2018 AGS Magazine

intended to increase both volume and projection.
The development of the archtop guitar has truly
been an evolutionary process with much experimentation
involved for very practical reasons.
As an example, when guitars were introduced to
orchestras around the beginning of the twentieth
century there was no amplification. Larger guitar
bodies allowed greater sonic force so that guitar
players were not lost in the
There is very real
science involved in
building a guitar.
mix and level of sound created
by a big band. In order to
enhance volume and projection,
guitar makers began to
experiment with body size
and style.
The variations in f-hole versus round or oval
soundholes were also practical. Instruments with
round or oval sound holes can have a very
different sound than those with f-holes.
Volume, timbre, and
the “punch”
of a note
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are all impacted by the soundhole. The same is
true of bracing, wood selections, bridge height
adjustment, and the myriad of techniques and
materials that effect tone and intonation. There
is very real science involved in building a guitar.
In the case of the archtop guitar as an acoustic
instrument, there were many considerations that
drove innovation. When electrification and amplification
were introduced, the design nuances all
changed again.
The Gibson story has been told many times and
there is no need to say more than the demand for
the work of Orville Gibson greatly surpassed his
ability to supply guitars and mandolins. The result
of that supply-demand imbalance combined with
a few other factors was that a group of investors
ultimately gained control of the Gibson Guitar
Company brand in 1904. What happened to the
involvement of Orville Gibson after that is some
combination of myth and lore. Most
Bill Comins
Ivy Rose Side Port Detail