Sam Koontz blonde 18” archtop. Excellent plus condition. 1.75” nut width. 25.4” scale Extremely rare late sixties archtop by one of the greatest Jazz guitar luthiers of all time. The late Sam Koontz is widely recognized as being on the level of Elmer Stromberg, John D’Angelico and Jimmy D’Aquisto. This sold over 10 years ago for $25,000. Only one other Koontz archtop of this caliber is currently on the market world wide and is a tobacco sunburst finish of lesser value, currently listed for for over $18,000, on Reverb. Koontz archtops are highly treasured and rarely come up for sale. This is an amazing offering. The Archtop guitar market is currently quite depressed, but a resurgence of interest in Archtops is inevitable and when it happens, the market will undoubtedly rebound big time and this will soar past its former $25,000 sale price. The late Japanese player and collector, Akira Tsukuba, who had the most comprehensive collections of Archtops in the world noted that Koontz was the most innovative of all of the modern Archtop makers and featured an example very similar to mine in his stunning tome, 1001 Banjos which also includes a section on modern Archtop makers. The tone of this guitar is nothing short of miraculous. It exceeds many of the D’Angelico and D’Aquisto models I’ve played. The design of this guitar is highly revered by the great modern day Archtop makers and stands out as one of the most beautiful and best sounding Archtop guitars ever constructed at any price, bar none. Whether it is played acoustically or through an amplifier with the vintage DeArmond floating pickup, it is has a lush, truly astonishing tone. Here is an opportunity to own an a bonafide heirloom one of a kind masterpiece at the bottom of the market. Now is the best time to buy a high end vintage Archtop in the last twenty years. HSC
