FRESH FISH #15
Custom 17-inch Archtop
Serial #400
SOLD

To celebrate the construction of my 400th instrument, I decided to build something unlike anything I've built before. I started with a set of Eastern hard maple back and sides. This species rarely grows large enough to yield wood that will produce an archtop guitar back. It has a fine texture somewhat like German maple, but is denser and harder. I paired this with a beautiful Engelmann spruce top, resulting in a sound that has the warmth and balance that my guitars are known for, but with more volume and punch than usual. I used S-style soundholes, German maple body binding, and a 25.4-inch scale. The finish is lacquer with light golden shading. The tuners are satin gold Sperzels.

Since 1990 I have made archtop tailpieces out of graphite fiber and an ebony face. This guitar has a new version with several improvements. The face is slightly curved, rather than flat like the old version. Overall, the design is lighter and more slender. Of course, grounding is provided for the strings in case a pickup is used.