Official Luthiers Forum!

I've long hankered after an archtop guitar.

I've passively looked at pics (even ordered the Benedetto book) and sometime I'll get round to it

so....

I have in my stash a big lump of WR Cedar that would make a good 3 piece top for an archtop, or a bunch of bracing for cedar topped guitars.

I can't ever remember seeing a cedar archtop......

anyone prove me wrong?

Ta!!

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Hi Martin,
Cedar and redwood have been used for archtops.
Brad

Thanks Brad, something to plan for......

still, saying that "Cedar and redwood have been used for archtops" is all very well.....


I've Used Oak for back & sides on a regular acoustic.........

doesn't mean I'd do it again!!!!!

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There is one builder of "avant- garde" archtops that used redwood-I can't remember his name.There was an article (or a picture)a while ago in Guitarmaker about it. I played the "sister" guitar to it at a shop in NJ over a year ago,so I can't remember its attributes,but I do remember I liked the sound of it.

found one!!



Stonebridge A17 D40 Solid cedar and mahogany archtop with Kent Armstrong pickup. £799 at Forsyth in Manchester UK

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The archtop I built 10 years ago has a top of yellow cedar, and is still going strong. Sounds pretty good, too. Just leave it thicker than you would spruce. I would definitely use cedar again... just not the yellow cedar, it has a very pungent funky smell that gets into your fingers and lasts for days

I don't think I would use red cedar (or any other cedar) for bracing though...

Kevin Thomas
Quail Rock Guitars

hi.
you might want to check out some archtops made by Paul Gruen..he has used redwood,cedar and a host of other 'non standard' woods for his archtops...and they are pretty radical archtops..I beleive he has a website too.