In the mid-1980s Fender in collaboration with Jimmy D'Aquisto introduced a line of archtop guitars made in Japan, the Elite being a 16" model made with a laminated spruce top and inset humbucker pickup, as well as laminated maple back and sides.  Some sources say the top is solid, but I can definitely confirm that is laminated after pulling out the pickup to look at the routed wood. The neck is 3-piece maple with an ebony fretboard. The tailpiece, pickguard, tuner buttons, and control knobs are also made of ebony.

The guitar plays amazingly well with low, fast action and no string buzz.  The neck has a comfortable C-shaped carve that becomes slightly D-shaped as it moves toward the body. The frets are in very good condition with only some light divots under the B and high E strings on the first three frets.  The finish shows some long checking lines that are common in these guitars. There are also a few finish chips on the top, lower bout, as shown in the closeup photo. The bridge has room to adjust either up or down as the player desires.

I've always found the amplified tone of these Fender archtops with their original pickups to be fantastic. They have a very round, warm tone that maintains great clarity and note separation. For anyone looking for a great sounding archtop with a single neck pickup that plays remarkably well, the Fender D'Aquisto Elite is a fantastic choice.

Weight - 5.75 pounds

Nut width -1.70 inches

1st fret neck depth - 0.84 inches

9th fret neck depth - 0.90 inches

Scale length - 24.75 inches

The guitar comes with its original hardshell case which is in very good condition with fully function latches and hinges.  

Ships free in the United States and for reasonable rates worldwide.