The city limits jazz is a fully appointed all solid wood jazz archtop. Making an archtop guitar by robert benedetto the definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar by one of the most respected luthiers of the twentieth century. The archtop guitar is often credited to orville gibson, whose innovative designs led to the formation of the gibson mandolinguitar mfg. The title of this book is archtop guitars and it was written by rudy pensa.
The journey from cremona to new york pensa, rudy on. Archtop guitar building class american archtop guitars. All our books are shipped with care from our warehouse in the usa. Rudy pensa was born in a small suburb of buenos aires, argentina. Carved archtop guitars, probably more than any other plectrum instrument, offer the maker great latitude in voicing and tuning their individual response. Eastman t486rd thinline archtop double cutaway red. Saturday 26th of september john monteleone together with rudy pensa will present the book archtop guitars a journey from. European distribution for pensa custom guitars aclam guitars.
The journey from cremona to new york rudy pensa on. Dec 2, 20 this book presents the three master guitar craftsmen, john d angelico. Lh309 the loar archtop guitar, hand carved solid top with single p90. Making an archtop guitar is beautifully laid out, with supporting photographs and technical illustrations, plus. The most famous example is the hofner violin bass used by paul mccartney. International clients can also save on shipping and customs fees by using their national postal services as well. The definitive work on the design and construction of an acoustic archtop guitar by one of the most talented luthiers of the twentieth century. Among the nice archtops offered for sale is a gibson herb ellis, which is a lovely guitar. John monteleone, among one of the best guitar makers in the world. I built two acoustic archtop guitars and southeast technical college of red wing and for our graduation the school invited professional guitarists chris silver and mike cramer to come and perform.
Archtop guitar design and construction with robert. A lot of the books on guitar construction out there are little more than construction manuals. Only a sixstring archtop guitar with a 17 x 3 body will be offered. At the age of seven he asked his father to buy him a guitar. May 11, 2017 i built two acoustic archtop guitars and southeast technical college of red wing and for our graduation the school invited professional guitarists chris silver and mike cramer to come and perform. The webs premiere specialist in vintage jazz guitars. Richard autenzio has just launched a new site that offers australias best collection of archtop guitars and books for sale, that is. Modern archtop a reimagined gibson archtop taking cues from classic gibson archtops made nearly a century ago, this unique fullscale archtop uses modern construction elements while retaining a full, classic voice. The design was meant to increase the power and quality of tone an instrument was capable of, as described by orville gibsons 1898 mandolin patent, which also featured an arched top and back. Building an archtop guitar gibson l5 from bob benedettos. The catalog showcases 38 unparalleled creations from italianamerican luthiers john dangelico, jimmy daquisto and john monteleone as well as rudys reflections on their craft and their lives. A charismatic new yorker of argentine descent, rudy pensa has run his legendary ny soho store since 1978, selling guitars to the biggest names in the business, including eric clapton, lou reed, peter frampton, lenny kravitz and many others.
Interviews ive had the pleasure of interviewing some talented chicago guitarists and ed benson graciously published them in just jazz guitar magazine. In 2011 he published his incredible book, archtop guitars. Please make sure to enclose your completed form inside the instrument case, not the shipping carton. Sep 21, 2017 building an archtop guitar via will ehster archtop sizes. The creation of the natura elite archtop guitar by tom bills. Our shop has been around since 1978 and has served some of the greatest musicians in the world. While not a completely exact science, the voice of a given instrument can be vectored toward a given set of qualities that a player desires, via numerous. The journey from cremona to new york from author rudy pensa of rudys.
Sides and neck constructed from the finest figured flamed tiger maple grown. Click on the covers to read the interviews and visit the just jazz guitar website to subscribe to this wonderful quarterly magazine. Jan 10, 2010 just last week i purchased my first archtop an eastman 803 ce. The shop also had an 810ce which was very nice but i preferred the smaller body and full size humbucker. Tom is also the author of the guitar making bookdvd set the art of lutherie published by mel bay, and has written for and been featured in may publications both in print and online as well as several television and film spots. The 24 pieces were conceived for plectrumpick technique on an acoustic archtop guitar, but can also be played pick or fingerstyle on a regular steelstring, or even classical style on a nylonstrung guitar. Please email us for your consignment form at email protected. Here is my first archtop build, i have been doing solid bodies for the past 10 years or so. Archtop guitars are the most sculptural instruments in the guitar family.
Mel bay is today best known for his guitarmethod books, millions of which have. Rudy pensa is the owner of the legendary new york soho store, rudys music. Reliable customer service with an easy return policy. The spruce top archtop guitar is built on the prs acoustic design platform to create a robustly built instrument. I have to say im really impressed by this guitar, both acoustically and also plugged in.
At age 11, he was introduced to the electric guitar and upon hearing the beatles he dedicated himself. See more ideas about archtop guitar, guitar building and guitar. Archtops vary in size, generally ranging from 16 inches to 19 inches on the lower bout. Hancock guitars 20th anniversary 3piece back of australian blackwood. A basic introduction to the acoustic archtop guitar. My wife, shes an angel, bought me the book archtop guitars. If you aspire to being a luthier, not merely a builder of instruments, this book is the best investment you could possibly make. Rudy took to the instrument immediately and it has remained his lifelong passion. In this book you will join tom on his journey of creating a fine handcrafted archtop guitar. Our focus is still used and vintage instruments and we are actively buying any good quality guitars, banjos, mandolins and ukuleles by major american makers. Acoustic archtop guitar bracing bob benedetto the art of. Evolution jazz archtop covers all these styles with its flexible and highlycustomizable approach. It is all original from the tuning pegs to the tailpiece, bridge and pickguard. It was published by graphis and has a total of 432 pages in the book.
Benedetto walks the reader through all aspects of construction through to marketing your finished work. Hancock guitars classic archtop guitar in natural finish. A list of experienced us archtop luthiers jazz guitar online. Archtop guitar design and construction with robert benedetto. Join part a to part b, do this, then do that, build an exact copy of my guitar etc. We have a tremendous collection of oneofakind instruments from the best builders in the world, and have one of the most premier enthusiasts of modern archtop guitars on our staff.
Books recommended by luthiers or other guitar aficionados. From benedetto to eastman, we carry a wide range of archtop jazz guitars acoustic and acousticelectric, including many smalloutput, boutique, singleman builders. Please use caution, common sense, and safe buying and selling practices when using. Ive had the pleasure of interviewing some talented chicago guitarists and ed benson graciously published them in just jazz guitar magazine. As a bonus, the dvd set includes focusing on bridges and tailpieces, bobs 80minute examination of archtop guitar bridge and tailpiece design, and its effect on playability and sound. Author rudy pensa passionately traces these extraordinary handcrafted. Sep 18, 2015 luthiers who specialize in building and making custom archtop guitars. The invention of the archtop is currently credited to orville gibson, who carved the top and back of a guitar into an arched shape as opposed to using flat pieces of wood. This is a vintage framus sorella 16 12 archtop guitar made in bavaria w. Just last week i purchased my first archtopan eastman 803 ce. Jul 31, 2011 here is my first archtop build, i have been doing solid bodies for the past 10 years or so. Please call us if you are looking to sell instruments by martin, gibson, fender, epiphone, vega, gretsch, national, fairbanks.
With a thin body depth and floating lollar pickup, the cl jazz has exceptional tonal focus and acoustical response. When you come to the class, well provide you with supplies and tools, as well as personally supervise your building. The rudy pensa collection draws from rudys private collection to present the finest handcrafted archtop guitars, mandolins and mandolas that he owns through stunning photography. We will also pay well for musical antiquities and oddities of decent quality. Those who dont play guitar can still appreciate the beauty of an archtop guitar as a piece of artwork and craftsmanship. Shipping early in the week is a good idea, especially in summer or winter, so the parcel doesnt languish in a warehouse over the weekend.
Vincent ricardel website and the book s dedicated archtop guitars website. The top appears to be solid spruce and the back looks like birch. With almost 20 years of experience in custom guitar making, the author details the stepbystep making of an electric archtop guitar using commercially available laminated top and. Soho, new york city and scarsdale, westchester, ny. Among the features of this instrument were a violinstyle arched top. Archtop guitar buyerss guide, from riverboat musictm as jazz developed in the early 20th century, evolving jazz orchestras wanted to move from banjo to guitar. Bucky pizzarelli american archtop model 6 or 7 string. Hancock guitars 20th anniversary highgloss lacquer. This is a good example of the kind of guitars the germans were making back in those days. Handmade american archtop guitars american archtop guitars. Tom bills has been hand crafting one of a kind custom guitars for the top players and collectors around the world since 1998.
When you purchase from archtop guitars you will be buying a fine quality archtop guitar. It includes a list of suppliers to acquire all the tools and. This book will be a valuable addition to any music library. This took about 6 months i used bobs book as a reference, its a must have, and plans for a gibson l5. The journey from cremona to new york, which led to his success as curator of the historic firstever archtop exhibit at the metropolitan museum of art in new york. See all 3 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Learn the story behind one of the worlds most iconic archtops. Even folks who play jazz the genre most commonly associated with these guitars are often not familiar with the instruments origins and evolution. Includes a list of suppliers to acquire all the tools and materials listed. Please expect a delivery between 7 to 15 business days after shipment. The problem was that the old traditional flattops what we call parlor guitars today were not very loud.
His 1898 patent for a mandolin, which was also applicable to guitars according to the specifications, was intended to enhance power and quality of tone. Acoustic archtop guitar bracing bob benedetto the art. Archtop p90 guitars, godin kingpin 5th ave or the gear. Rudy has garnered a worldwide reputation as a trusted and true archtop connoisseur. Archtop p90 guitars, godin kingpin 5th ave or the gear page. Building an electric archtop guitar can be a pretty intimidating project but, it becomes much less so if youre guided, stepbystep, through the building process. When you subtract materials, equipment and other operating costs, i suspect they do not make a great living. The larger an archtop gets, the more it emphasizes bass and lowmid frequencies. Making an archtop guitar paperback 1996 robert benedetto.
Now seems like a good time to remind all you archtop lovers that many of the top archtop builders will be at the upcoming montreal guitar show june 2930july 1 in, well, montreal. Just click the buy now button you really wont regret it. Sticker humbuckers, 335 design with 60s styling, super clean. It includes a list of suppliers to acquire all the tools and materials listed and foldout templates for construction. Just needs to have a good classic look and play well and sound good, duh. Mark has written to foreword to a new book written by his great friend, rudy pensa. All workshops are held in nazareth, pennsylvania at the nazareth guitar institute. Were still a momandpop store and we pride ourselves on offering a wonderful instore experience. Hancock guitars 20th anniversary aged king william pine top.
Evolution jazz archtop brings you the iconic tone of a hollowbody jazz guitar, a staple in traditional and contemporary jazz ensembles. Archtop p90 guitars, godin kingpin 5th ave or discussion in guitars in general started by buzzp, jun 30, 2015. Mel bay have just brought out my edition of 24 pieces for guitar by gilbert isbin, which i am absolutely delighted with. Welcome to rudy s music, since 1978 we have two locations. A basic introduction to the acoustic archtop guitar i was playing on my acoustic archtop guitar last night, and it occurred to me that most people dont know too much about them. The journey from cremona to new york hardcover january 15, 2011. Deluxe archtop personally designed by master guitarist john. There is something captivating about the elegant shapes and subtle curves that make them beautiful. It takes place during the montreal jazz festival, which is just one big party. Archtop 4string bass guitars have been manufactured since the use of electric pickups became popular. Devoted to connecting archtop fans with guitar building experts to get dream instrument. Guitars n jazz 400 archtops in stock choose dont settle. Warwick makes a range of archtop 4, 5, and 6string bass guitars.
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