Jaén – Archtop Guitars Since 1992

Our focus

CREATIVITY

Joining your experience as a player and my experience as a maker we’ll achieve the best creation. Or, if you prefer, ask us about the guitars we have in stock.

QUALITY

Our compromise: quality above all. The materials, the dealing with clients, the after-sale service… You’ll never be disappointed.

UNIQUENESS

Every guitar I make is a new challenge, even if it is a veteran model.

PRICE

Yes, archtop guitars are not cheap, but my prices will surprise you.

We create unique guitars.

News

Siracusa 16R Pickguard – Part 1

I have redesigned the pickguard in my Siracusa 16R models. I extended it, substituted a slide switch for a smaller unit with several times larger life expectancy (mechanically and electrically) and changed the way it connects to the preamp board inside the guitar. I’ll show how I make them in several parts, and this is Read more about Siracusa 16R Pickguard – Part 1[…]

Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival

I’ll be there! September 9-11 in Arvada, Colorado (USA)

First Siracusa 16E (and another Siracusa 16R)

I have just finished two guitars, the “R” and “E” versions of my Siracusa model. I have worked hard on every single step, in a process that has taken months, changing my methods and making significant improvements for many parts in terms of mass, robustness, reliability, etc. Read more about First Siracusa 16E (and another Siracusa 16R)

Berlin V

This model adds a piezo to the Berlin II model, much as the Berlin IV, but making control much easier thanks to its master volume.

Manuals for My Archtops Without F-Holes

My archtops without f-holes (the different versions of the Berlín and Siracusa models) are the ones that I build more these days. These manuals will give you an idea of their characteristics.

Antifeedback Plugs

A few months ago a client asked me for some way to cover the soundhole on the guitar that I was making for him. I didn’t want an ugly piece just to skirt the issue, I wanted to make a beautiful piece that also worked well. Read more about Antifeedback Plugs

Pickups for Siracusa Guitars

Recently I had to modify the pickups that I use for my Siracusa guitars. They had three terminals, and I wanted to add a fourth, which I will use for a really interesting variation that I’ll explain soon. I thought that I could take a few photographs and explain how crazy it is to do Read more about Pickups for Siracusa Guitars[…]

I can’t sit still!

Not long ago, in my last post here, I explained how I had modified the design of the pickguard in my Siracusa 16R model so that it had a master volume control. There I wrote:

Throwing away a design and a complex component does not make anybody feel good, but this other design is so stuffed with great ideas that I feel happy after all. Right now I can’t find anything that I dislike (we’ll see in a few weeks…)

And, as expected, I found something that I didn’t like. Read more about I can’t sit still!

Siracusa 16R—Things to Come + The Things Are Here

I have been making guitars with piezo sensors integrated inside the bridge, that I make myself from piezo plates. I am not going to talk about that now (I’ll do it), but about a particular design, that I call “Siracusa 16R”, that I have been working on.

Rialto “A”

I finished this guitar a few days ago. It has 17 inches, and it was going to be acoustic, but a pickup was added later.

More potentiometers…

Not long ago I designed a pickguard for my Siracusa model with new pots of long rotational life, explained here. Not much later I did the same for the tailpiece of my Berlin II guitars, here. A couple of months ago it was the turn of the Siracusa 16 tailpiece. Read more about More potentiometers…

A New Side Lining Technique

Note (January 2021): This content was published (with some modifications) in issue #141 of the prestigious magazine American Lutherie.

Some of my guitars are very light. On these, I must refine my building techniques to guarantee that they have a long life without problems. Recently, I devised a new technique for making the side lining of these instruments that will make them stronger. I liked it so much that I’ll use it for all my models. To my knowledge, no one has done this before, so I am happy to share it with the guitar making community!