Review

This is one of the archtop guitars on the list that has historical significance. It's essentially a redesign of the thinline archtops used by the Beatles. While this one's body is all laminate, it's a unique design -- a three-ply maple/poplar/maple build. The thinline dual-cutaway body makes it more comfortable to play than many bigger jazz boxes, and the C-profile neck is just thick enough to add some tonal warmth.

But the real standout feature of this archtop guitar is the set of Dogear P90 pickups. These aren't as noisy as standard single-coils, but they offer a clearer top end than most humbuckers. If you're after vintage tone with a little grit, these are the pickups you're looking for.

Our Star Rating

We think this jazz guitar is the best-redesigned instrument on the list, and we give it four out of five stars.

Review

If you know anything about jazz, you've heard of Joe Pass, who collaborated with Gibson to design this great-looking guitar. And while it looks expensive, it's actually a surprisingly good deal, especially considering its pickups. The Emperor II Pro comes with Epiphone ProBucker pickups, which are modeled after Gibson's famous BurstBucker design. But most notably, they're equipped with a coil tap, which gives you countless tonal options. Coil tap is fairly rare on hollow-body guitars, which makes this one even more special.

This guitar has a spruce top, and the back and sides are flamed maple. This combination gives you exceptional responsiveness and impressive sonic clarity. A beautiful scrolled tailpiece and gold hardware give it a distinctly beautiful vibe.

Our Star Rating

We think this hollow guitar is the best value on the list. We give it 4.5 out of five stars.

Review

You might already know about Ibanez from their superstrat shredder guitars or Tube Screamer pedals. You might be surprised to learn that they also make a few archtop guitars. The AF75G is part of the Ibanez Artcore series of beautiful yet affordable guitars. It's made of linden, which is another word for basswood. This isn't really a top-notch tonewood, but at this price, it's not really an issue.

This guitar comes fitted with Classic Elite humbuckers, which are designed especially for this type of guitar. All humbuckers reduce noise to some extent, but these ones are designed to reduce or eliminate feedback issues, too. And somewhat surprisingly, the AF75G comes with a set neck that enhances sustain and stability. Ibanez jazz boxes are played by some jazz greats like Pat Metheny, so don't overlook them on your jazz guitar search!

Our Star Rating

 We think this guitar is the best budget option on the list. We give it four out of five stars.

Review

This is the first semi-hollow guitar on our list, and you may not have known before that Guild even made this type of guitar. But this one offers vast sonic options at a shockingly affordable price. The maple body and mahogany neck give it the perfect balance of warmth and clarity, and the center block reduces potential feedback and enhances sustain.

We think the standout feature of this quality archtop is its set of three P90 single-coil pickups. This guitar comes with six-way pickup switching to help you create just about any jazz tone you want. And while this is a great jazz guitar, its central block of wood means that it's also great for rock, blues, funk, fusion, rockabilly, and just about any genre, you can imagine. It also comes with a Bigsby-style tremolo for expressive string bending. The body itself is fairly slim and comes with a Florentine cutaway, making it easier to manage than some big-bodied jazz boxes.

Our Star Rating

We think this surprisingly affordable guitar offers the best tonal versatility on the list. We give it five out of five stars.

Review

Of all archtop guitars built for jazz, the Gibson ES-335 may well be the most famous. But this semi-hollow body guitar is also fairly expensive. (If you're on a budget, the Epiphone ES-335 is the more affordable version.) But unlike the Epiphone ES-335, this version of the ES-335 is a meticulously crafted replica of an actual 1961 Gibson ES-335, right down to the shape of the f-holes. It's a great option for jazz musicians who would love a vintage Gibson but don't have tens of thousands to spend.

The ES-335 is made with laminated maple and poplar for a clear, balanced tonal response. It comes with two Custombucker pickups. These are a historically accurate replica of the PAF pickups found in the original 1961 Gibson ES-335. The slim-taper, C-shaped mahogany neck adds some warmth to the tone and makes this a highly playable semi-hollow body guitar. If you want a tone that's as close as possible to an original 1961 Gibson ES-335, this is just the guitar for you.

Our Star Rating

We think that this Gibson ES-335 is the best high-end jazz guitar on the list. We give it five out of five stars.

Review

Fully hollow electric guitars are sometimes called semi-acoustic, although some look more like acoustic guitars than others. The Godin 5th Avenue archtop guitar is a prime example of a jazz guitar that looks a lot like vintage instruments, but it's in a very affordable price range. This guitar has a solid wild cherry top and laminated wild cherry back and sides -- an uncommon choice for a jazz instrument. Cherry sounds a bit like maple with a somewhat fuller tone, so it's well-suited to the genre.

While this looks more like an acoustic guitar than an electric guitar, it's still capable of a powerful amplified tone thanks to the single Godin-designed P90 at the neck. The fact that there's only one pickup might pose a problem for some players, but this pickup still delivers a high-quality tone. Essentially, if you want an archtop guitar that both stands out and hearkens back to old jazz guitar designs, this just might be the one for you.

Our Star Rating

We think this archtop guitar has the best vintage look and feel. We give it four out of five stars.

Review

Simply put, the White Falcon is a stunning guitar. This white archtop with all-gold hardware was born to be a stage standout. While its all-hollow design makes it a great choice for jazz, the Filter'Tron pickups make it well-suited to rock and rockabilly. This version has a much slimmer body than the original White Falcon, so there's much less danger of feedback issues. And thanks to the Bigsby tremolo, you can string bend and dive-bomb to your heart's content without going out of tune.

Our Star Rating

We think this guitar has the best aesthetics on the list, and we give it 3.5 out of five stars.

Review

You might remember vintage Harmony guitars. Through the eye-catching and unique Cornet semi-hollow guitar, these guitars are making a comeback. The Cornet has an all-mahogany design capable of delivering remarkably warm tones, thanks to its carved solid mahogany top and laminated mahogany back and sides.

It's also equipped with Harmony's custom-wound gold-foil humbuckers. These pickups have a vintage tone that's hard to describe. But if you prefer guitars that stand out in terms of tone, you might just like this one.

Our Star Rating

We think this guitar has the best unusual design on the list. We give it four out of five stars

Review

This Rickenbacker guitar is a great choice for jazz guitarists who play with a little rock-influenced flavor. It's made in the distinctive Rickenbacker shape and has the brand's classic version of an f-hole. But this redesigned version has a feature that really sets it apart -- a Rick-O-Sound stereo output. With this feature, each pickup has its own signal, so you can send each to a different amp or effortlessly record in stereo. It's a remarkable feature that you don't often see.

This guitar comes with two high-gain, single-coil pickups. And with five control knobs, you can easily sculpt your sound. Notably, one is a "blend" knob that lets you combine the two pickups.

Our Star Rating

We think this guitar is the best for recording on the list, and we give it 3.5 out of five stars