Blue & Arches

I am partially color-blind. The only color I see well is blue. If I designed traffic lights, the red light would be blue. Blue is important to me, as you can imagine. I am fascinated by the use of arches and domes in nature, architecture, and engineered products for their strength-to-weight ratio and simple beauty.

The shape of a guitar is full of arches, particularly in an archtop guitar. I am fascinated by acoustic archtops. Their domed plates act as stiffening and strengthening components, enduring the enormous force that strings exert on the instrument's structure. These domed plates vibrate in a completely different and, in my opinion, much more controlled manner than the flat soundboards of flat-top guitars. The acoustic archtop guitar is not a finished design; its development halted when archtops went electric. At that point, the plates' ability to resonate became a liability, as it caused acoustic feedback. Today, archtops are experiencing a renaissance. The acoustic archtop guitar can and will continue to evolve to its full potential.

The most significant collection of archtop guitars is the Blue Archtop Collection (BAC), commissioned by Scott Chinery. It began with the Blue Centura Deluxe by Jimmy D'Aquisto. I have always been fascinated by D'Aquisto's focus on optimizing the variables that influence archtop performance. The Blue Centura is a remarkable engineering achievement. Many guitars in this collection were built by the luthiers I idolize. I hold deep respect and gratitude for Mr. Chinery and the participating luthiers who created the BAC, as well as the Archtop Foundation, which preserves these exceptional instruments.

As a sign of respect and recognition for the work initiated by Jimmy and Scott, all of my guitars feature blue purfling accents surrounding the domed plates. This creates distinct blue arches around the perimeter of the top and back plates.