At Maxey Archtops, our mission is simple. We want to inspire people to play guitar. Our instruments are influenced by a love of classic archtop tone and a desire to make that experience more accessible to today’s musicians. The small body designs we create offer the comfort and familiarity of a solid body guitar while still providing the bloom, resonance, and character that make a great modern archtop so expressive.

Maxey Archtops grew out of real playing experience and a commitment to music communities. The journey began in 2022 through a collaboration between Josh Maxey and Phred Instruments that resulted in the Half Note and Night Owl models. That collaboration helped establish the foundation for what became Maxey Archtops, and in 2023, Maxey Archtops was formed in California, adding a third partner, and collaborating with a dedicated builder team as an independent brand to explore our own designs, materials, and direction. Since then, our focus has remained on creating instruments for working musicians and passionate players who want a thoughtful balance of tone, feel, and affordability.

Every Maxey Archtops guitar begins with respect for traditional archtop construction and the belief that a well-made instrument should respond to the player with clarity and expression. Our guitars are brought to life by a small artisan builder team in China led by our head luthier, who trained in Canada and is a member of the Guild of American Luthiers. For our carved archtop models, the top and back plates are shaped by hand, using time honored methods that bring out the acoustic character of the wood. For our routed hollowbody designs, we incorporate state of the art machinery and CNC precision to ensure accuracy and consistency before the detailed finishing and setup work is completed by hand. The carving, bracing, and finishing work are all done with care and attention to tone, sustain, and the ability to go from warm acoustic response to controlled harmonic bloom when amplified. By working with highly skilled master builders overseas, Maxey Archtops can achieve a high-end level of craftsmanship while keeping instruments accessible to more players and delivering them within a realistic timeframe.

Once completed, guitars are shipped to our California workshop for a second phase of quality assurance, where every instrument is inspected, set up, and tested before it goes to its new home. This final step ensures that each guitar plays the way it was intended and meets the standards we expect for ourselves and for our customers.

Beyond instrument design and production, Maxey Archtops is grounded in a broader musical mission. The company’s work is informed by decades of active musicianship, teaching, and community building. At its core, Maxey Archtops exists to help players grow, express themselves more deeply, and connect through music, providing instruments that bring professional feel, tone, and inspiration into everyday hands.