Hopkins Contessa 2005 Archtop Guitar 16" Gorgeous!

Peter Hopkins Contessa

Entirely hand-made by renowned luthier Peter Hopkins of Penticton, British Columbia, and of the absolute highest quality.

The Contessa is the distilled essence of the classic archtop guitar. Unadorned and understated, its elegant simplicity, sensuous edges and purity of form allow the senses to appreciate the downright sexiness of a hand carved archtop guitar. Its visual purity is echoed by the purity of tone. Clean, rich tonality springs forth in both acoustic and electrified configurations.

Features

Gorgeous custom upgraded burled maple lacquered matching tailpiece, bridge, pickguard and headstock.

Ebony fingerboard with decoration at 12th fret.

Violin Finish, no binding

Kent Armstrong P0-1 suspended pickup.

Top: AAA Sitka spruce

Back & Sides: Big leaf curly maple.

One piece flamed maple neck with 2-way adjustable truss rod.

Scale length 25"Nut 1.75"

Building The Instrument

Extremely well-respected in the industry for decades, Peter Hopkins' guitars enjoy an enviable reputation for easy playability combined with incredible, absolutely gorgeous tone and visual beauty. Instruments like this gorgeous Contessa archtop rarely show up in the pre-owned marketplace, and are considered by many to be among the finest and most beautiful hand-carved archtops a jazz player can ever hope to own.

All woods, whether Sitka spruce sound boards, "big leaf" maple backs and sides, or Eastern maple necks are hand selected for color, figure and grain, and then seasoned in the workshop until ready for use.

Tops and backs are all hand-carved, scraped and planed to exacting tolerances and then further hand-tuned to ensure optimum resonance and tonality in each individual guitar. This is a very high-end instrument, in the same class as any hand-made solid wood Benedetto, D'Aquisto or Marchione archtop.

Condition

The guitar is nearly mint with only a few slight indications that it has actually been played.  

I cannot see any nicks or dents anywhere. There is some very minor (tiny) flaking of the darker burled maple, just around some of the machine nuts on the headstock fascia, and also a bit of dried glue in the joint between the neck and top on the bass side. I have had this carefully inspected by Master Luthier Joe Bonomo and he has assured me that this is cosmetic only, and does not affect structural integrity in any way at all. And, you really have to look closely to find any of it. Please refer carefully to my pics.

I'm calling it "Excellent," my highest rating, since you might actually find a tiny mark or two somewhere under bright lights, where I did not.

It weighs just 5.2 lbs, and is a pure delight to hold and play

It is strung with TI George Benson 12-53 flats, plays like butter and sings with the sweetest, silkiest open voice, typical of only the finest solid wood, hand-carved instruments.

The pickup is a hand-wound Kent Armstrong, marked "P0-1." Hardshell case shows some minor wear, otherwise perfectly intact (and substantial). This spectacular and very special Peter Hopkins Contessa originally sold for approximately $8500.

Shipping $150 to US lower 48 only.

Thanks for looking. I'm always open to offers (no trades), please reach out if you'd like to discuss. Purchase with confidence, I'm a 23-year 100% eBay seller (as k2kv). More pics and info at gorgeousguitars. Feel free to ask questions if you have any.