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I designed the 16" Archtop to have all the projection and acoustic tone of a big Jazz box but shrunk it down into a sexy little package that feels great to wrap your body around. What is really special about this guitar is the acoustic sound – it's loud and dazzling.
When Mark Whitfield came to me for a new guitar, I knew we were going to have a great time. He was looking for a guitar that would stand out in a crowd and be totally tailored to his needs. He played a 16" Archtop here in the shop and fell in love with it. Using the 16" as a template we set out to make him his dream guitar.
Right off the bat, the 16" acoustic sound gave Mark tons of stage presence but he still needed a very subtle pickup to transmit all that rich acoustic sound, I decided that the right thing would be a hand wound, one of a kind Marchione Jazz pickup. Working with Steve Blucher at DiMarzio, we created a pickup that would cleanly transmit the guitar's acoustic sound and give Mark the power to stand up and get noticed.
Another thing I always concentrate on when building a guitar is the neck; that's where Mark and the guitar make contact and it has to be a seamless, powerful joining of forces. I cut the neck to fit Mark's playing style and the shape of his hands. It's super comfortable and fast so he can really tear things up.
And in case you haven't noticed, he wanted that guitar to be RED! You sure can't miss it on stage. I also decided to make it a true signature guitar by inlaying his logo QP (Quick Pick) in Mother of Pearl in the tailpiece and I inlayed strips of Zulu wood in the tailpiece, pickguard and headstock. The first time he picked it up I was really pleased to see how good it looked on him and how great he sounded.
I've made a lot of guitars for a lot of people but this was definitely a deep guitar for me. I loved building it and I can't get over how Mark makes it sing. You can hear it for yourself on his cd RAW from Transparent Music.
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If you're interested in a Marchione Instrument or would like to have your own signature Mark Whitfield model, please feel free to contact me by e-mail or by phone at 713 522 7221.