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ca. 1960's Albanus Cutaway

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Body size at lower bout: 17", Body Depth: 3 1/8" Scale length: 24" Nut: 1 11/16"

Finish: Sunburst finish, nitrocellulose lacquer type.

Materials: Solid bookmatched handcarved fine grain spruce top; full-depth handcarved solid maple back and sides with Venetian cutaway; tiger flame maple neck with walnut centerstripes; solid ebony fingerboard with block mother of pearl inlays; pearl diamond and headstock logo; 9-ply body binding, 3-ply neck and headstock binding; triple-bound f-holes; solid bone nut.

Hardware: Original hardware includes gold Kluson Sealfast tuners; hand carved ebony tailpiece with pearl inlay, compensated adjustable ebony bridge with inlaid feet; bound black acrylic pickguard with volume control. Recent Kent Armstrong floating 2D humbucking pickup.

Notes: The decade of the 1960's saw the most explosive increase in guitar sales in the history of the instrument. In the wake of the folk revival, the British Invasion and the legacy of Elvis, baby boomers kept guitar manufacturers scrambling to meet exponentially increasing demand. Swamped in the tsunami of mass produced dreadnoughts and solid bodies, the venerable archtop guitar kept a lonely vigil at the top of the catalog, with the major manufacturers showing their lowest production figures in history.

Nowhere was this more true than in the rarified world of the hand built guitar. D'Angelico's long career had ended with the beginning of the decade, and his successor D'Aquisto wouldn't fully hit his stride until the next. Stromberg had passed away in the mid-50's, and the renaissance in hand building sparked by Benedetto and his followers was almost a quarter century away. Despite the setbacks, a hard core of working session players, sidemen and soloists continued to demand hand-carved instruments crafted to their exacting specifications. Into the void stepped Carl Albanus Johnson.

According to Chicago guitarist Chuck Kling, Johnson was a Swedish immigrant schooled in violin making. He is said to have learned guitar craft at the Boston workshop of Elmer Stromberg, another builder of Swedish heritage. Relocating to Chicago in the 50's, Johnson built a reputation among the working players in the area with his finely crafted instruments which, like those of D'Angelico, were generally built to order. None of his instruments bear a date, but we understand he was active between the late 50's and his death in 1973, and that he probably produced no more than a hundred or so guitars in his career. Among the rarest of American archtop guitars, we believe most surviving specimens remain in the Midwest.

The 17" Venetian cutaway body is handcarved of highly figured fiddleback flame maple, finished in a subtle tobacco sunburst. The handcarved spruce top is quartersawn and bookmatched, with crossgrain silk throughout. The body binding is extravagant, with a full nine plies on the body and triple bound f-holes. Of particular note is the handcarved ebony tailpiece, which reflects Johnson's roots in violin building. Predating D'Aquisto by a number of years, Johnson may indeed deserve credit for introducing the wooden tailpiece on the modern archtop guitar. Expertly contoured with a slim contemporary feel, the neck is reinforced with a three piece centerstripe and is dead straight with smooth low action over a solid ebony fingerboard with excellent medium jumbo frets. A Kent Armstrong floating 2D humbucker is installed on the original pickguard with a volume control and endpin jack.

This example has been maintained in impeccable condition, without cracks, pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear, and showing only very light normal checking in the all-original sunburst finish. The original multi-ply binding is now heavily ambered and showing its age, but is still tight to the body, with only slight shrinkage and no crumbling. The body is particularly light in weight, just 5 lb. 13 oz., and the voice of this guitar has unusual warmth and depth. Of particular note is the remarkably resonant bass response, with rich complex mids, and fine clear highs, every bit the equal to a number of contemporary D'Angelicos and D'Aquistos we've seen, and superior to some. A superb working guitar, and one of the rarest American archtops ever, the Albanus is a continuing testament to the Stromberg of the Windy City.

Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge bronze roundwound strings (.013-.056). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Black plush hardshell case.

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