After honing his skills for two decades as one of Canada's premier guitar restoration technicians, Douglas Harrison has burst on the scene as one of the finest custom archtop luthiers in North America.  Douglas pushes the boundaries of woodworking to a higher level and squeezes every ounce of tone from each component.   These instruments have a power, clarity and warmth of tone that is rarely heard in any archtop.  Harrison's experience as an accomplished jazz guitarist has been invaluable in developing the sonic nuances of this complex instrument.

 
Custom archtop guitar

 

 
 
Custom Archtop Jazz guitars
link to larger image

 
 
Standard Features;
 
 
* cutaway body
* hand carved top of select aged spruce 
* hand carved back of figured maple with matching sides 
* 3-piece hand carved maple neck with rosewood or ebony fgbd.
* carved bridge and tailpiece of rosewood or ebony 
* elevated pickguard of rosewood or ebony 
* wood binding and purfling
* bound neck and peghead 
* Schaller M6 tuners with ebony buttons 
* hardshell case
 

 
 
 
Harrison Jazz Guitars

 
No Charge Options;
 
* S or F holes 
* pearl dot markers on fretboard face 
* bound pickguard 
* fretwire selection 
* neck shape and dimension 
* 25.5" or 24.75" scale length 
* natural, shaded or sunburst finish

 

 
 

 
 
Options;
 
 
* Bartolini 5J pickup with pickguard mounted controls 
* highly flamed maple back and sides 
* 18" body width 
* block or split block fretboard markers 
* Calton case
* multiport with sliding door on guitar side
 

 
 

 

Model GB

         Douglas Harrison created a small-bodied archtop jazz guitar last year for jazz veteran Gary Benson.  Since that time Harrison has been getting a steady stream of orders for variations of this practical design. 

         The instrument pictured below differs from the prototype GB in that it features "S" holes similar to Harrison's full sized archtops.  The "Model GB" has a hand graduated carved spruce top,  ebony fingerboard,  carved ebony tailpiece & pickguard,  fully hollow mahogany body and mortise & tenon neck joint.  A bridge block glued between the mahogany back and carved spruce top gives this instrument excellent gain-before-feedback characteristics. 

        I have to say this is one of the most comfortable feeling instruments I have ever played.  The balance,  waist placement and neck shape are ergonomically near perfect.  This is a workhorse of a guitar for the working jazz musician!

 

 
 

 
 
Link to the Official Douglas Harrison website!
 

Link to copy of Roy Patterson's interview with Douglas Harrison in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
Link to the What's New Section for most recent reviews of Harrison acoustic guitars

 
 

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