7. Archtops

Archtop guitars have a fascinating history, and it all starts with a man named Orville Gibson. Back in 1856, Orville was born in Chateaugay, New York. He wasn't exactly living the dream as a shoe salesman in a small Michigan town called Kalamazoo. You see, Orville had a deep love for music and a knack for working with wood. So, it didn't take long for him to realize that his true calling was building guitars and mandolins.

Orville had a brilliant idea. He wondered why guitars and mandolins had flat tops and backs, while their classical counterparts had beautiful carved, arched tops. So, he started experimenting with different prototypes, and guess what? He discovered that instruments with carved, arched tops and backs actually sounded way better than the ones with flat designs that were popular at the time. And when the first "Gibsons" hit the market in 1894, they sold like hotcakes, proving that Orville was onto something big.

Now, Gibson wasn't just focused on guitars—they were also masters at crafting top-notch mandolins. And when the mandolin boom happened in the early 20th century, Gibson became the top dog in no time. But they didn't stop there. They poured their heart and soul into guitar production too. One of their most successful models at the time was the L-1 (not to be confused with the flattop L-1 made famous by blues legend Robert Johnson).

The L-1 was a gem! It had a meticulously hand-carved arched spruce top and birch back and sides. The top was thin and bracing-free, so they added a maple plate below the bridge to handle the string tension. The neck was made of mahogany and had a comfortable, generous profile. Back then, they didn't have fancy steel reinforcements for the neck, so they had to make it thicker to handle the tension from the steel strings. Oh, and the scale length of the first L-1 was just under 57.8 cm, which helped alleviate some of the string tension.

Things really picked up when Gibson hired Lloyd Loar, a renowned mandolin virtuoso, as the head of their development department in 1919. Lloyd was the perfect guy to continue Orville's work, thanks to his practical experience. Under Lloyd's guidance, they created the F-5 mandolin and the legendary L-5 guitar (1923). The L-5 was a game-changer, packed with innovative features. It had a height-adjustable bridge and a floating-mounted fingerboard that allowed the top to vibrate more freely. Plus, it sported F-holes instead of the usual soundhole, which was a bold move.

Orville Gibson's dream of a guitar inspired by classical string instruments had finally come true. Thanks to star guitarist Eddie Lang, the L-5 took the world by storm. It became the first guitar to play a significant role in orchestras, replacing the tenor banjo as the go-to rhythm instrument.

In 1934, Gibson decided to give the L-5 even more power and make it a worthy competitor to the booming brass sections of jazz big bands. They increased the body volume and introduced the Super 400—a massive archtop with an 18-inch-wide body. It was the pinnacle of archtop design, but it also marked a turning point. They realized they couldn't keep making the body larger without sacrificing comfort and playability.

Inspired by Gibson's success, other manufacturers started producing guitars with arched tops and backs. Epiphone was one of the most successful ones, eventually merging with Gibson and setting new standards with models like the legendary Emperor.