Oskar Graf Archtop Guitar (New, 2016)-SOLD

From the Vault, never sold !

Big Leaf Maple back & sides on this noble 17" archtop guitar
Sitka Spruce top with heavy cross-silking
Venetian cutaway
Ebony headstock front & back plates
Abalone headstock builder logo
Gold Schaller tuning machines with Ebony buttons
Kent Armstrong floating pickup
Ebony pick guard with discrete volume & tone wheels
Ebony fretboard with purfling lines
Laminated maple neck
Compensated Ebony bridge
Sculpted Ebony tail piece
Macassar Ebony bindings
Macassar Ebony heel cap & end graft
The f holes are Oskar's own design
This archtop sounds amazing unplugged, which is why Guitar Gallery's owner, Robin, tucked it away for all of these years. It is also light in weight compared to other archtops. A very Rare Bird, indeed!
Original Hiscox Pro II lite flight case
Here's a description of Oskar Graf's approach to crafting archtop guitars, in his own words.

Just like with my other instruments I mainly use hand tools in the building of the archtops. Using gauges and finger planes to carve the top and back gives me the freedom and flexibility in shaping the arching and contours of the plates. This slow and careful approach allows me to optimize the acoustic quality and balance it with the amplified sound of the hand carved archtop guitar.

Since initially I used Bob Benedetto's book to guide me, my starting point has been the traditional shape and size of the archtop guitar. Of course being a designer at heart, I re-worked the shape and appearance just a little bit, slimming down the bulbous S-curve of the cutaway and adding my own headstock and F-hole designs.

I avoid using the white plastic bindings, preferring Macassar ebony to create a contrasting framing for the blonde curly maple back and sides. In keeping with this simple elegance, I leave the fingerboard unadorned. The tailpiece is sculptured out of ebony and attached solidly to the body by a brass bracket. The string pull-through design makes string changes fast and convenient. All the other fittings are also made from ebony.

My standard pick-up is a floating Kent Armstrong Humbucker with adjustable pole-pieces. Unobtrusive, but easily reached and adjusted, mini wheel pots for volume and tone control are fitted underneath the ebony finger rest.

OPTIONS

Condition: New (NOS) - Never before Sold
Frets to body: 14
Scale Length: 25.375"
Nut Width: 1 23/32"
Saddle string spacing: 2 1/8"
Pickup: yes, Kent Armstrong floating
Cutaway: yes, Venetian

AUDIO

This last sample is played unplugged

VIDEOS

Archtop

Bob Benedetto IL PALISSANDRO Archtop

Bob Benedetto Handcrafted Manhattan Archtop Guitar

Oskar Graf Archtop Guitar

Marchione 20th Anniversary Red Archtop Guitar