Attractive, Affordable Alternatives To High Priced Archtops
Our World Wide Owners
An instant success in 2009, the Conti Guitar is the go to archtop for players both amateur and professional around the world. Like our learning resources, we let our patrons do the talking. Take some time to read commentaries from a sampling of Conti Guitar owners around the world.
Plays as smooth as glass.
Photo with my new Heirloom model! Looking forward to trying this beauty on a gig. The sound acoustically is wonderful and it plays as smooth as glass. Hoping to send a video soon. Best Regards, Bob Roetker http://www.bobroetker.com/
Finest guitar I have ever owned, period!
“The new Conti Salita model is truly an amazing guitar! I should know as I am now the lucky owner of the exact guitar Mr. Conti is playing in the new Salita video demo. Thanks to Mr. Conti and Mike in the sales office for making this possible. I received the guitar on the date scheduled in excellent condition. I was in total awe when I pulled it from the deluxe gig bag. The new Conti Gold Finger tailpiece upgrade
Jack Pezanelli – Berklee College of Music
Spectacular guitar, something I’ve been looking for for a long time. All solid wood, attention to detail is top notch. If I were to design a guitar for myself, it would be a lot like this. Very stable, highly recommended! -Jack Pezanelli Professor, Guitar, Berklee College Of Music
Price is entry level – rest is pure professional
The guitar is great! I especially like the Ebony fingerboard and the 24 fret features. As we have discussed, I am impressed with all its features — they belie the title “entry level jazz guitar.” If anything, the price is entry level – the rest is pure professional. It came perfectly intonated. And its sound and playability rivals that of another guitar I own which cost $6,000! I have already put 4 videos of me with it on Youtube. I
Good resonance and sustain even unplugged
When my guitar arrived, it was extremely well-packed and arrived on time. The first thing I noticed when I opened the case—after the amazing color and finish top—was that the guitar was set up perfectly. The body vibrated and provided good resonance and sustain even unplugged. These are really great guitars, especially considering how affordable they are. When I played uninterrupted for an hour I didn’t experience any of the fret-hand fatigue I often encounter on a this kind of
My Heirloom…By Far The Finest
Owned many guitars since I started playing in 1972. My new blonde Conti Heirloom is by far the finest. -David Leaptrott, Winder, GA
Set Up To Stringent Specifications
When you're Robert Conti, you play a lot of notes.
When you play a lot of notes, you need a neck that plays like butter.
When you need a neck that plays like butter, you better have a good luthier.
Prior to shipment, every Conti Guitar is scrutinized by a highly qualified luthier with 30+ years of experience - not your typical music store punk who doesn't know the first thing about fine archtops. Each instrument is set up to Robert's specifications and fully inspected.
(Try getting that kind of treatment from the online catalog sites)
The Most Desirable Features
We introduced the first generation Conti Guitar to be the most affordable, feature rich archtop on the market. However, we certainly understand that the solid wood model may still be out of reach for some aspiring jazz guitar students. As such, the laminate model is by no means stripped down. See info below for what we believe are the most important features that you'll find on both the solid and laminate models.
(Mouse over images for info)
Ebony Fingerboard
Not only richer looking, but feels great under the fingers allowing you to execute those burnin’ Conti lines with precision.
Real Abalone & MOP
The colorful luster of the inlays contrast beautifully with the bold ebony fingerboard. Don't settle for a plain, unattractive guitar when you can have a well dressed instrument sure to impress any audience.
Output Jack Placement
Logically positioned output jack 4" from end pin. This saves your pants from fraying when playing in a sitting position.
Shallow Florentine Cutaway
What good are 24 frets if the cutaway hinders you from accessing the entire fingerboard? If you've seen Conti perform, you know he makes use of each and every one of those 24 frets - now you can too!
Low Action
You don’t want your axe fighting you with every note you play. The long slim neck on all Conti Guitars allows the lowest action possible, which creates that “plays like butter feel” for hours of playing enjoyment without fatigue.
Preferred Gauge Strings
Having played jazz guitar for 5+ decades, you can imagine that Robert has tried just about every string that exists. While strings are a personal preference, we believe you’ll enjoy the balance achieved by his pre-configured gauges.
The Journey
Through the course of many prior years, numerous guitarists have solicited my advice on how to find a great sounding jazz guitar with excellent playability at an affordable price. I’ve observed many aspiring jazz guitarists who have unknowingly limited their potential by playing an inferior instrument, almost always due to the constraint of high prices. On the other hand, I have also seen dramatic improvements in skill levels even when entry level guitarists begin using a quality instrument that is set-up to play easily. In 2006. . .
The Conti Archtop Jazz Guitar is the result of 55 years of on the bandstand playing experience.
Yes, We Really Mean 55 Years
(and still going strong!)
