2005 Martin CF-1 American Archtop Guitar Used

$3,800.00

Details

The CF-1 Martin American Archtop was a collaboration between luthier Dale Unger, who builds under the name American Archtop and the C.F. Martin Guitar Company. Dale Unger grew up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, the home of Martin, and he started building guitars in 1977 with his friend Dick Boak, a fine luthier and long-time Martin employee. In 1993 Unger apprenticed with Bob Benedetto, the legendary archtop builder, where he learned to build jazz guitars of the highest quality.

The CF-1, which is sadly out of production, was designed to be an affordable, professional grade archtop that was made in America. The x-braced top on this guitar is made from layered Alpine spruce and the back is layered European maple. The sides are solid maple. It’s fitted with a floating Kent Armstrong pickup with volume control on the ebony pickguard. It also has a Benedetto-inspired wooden tailpiece.

This guitar has a warm, mellow tone that is perfect for jazz when plugged in and thanks to the layered top and back, it’s not as prone to feedback as an all-solid wood guitar. Still, the 3-inch deep body has a good acoustic response. While it may not be loud enough to cut through a big band, it will work well in a small acoustic group . This example was made in 2005 and it is in excellent structural condition. The black finish is in good shape but it has a few minor nicks and dings here and there. The frets show a little wear but they have lots of life left in them. Includes a Hiscox hardshell case.