Blue Arch Oldie Acoustic Archtop

I met Krzysztof Trześniowski of Blue Arch Guitars ([url=https://www.bluearchguitars.com]https://www.bluearchguitars.com[/url]) at the 2022 Woodstock Guitar Show. I was so impressed with his unique and innovative archtop guitar, that I offered to be his USA dealer representative on the spot. His passion for his craft is refreshing, as is his commitment to elevating the tonal possibilities of the archtop guitar. To confirm my feelings, I reached out to my esteemed colleague and monster player Mark Dzubia for his take on this guitar. Mark was impressed; below are his impressions, which I share entirely.

Mark Dzubia's impressions:
When my good friend and owner of CR Guitars, Craig Snyder, tells me to "Stop by the shop; I've got some cool guitars you need to check out," I hightail it over there. This particular sunny winter was archtop day—I had the great honor of playing several incredible and historic archtops from some legendary builders, including one guitar, the "Oldie" from a builder I hadn't known before, Krzysztof Trześniowski of Blue Arch Guitars. As I lifted Krzysztof's guitar from its case, I immediately noticed how alive it was. Simply grabbing the neck and placing the guitar on my lap produced vibrations that I could feel and hear. It was like handling a hand drum, like an Irish bodhrán. This guitar is exceptionally light and perfectly balanced. Then I played a few notes. I was not prepared for the experience that began to unfold. Its sound enveloped me as if I were in a small concert hall. It has what I like to call a "personal soundstage." It was fantastic. I looked at Craig, and he knew exactly how delighted I was.

Krzysztof's Oldie reflects every nuance of your playing. The dynamic range is hyper-extended. If you're a player who uses a lot of dynamics as a part of your technique, you'll be transported. It's so much fun to play an instrument that is so responsive to what you put into it. Notes have a fast decay followed by an immediate sustain—kind of like the effect of using a compressor pedal. This is subtle though unmistakable, and a total gas to experience. I found myself playing more long tones within phrases and totally enjoying the sonic space. The intonation was excellent, and the setup was beautiful. Again, it lets you play dynamically without string buzzes or choked notes. Mind you; this was all acoustic playing. Then I plugged it in.

Through an amp, Krzysztof's guitar is simply the most beautiful amplified acoustic archtop I've ever heard, with emphasis on "acoustic." It doesn't sound like an electric archtop, like my old Vega Duo-Tron from 1950 or Craig's vintage ES-175. Those instruments sound like the history of jazz guitar—sublime. The Oldie is a contemporary acoustic instrument amplified to perfection. It opens up new pathways of playing. It was brilliant through Craig's Roland Jazz Chorus and my 1950s Grommes Hi-Fi tube conversion guitar amp. Krzysztof designed an ultra-low-impedance humbucker whose impedance is similar to a dynamic microphone. As the builder says, it's designed to "support, not replace, the acoustic sound." That tonality might be the combination of his guitar and pickup designs because I've never heard anything like it. I also experimented with amplifier volumes ranging from soft, small gig volume to quite loud.

Esthetically speaking, Krzysztof's guitar is stunning. The subtle design details and presentation are painfully beautiful. With that said, it's not just a gorgeous-looking guitar. It sounds and feels even better. What a brilliant combination. After spending time playing his guitar, I came to think of these ornaments as signs of Krzysztof's love and respect for design, which are on quiet display in this instrument.

I look forward to following this incredible builder. Bravo, Krzysztof! And thank you, Craig, for the opportunity to experience this unique and beautiful guitar.

If you'd like to find out more about this item, just call or e-mail me. It would be my pleasure to talk to you about it.