R. Rothenburger - Jazz Archtop - 1992 - Heritage Cherry

For sale (not interested in trades) is a one-of-a-kind archtop, full hollowbody, jazz guitar made by R. Rothenburger in British Columbia. It has an arched solid spruce top, solid hard maple sides, and an arched solid maple back. Featuring a vintage Gibson Johnny Smith neck pickup with tone and volume control, ebony fingerboard with mother of pearl block inlays, an ebony pickguard with abalone fish detail, grover tuners with an ebony headplate and abalone 'Dooney' as the name of the instrument, solid maple neck with binding, hand-machined adjustable tailpiece, floating bridge, and binding and three-ply binding and purfling.

It is modeled off of top tier Gibson hollowbody guitars or some of the New York Jazz Archtops from the great makers in the 20th century. It has all of the elegant appointments and ornament of these, but without the highly skilled craftsmanship that makes these appointments flawless and perfect; the inlay work is a little less refined than from a top tier instrument and craftsman, and the finish work application is a little rough in spots either from time, or changes in joints/wood. Everything works and holds together, it just has a less refined result than on a super fine instrument. What this instrument lacks in refinement it makes up for in character, a handmade feel, unique tone, and a rustic elegance.

The finish is nitrocellulose lacquer clearcoat over a heritage cherry translucent finish. There is plenty of checking and many of the wood seams and joints have made themselves known through the lacquer. There are a couple of stable cracks in the maple sides adjacent to the tailpiece, and one large impact on one of the sides. These are all very stable and do not effect the sound or performance of the instrument. There are a few finish issues in spots, places where the lacquer is flaking off, and normal signs of play wear throughout the instrument.

The action is really nice, the tone is warm, woody, and sweet while still maintaining an acoustic clarity. The intonation and playability are spot on, and it works wonderfully with flatwound or roundwound strings, I have played it with both. I got this guitar when I was playing and studying jazz guitar and thought that was going to be my thing. Now I mainly play rock and classical guitar. I don't play this guitar as much and would like for it to be loved and played by someone who will cherish its rustic elegance and unique charms. It is a fun and inspiring guitar to play and a completely one-of-a-kind and unique instrument. You will never find another one! It comes with a nice, form-fitting hard case.

I am open to serious offers. It is difficult to put a value on this instrument as it is completely unique. I feel like it is precious, valuable in its rarity, and that it is charactered instrument that plays and sounds fantastic! Other people might find it too rough or not to their stylistic preferences. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see any other photos. If you are local and want to try it out, get in touch! Thank you!