Chris P. Walsh 17″ Archtop US Luthier Built - Natural

Built by American luthier Chris P. Walsh, this CP Walsh archtop is a small-shop jazz guitar made in the traditional archtop format, with a natural finish that shows off the wood choice and the wear it’s earned. This is a 17-inch body with a 25-inch scale, so you get the bigger archtop air and projection, paired with a slightly longer-feeling string tension and clear note definition.

The guitar features a spruce top with beautiful flame maple back and sides, bound f-holes, a rosewood pickguard, bridge and tailpiece. Multi-ply binding also frames the body, and the neck is 3-piece maple with a bound ebony fingerboard. The nut is 45mm. Electronics are an aged, humbucker-sized P-90 in the neck position with volume and tone controls, as it should be. Tuners are Schaller.

The guitar has a fair bit of playwear, especially where the guitar has been handled and picked over time, but the frets are in great condition, there are no breaks or cracks, and it plays and sounds great. Weight is 2900g, which is light for a full-size hollow archtop.

ABOUT THE BUILDER

Chris P. Walsh is an American luthier based in Danielson, Connecticut, building guitars under the Chris Walsh Guitars/CP Walsh name. His output is small-batch and player-focused, with a strong emphasis on archtops and custom builds rather than off-the-shelf production

As a left-handed player, he specialises in left-handed models, but also occasionally builds right-handed guitars. He is particularly known for his beautiful archtop guitars, including 17-inch carved models, some of which have even been used by famous players like Rick Derringer.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Builder: Chris P. Walsh (CP Walsh)
• Country of origin: USA
• Type: Hollow archtop electric jazz guitar
• Body size: 17-inch
• Body shape: Single cut with Venetian cutaway
• Scale length: 25-inch
• Top: Spruce
• Back: Flame maple
• Sides: Flame maple
• Finish: Natural
• Binding: Multi-ply binding
• Neck: 3-piece maple
• Fingerboard: Ebony, bound
• Nut width: 45mm
• Tuners: Schaller
• Pickup: 1x aged humbucker-sized P-90, humbucker-sized housing, neck position
• Controls: Master volume, master tone
• Wiring: Passive, single-pickup circuit
• Bridge: Rosewood
• Tailpiece: Rosewood
• Weight: 2900g