| Among the many divisions in the guitar family is that | | | | guitars includes Eagle, Yamaha, Epiphone and others. |
| of flattop vs. archtop. Both terms are really quite self | | | | The defining characteristics of an archtop guitar are |
| explanatory. A flattop guitar is one with a flat top, | | | | its arched soundboard and f-shaped holes. The strings |
| the part of the instrument usually referred to as the | | | | of this guitar are generally thicker longer and thicker |
| soundboard. The sound hole of a flattop guitar is | | | | than those of a flattop, and the body is deep and |
| found and placed under the instrument's strings. The | | | | usually hollow (although some semi-hollow models are |
| archtop guitar, on the other hand, has an arched top | | | | manufactured). A true archtop guitar has a rich |
| and a sound hole or holes carved in the | | | | acoustic tone, but as mentioned, most models are |
| (approximate) shape of an "f." The latter instrument | | | | fitted with electric pickups. These pickups are usually |
| was invented at the end of the 19th century. Until | | | | humbuckers, which use two coils of reversed polarity |
| that time, all guitars had been flattop. Hence the term | | | | to reduce noise and interference. |
| "flattop" never existed until the innovation of the | | | | Archtop guitars are often used in conjunction with |
| archtop guitar made it necessary. The word "flattop" | | | | attachments designed to create or increase vibrato, |
| is now used to refer to a steel-string acoustic | | | | a slightly tremulous effect that adds warmth and |
| instrument (as opposed to one with nylon strings) | | | | expressiveness to music. A tremolo arm, for |
| with a flat soundboard. An archtop guitar is also | | | | example, is a lever attached to the guitar's bridge. It |
| steel-stringed, but it can be either acoustic or | | | | enables the artists to quickly and temporarily vary |
| semi-acoustic. | | | | the tension and sometimes length of the strings, |
| Orville Gibson, founder of the Gibson Guitar | | | | thereby changing the pitch to create vibrato. A |
| Corporation, was the inventor of the archtop guitar. | | | | Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, or "Bigsby," is another vibrato |
| The instrument's first incarnation was the Gibson L5; | | | | device, one that allows the musician to bend the |
| featured the violin-inspired F-holes that would | | | | pitches of notes and chords with his pick hand. |
| eventually become the archtop's trademark. Although | | | | Of all the musical genres, jazz and country most |
| this instrument flopped, the concept was retained | | | | often feature the music of the archtop. These |
| and refined. In 1951, Gibson released the L5CES, an | | | | musical forms adopted the instrument almost |
| archtop that featured two electric pickups. These | | | | immediately after the release of the modern version |
| pickups allowed the guitar to be played as either an | | | | in the early 1950s. Pop music sometimes utilizes the |
| acoustic or electric instrument. The innovation was | | | | sound of the semi-hollow body electric archtop, which |
| immediately popular and such models became the | | | | produces very distinctive music. Rock and roll also |
| standard for archtop guitars. The instruments were | | | | uses the instrument, most often with one of the |
| eventually adopted by other guitar manufacturers. | | | | vibrato devices mentioned above. |
| Today, the list of companies that make archtop | | | | |