Quilted Archtop

This is an outstanding example of a series of five archtops that I built in 2002. This particular guitar has many unusual features. Look for the volume and tone control knobs. Under the pickguard so the player's hand never touches the controls unless he/she wants to. Probably one of the prettiest pieces of quilt maple I have ever seen! It was downright scary carving it! Check the "In The Shop" for a detailed pictorial of the construction of this guitar. All of the outside carving was done with a chain saw blade on a grinder. All of the inside carving was done on a pin router! The bridge was designed and executed by Mario Martello. It has no pinwheel adjustments. Rather the bridge adjusts by turning a small screw which moves two triangular pieces underneath the bridge in or out; effectively raising or lowering the bridge. It makes a world of difference in the coupling of the bridge to the body and that translates to MORE VOLUME! This guitar also has another pickguard without a pickup should it be used as strictly an acoustic instrument. Changing it out requires loosening one screw.


Back of Headstock
Back of Headstock
Pickguard assembly
Pickguard assembly
Back
Back