Lukas Schmidt Model 16.5 Archtop Natural

Lukas Schmidt is a German guitar maker working from his workshop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, where he builds handcrafted archtops and steel string guitars that feature many unique details. He combines traditional elements from concert guitar, lute and violin making with modern building techniques and materials.

Schmidt obtained his bachelor's degree in instrument making in Markneukirchen in 2019, after which he also passed the Master's exam for string instrument making. He not only showed that he had the right theoretical knowledge, but also impressed with his built guitar, which was voted the best instrument of the year.

The Model 16.5 is a modern archtop that owes its name to the size of the body; the lower bout is 16.5 inches. The guitar is ideal for various music and playing styles, but is of course an instrument for jazz music par excellence. The use of the highest quality woods also makes the guitar look beautiful; the hand-carved European spruce top with bearclaw is accompanied by AAA flamed European maple back and sides and neck, while Schmidt used ebony for the tailpiece, bridge, pickguard, pickup cover, the fingerboard and headstock for a beautiful contrast in color.

Despite the fact that the guitar only has one pickup, the instrument is still very versatile due to an ingenious system; the pickup can be moved from the neck to the bridge position, and every conceivable position in between. Due to the floating mounting, the vibrations of the top are not affected by the pickup, and therefore the acoustic sound of the guitar is not affected either. A strong piece of engineering packed in a beautiful design!

The guitar comes with a TFOA passport in a luxurious hardshell case from BAM.

Consignment.