds me of the story my Dad used to tell about he and a friend building a canoe in the attic and then realizing they had no way to get it out!

You did a great job on the guitar!

Frank
Posted: 6:40 pm on January 19th

okotok okotok writes: Forgot to add that archtops are most commonly built with "F" holes, like a violin although the earliest Gibsons had an oval hole like mine or like a Selmer style like Django uses.
Posted: 11:19 pm on August 13th

okotok okotok writes: I appreciate the comments. I play this guitar a lot and really like the sound. It also has an electric pickup installed inside and not visible.

Django's instruments were not carved but had a bend or "pliage in the top. This guitar is based on the early Gibson archtops based on a violin style instrument and using Benedetto's plans as a base. The top was actually two 1" cedar boards joined. The back started out at 1" thick as well. The back ends up at approx. 3/16" thickness tapering to about 1/8" at the edges. The top approx. 5/16" in the center taper to approx. 1/8" at the edges or "recurve. It's carved by drilling out most of the waste and then using gouges, hand planes and then sandpaper.

Once again, thanks for the comments.
Posted: 11:17 pm on August 13th

Gezdog Gezdog writes: The guitar is certainly beautiful to behold, Okotok, and I commend you on your acomplishment, but I wouldn't be the first to point out that a guitar is only as lovely as it sounds, so you are clearly not afraid of robust comment from our fellow woodies who also happen to be musicians! Would I be correct in assuming the instrument resembles the Selmer Maccaferi guitars popularised by Django Reinhardt? Well done,regardless!
Posted: 6:38 am on August 13th

Jurgen01 Jurgen01 writes: If this guitar sounds even half as good as it looks, it is a treasure. It would be difficult to be near this instrument and not want to touch it.

Beautiful work! Well done.
Posted: 4:30 pm on August 11th

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