Optimizing the Range of an Archtop Guitar

If you know why archtop guitars are designed the way they are, you can optimize your instrument by using your guitar as it was designed. In the early days of radio, the audio spectrum was very limited: lots of mids, very little low or high end. Archtop guitars were designed to rule the middle ground, and they do. When playing a heavy rhythm style, they have no equal in the midrange department. To optimize the low and high end, use a good bright phospher bronze string. For better volume, use a heavy gauge string. The heavier the string, the better tone the string has. For lead guitar, these guitars like .011-.052, for rhythm try .012-.056 gauge strings.