The archtop guitar dates back to the 19th Century when Orville Gibson, believing unstressed wood had superior vibration characteristics, carved the guitar's sides and tops from blocks of wood.
In 1902, Gibson formed the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company, having applied four years prior for a mandolin patent that would enhance the instrument's power and quality of tone.
Gibson's mandolin differed from traditional mandolins in that it an arched top and back, like a violin, and lacked many of the internal features (blocks, bridges, etc.
), as he felt those robbed the instrument of much of its tone.
Gibson's technique was expensive, but continues today in some models of arch top guitars, as it makes for a better, louder sound.
These early archtops were made with cello-like bridges and tailpieces, which meant the neck had to form a particular angle with the soundbox.
The guitars had an oval sound hole instead of the now famous "f" hole of later instruments, which was implemented in 1922, when the Gibson Company hired Lloyd Loar to redesign its instruments.
The Gibson L5 was at the time a flop, but still remains in production and is highly revered.
By the end of World War I, musicians played banjos and mandolins more than guitars.
It took jazz musicians to prove the guitar was still a viable instrument, and archtops became the guitar of choice, exploding in popularity.
Jazz, bluegrass and country acts adopted the guitar as its own, with big archtop guitars becoming an integral part of each genre's sound, especially jazz.
The 1930s saw body sizes grow from 15 to 18 inches, and the acoustic was finally loud enough to step out as a solo instrument.
Electric archtop guitars become common in the late 1940s, early 1950s, as manufacturers developed amplifiers with more power.
This was popular with jazz and country musicians, and helped laid the groundwork for what would become rock 'n' roll.
However, interest declined in the 1970s and 1980s as many players switched to solid body guitars.
Archtop guitars became popular again in the 1990s, with luthiers making innovations to the design while making them attractive to collectors.
During this time, mass produced arch tops became cost friendly because of lower costs in labor and manufacturing.
Companies like Ibanez and Samick, which had never before specialized in jazz guitars, began to offer them because of renewed popularity in the instrument.
This period also saw pure acoustic archtops again become fashionable.
In 1902, Gibson formed the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company, having applied four years prior for a mandolin patent that would enhance the instrument's power and quality of tone.
Gibson's mandolin differed from traditional mandolins in that it an arched top and back, like a violin, and lacked many of the internal features (blocks, bridges, etc.
), as he felt those robbed the instrument of much of its tone.
Gibson's technique was expensive, but continues today in some models of arch top guitars, as it makes for a better, louder sound.
These early archtops were made with cello-like bridges and tailpieces, which meant the neck had to form a particular angle with the soundbox.
The guitars had an oval sound hole instead of the now famous "f" hole of later instruments, which was implemented in 1922, when the Gibson Company hired Lloyd Loar to redesign its instruments.
The Gibson L5 was at the time a flop, but still remains in production and is highly revered.
By the end of World War I, musicians played banjos and mandolins more than guitars.
It took jazz musicians to prove the guitar was still a viable instrument, and archtops became the guitar of choice, exploding in popularity.
Jazz, bluegrass and country acts adopted the guitar as its own, with big archtop guitars becoming an integral part of each genre's sound, especially jazz.
The 1930s saw body sizes grow from 15 to 18 inches, and the acoustic was finally loud enough to step out as a solo instrument.
Electric archtop guitars become common in the late 1940s, early 1950s, as manufacturers developed amplifiers with more power.
This was popular with jazz and country musicians, and helped laid the groundwork for what would become rock 'n' roll.
However, interest declined in the 1970s and 1980s as many players switched to solid body guitars.
Archtop guitars became popular again in the 1990s, with luthiers making innovations to the design while making them attractive to collectors.
During this time, mass produced arch tops became cost friendly because of lower costs in labor and manufacturing.
Companies like Ibanez and Samick, which had never before specialized in jazz guitars, began to offer them because of renewed popularity in the instrument.
This period also saw pure acoustic archtops again become fashionable.