Details
There are fancier Steve Andersen archtops, no argument there, but we wonder if there are better play-anything Andersen acoustic archtops than this custom order Model 17. Sure you can get that archtop chord bark with it, but you can also get warm tones that would fool most blindfolded listeners into thinking they were hearing a flattop with better articulation than usual. And when plugged in of course it covers the floating-pickup jazz guitar tone gracefully. If you need loud to back a small combo, it can certainly do that as well without sounding like you're beating on it.
This was a custom order almost 20 years ago for an ultra-careful Gryphon customer. It did get played, but carefully, and has been waiting in its case for the last several years for its next assignment. There are some cool special touches if you look carefully, such as the matching vertical-grain ivoroid binding on the neck, f-holes, and pickguard. The lacquer has settled nicely into the grain of the wood, giving the surface a nice patina but with no surface wear in sight.
Steve Andersen retired last year, and no longer builds instruments or deals in used examples of his work.
Original Cedar-Creek case is equally clean.
Specs
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Back sides
Carved Maple Back
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Bracing
X-Bracing
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Bridge
Ebony
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Fingerboard
Ebony
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Finish
Nitrocellulose Lacquer
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Frets to body
14
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Neck material
Maple
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Nut width
1 11/16"
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Pickup type
Armstrong Floating Humbucker
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Scale length
25"
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Top material
Carved Solid Spruce
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Total frets
21
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Tuners
Schaller
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Year
2004
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Case type
Original Hardshell
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Serial number
422
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SKU
ANDMOD17-422
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UPC
140904
