Breathtaking Design. Maximum Playability.
Savings Opportunity
We are able to offer fully featured Conti Guitars at value pricing as they are only available direct from Conti Guitars. If our guitars were offered through the typical distributor/dealer network, the price would assuredly double, and in some cases actually triple. However, even at our value pricing, the cost may sometimes exceed one’s budget. To that end, we make efforts to discount guitars when certain events allow us to do so. On a random timetable, new guitars are played by Robert or one of his assistants at a variety of events such as:
- trade shows,
- educational videos, or
- selected live performances
Although we exercise great care in handling our instruments, they sometimes incur minor cosmetic surface scratches that are usually imperceptible after buffing. As a matter of common business ethics:
- Although demo instruments are essentially still new, we do not return those instruments into inventory as “brand new.”
- Although the subject instruments may have been played for only an hour or two, we always advise every potential purchaser of any scratches, nicks, etc.
Making our demo instruments available at a substantial price reduction (when we are able to do so) provides folks an opportunity to acquire a high quality instrument at great savings. These instruments receive the same quality control as new instruments, including a full pre-shipping inspection and set-up, and our signature personalized “owner introduction video” wherein Robert Conti actually plays and introduces you to your new instrument!
Missed this opportunity?
Sunburst Entrada - $977
No Middle Men
Your dream archtop at any budget.
We don’t believe you can find a comparable feature rich guitar at this price anywhere.
The Entrada
- Laminate Maple Top
- Laminate Maple Back & Sides
- Wilkinson Imperial Tuners
- Maple Neck
- 24 Fret Ebony Fingerboard
- Ebony Pickguard
- Kent Armstrong Humbucker
- Gotoh TOM or Ebony Bridge
- Floating Ebony Bridge Base
- Ebony or Gold Finger Tailpiece
- Quality Gig Bag (HS Case avail.)
The Heirloom
- Solid Spruce Top
- Solid Maple Back & Sides
- Grover Imperial Tuners
- Maple Neck
- 24 Fret Ebony Fingerboard
- Ebony Pickguard
- Kent Armstrong Humbucker
- TonePros TOM or Ebony Bridge
- Floating Ebony Bridge Base
- Ebony or Gold Finger Tailpiece
- Quality Gig Bag (HS Case avail.)
" Three Conti " Club
Dr. Gary C Smith
Michael Simoni
" Two Conti " Club
Our Worldwide Owners
An instant success in 2009, the Conti is the go-to archtop for players around the world. And like our jazz guitar learning resources, we let our patrons do the talking. Take some time to read comments and see photos from a sampling of elated Conti Guitar owners worldwide. We hope to see your photo here soon!
Providing fantastic playability . . .
“After few hours of settling down, my Entrada only required a little tuning and was ready to play… impressive. It is a superb instrument providing fantastic playability and offering excellent sound – I have the dual pickup model so I also tried the bridge pickup with some decent drive and man it is a great blues/rock guitar, hands down (btw the strings seem to be a perfect choice, too). Visually it is a sheer beauty, and the craftsmanship is excellent, too. The gig bag is quite decent and very solid, much appreciated. There is, however, one issue after all – and it is my curiosity about the solid wood model… hell, I started saving for it already (and my kidney is being considered to help here!) In summary – I am happy as a cat, and enjoy playing this instrument every minute regardless for how long I keep it in my hands, so many thanks and appreciation for your efforts.” -Tomas Urban – Prague, Czech Republic
You get what you PLAY for!
Jan 30, 2020 Update! As Paul was so pleased with his first Port Wine finish Conti Entrada, he decided to join the Two Conti Club and add a Natural Blonde, with a mix of black hardware and the elegant Gold Finger Tailpiece. Especially unique to this instrument, Paul obtained a custom P90 pickup directly from Kent Armstrong and we had our shop technician set up his new guitar with this great sounding pickup. See his new comments below: “I’m always trying to recreate the sound of a guitar from ‘back in the day’ and this new Conti with the Kent Armstrong P90 comes very close to those great sounds from the pre-humbucker era. This is really fun to play and just like the first one, the fit and finish are superb and the sound, at least to my ear, is quite different. Great job guys!” Paul’s Comments on his first Port Wine Entrada in August 2018: “I just got the Conti Entrada Lefty and as I like to say, you get what you play for! And this is definitely a player’s guitar. The fit and finish are superb and the sound is beautiful. Thanks guys, and tell Mr. Conti I’ll
The guitar is perfect. . .
“Attached is a photo of me with my new Sunburst Heirloom and my original Ruby Red Equity. Besides the Equity, I have used many of the Conti teaching materials over these last few years, ever since I first encountered Bob in “Just Jazz Guitar” magazine. I appreciate the help and advice as I decided whether to buy the Heirloom. It arrived at my Oregon home in just two days. It was well packed and needed nothing but tuning to be play ready out of the case. The guitar is perfect. The finish is beautiful. The hardware is clearly high quality. I am impressed by the sound quality even when it is not plugged in. I am really pleased by the slightly smaller lower bout; it relieves some strain on my shoulder. Finally, the video of Bob playing my guitar and telling me about it just before it shipped was wonderful. It was like I was in the studio and felt very spontaneous. My regards and thanks to Bob, you, and the whole crew.” -Donald Olson – Ashland, OR
So comfortable to play. . .
“The guitar was delivered today and everything is as I thought it would be – feels and plays great, machine heads are smooth and accurate. I was surprised at the pick guard position because it is perfect, making it so comfortable to play; my other guitars are not like that. The guitar looks gorgeous. Thank you to you all from one happy boy.” -Mike Powell – Warranwood, Australia
…had never imagined buying a guitar without trying it
“Thank you so much for this great guitar, a beautiful Conti Entrada Natural blonde, that arrived yesterday in France. FedEx did a great job; it was delivered right on time, only two days after shipping. I greatly appreciated the fact that Robert had made a pre-video. A nice présentation, personally tailored explanations, including a very touching tribute to Francis Lai and Michel Legrand. Well beyond a commercial gesture, it was an expression of his generosity and passion, in addition to the concern for perfection that we find in everything he does. Following his advice, I left the guitar several hours in its shipping box, to allow the wood to adapt to any change in temperature. Packed with great care, the guitar was pretty much in tune. Like all owners of your guitars, I was pleasantly surprised by its workmanship, as well as the fine quality of the wood. I immediately found the neck extremely comfortable; the guitar easy to play. The sound, round and sweet, even without using an amplifier. Thanks to the care your technicians took in preparing the shipment, my guitar did not suffer at all from transport. I would also like to thank your colleagues, Mike and
This guitar is simply the best!
“Hi, my name is Jerry McKinnon and this is a picture of me with my wonderful Conti Entrada guitar. This guitar is super excellent when it comes to sound, playing ability, and needless to say -appearance. I’ve owned many guitars, but this guitar is simply the best! Thank you Robert Conti for your excellent products. For those of you thinking about getting one, do it. You will be extremely happy.” -Jerry McKinnon – New Braunfels, TX
Providing fantastic playability . . .
“After few hours of settling down, my Entrada only required a little tuning and was ready to play… impressive. It is a superb instrument providing fantastic playability and offering excellent sound – I have the dual pickup model so I also tried the bridge pickup with some decent drive and man it is a great blues/rock guitar, hands down (btw the strings seem to be a perfect choice, too). Visually it is a sheer beauty, and the craftsmanship is excellent, too. The gig bag is quite decent and very solid, much appreciated. There is, however, one issue after all – and it is my curiosity about the solid wood model… hell, I started saving for it already (and my kidney is being considered to help here!) In summary – I am happy as a cat, and enjoy playing this instrument every minute regardless for how long I keep it in my hands, so many thanks and appreciation for your efforts.” -Tomas Urban – Prague, Czech Republic
You get what you PLAY for!
Jan 30, 2020 Update! As Paul was so pleased with his first Port Wine finish Conti Entrada, he decided to join the Two Conti Club and add a Natural Blonde, with a mix of black hardware and the elegant Gold Finger Tailpiece. Especially unique to this instrument, Paul obtained a custom P90 pickup directly from Kent Armstrong and we had our shop technician set up his new guitar with this great sounding pickup. See his new comments below: “I’m always trying to recreate the sound of a guitar from ‘back in the day’ and this new Conti with the Kent Armstrong P90 comes very close to those great sounds from the pre-humbucker era. This is really fun to play and just like the first one, the fit and finish are superb and the sound, at least to my ear, is quite different. Great job guys!” Paul’s Comments on his first Port Wine Entrada in August 2018: “I just got the Conti Entrada Lefty and as I like to say, you get what you play for! And this is definitely a player’s guitar. The fit and finish are superb and the sound is beautiful. Thanks guys, and tell Mr. Conti I’ll
The guitar is perfect. . .
“Attached is a photo of me with my new Sunburst Heirloom and my original Ruby Red Equity. Besides the Equity, I have used many of the Conti teaching materials over these last few years, ever since I first encountered Bob in “Just Jazz Guitar” magazine. I appreciate the help and advice as I decided whether to buy the Heirloom. It arrived at my Oregon home in just two days. It was well packed and needed nothing but tuning to be play ready out of the case. The guitar is perfect. The finish is beautiful. The hardware is clearly high quality. I am impressed by the sound quality even when it is not plugged in. I am really pleased by the slightly smaller lower bout; it relieves some strain on my shoulder. Finally, the video of Bob playing my guitar and telling me about it just before it shipped was wonderful. It was like I was in the studio and felt very spontaneous. My regards and thanks to Bob, you, and the whole crew.” -Donald Olson – Ashland, OR
So comfortable to play. . .
“The guitar was delivered today and everything is as I thought it would be – feels and plays great, machine heads are smooth and accurate. I was surprised at the pick guard position because it is perfect, making it so comfortable to play; my other guitars are not like that. The guitar looks gorgeous. Thank you to you all from one happy boy.” -Mike Powell – Warranwood, Australia
…had never imagined buying a guitar without trying it
“Thank you so much for this great guitar, a beautiful Conti Entrada Natural blonde, that arrived yesterday in France. FedEx did a great job; it was delivered right on time, only two days after shipping. I greatly appreciated the fact that Robert had made a pre-video. A nice présentation, personally tailored explanations, including a very touching tribute to Francis Lai and Michel Legrand. Well beyond a commercial gesture, it was an expression of his generosity and passion, in addition to the concern for perfection that we find in everything he does. Following his advice, I left the guitar several hours in its shipping box, to allow the wood to adapt to any change in temperature. Packed with great care, the guitar was pretty much in tune. Like all owners of your guitars, I was pleasantly surprised by its workmanship, as well as the fine quality of the wood. I immediately found the neck extremely comfortable; the guitar easy to play. The sound, round and sweet, even without using an amplifier. Thanks to the care your technicians took in preparing the shipment, my guitar did not suffer at all from transport. I would also like to thank your colleagues, Mike and
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. Each instrument is set up to Robert’s specifications and fully inspected.
Personalized Pre-Shipping Video Intro
As an integral part of our First Class Owner Service, before your guitar is shipped, you will receive a personalized high quality video, wherein Robert Conti plays and introduces you to your new guitar – a truly, memorable and unparalleled service in the guitar industry.
Only 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
MOP & Real Abalone
Output Jack Placement
Shallow Florentine Cutaway
Low Playing Action
Preferred Gauge Strings
If you can find a archtop, buy it.
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!)
