FAQ

On a small body archtop, this comparison is really about color versus clarity, and how the guitar responds to the player’s touch.

All-koa: top, back, and sides
An all-koa small archtop tends to sound cohesive and blended, with a strong midrange personality. The attack is quick but slightly rounded, and there is a natural sweetness to the note that makes single-note lines feel smooth and vocal. Chords lean toward warmth rather than sparkle, and the guitar often has a gentle, built-in compression that keeps the sound even when you dig in. Sustain is moderate, and the decay feels soft and musical rather than abrupt. Over time, koa typically opens up and gains complexity, especially in the mids.

Flame maple top with walnut back and sides
This combination shifts the focus toward definition and immediacy. The maple top brings a fast, clear attack and strong projection, while the walnut back and sides add warmth and body without blurring the note. On a small archtop, the result is a very articulate voice with excellent note separation. The low end stays tight, the mids are honest and present, and the highs are clean without being sharp. There is less natural compression than all-koa, so the guitar responds very directly to changes in pick attack and dynamics.

In practical terms

• All-koa feels warmer, more blended, and slightly forgiving.
• Maple with walnut feels clearer, more dynamic, and more precise.

Both voices suit a small body archtop beautifully. The choice usually comes down to whether you want a guitar that adds a bit of its own color and warmth, or one that delivers a more transparent, immediate response.

On a small body archtop, this comparison is really about color versus clarity, and how the guitar responds to the player’s touch.

All-koa: top, back, and sides
An all-koa small archtop tends to sound cohesive and blended, with a strong midrange personality. The attack is quick but slightly rounded, and there is a natural sweetness to the note that makes single-note lines feel smooth and vocal. Chords lean toward warmth rather than sparkle, and the guitar often has a gentle, built-in compression that keeps the sound even when you dig in. Sustain is moderate, and the decay feels soft and musical rather than abrupt. Over time, koa typically opens up and gains complexity, especially in the mids.

Flame maple top with walnut back and sides
This combination shifts the focus toward definition and immediacy. The maple top brings a fast, clear attack and strong projection, while the walnut back and sides add warmth and body without blurring the note. On a small archtop, the result is a very articulate voice with excellent note separation. The low end stays tight, the mids are honest and present, and the highs are clean without being sharp. There is less natural compression than all-koa, so the guitar responds very directly to changes in pick attack and dynamics.

In practical terms

• All-koa feels warmer, more blended, and slightly forgiving.
• Maple with walnut feels clearer, more dynamic, and more precise.

Both voices suit a small body archtop beautifully. The choice usually comes down to whether you want a guitar that adds a bit of its own color and warmth, or one that delivers a more transparent, immediate response.

On a small body archtop, koa and walnut live closer together tonally than something like spruce versus maple, but they still feel different under the hands and to the ear, especially in how quickly the note speaks and how it decays.

Koa
Koa tends to be quick and articulate right out of the gate. On a small archtop, that usually shows up as a fast attack with a slightly sweet, rounded top end. The mids are focused and musical rather than wide and boomy, which works really well for single note lines and chord melody. There is often a gentle compression to the sound, so hard picking does not get harsh. Sustain is moderate, and the note bloom feels smooth rather than dramatic. Koa also has a way of warming up over time, so a guitar can sound a little tight at first and then open into a more complex midrange as it gets played.

Walnut
Walnut sits a bit closer to maple in clarity, but with more warmth and less glassiness. On a small body archtop, walnut often gives you a strong fundamental with excellent note separation. The low end stays controlled, the mids are clear and honest, and the highs are clean without being brittle. Compared to koa, walnut usually feels more immediate and linear, with less natural compression. Notes tend to decay a bit faster, which can be great for swing, Freddie Green style comping, or any context where you want definition and rhythmic clarity.

Side by side on a small archtop

• Koa leans toward warmth, sweetness, and a slightly forgiving response.
• Walnut leans toward clarity, balance, and a drier, more transparent voice.
• Koa often feels more lyrical for solo work.
• Walnut often feels more precise and rhythm focused.

Neither wood overwhelms a small body, which is important. Both keep the instrument focused and responsive rather than tubby. The real choice usually comes down to whether you wants a touch more color and bloom, or a touch more truth and definition. Either can make a small archtop feel alive and expressive, just in different ways.

We genuinely appreciate the creativity and thought that goes into custom inlay designs. That kind of personal expression is a big part of what makes guitars special.

At this time, we are not able to accept custom inlay designs. We are not a one at a time custom shop. Our guitars are built in carefully planned batches, and offering one off customizations would slow production and make it difficult for us to deliver instruments in a reasonable timeframe.

That said, we truly enjoy seeing how players think about design and aesthetics, and it helps inform ideas we may explore down the road. For now, every guitar we offer features inlays and details that are chosen, refined, and executed as part of a complete, cohesive build.

When a deposit is placed, that instrument is reserved specifically for you and removed from active availability. Your deposit is applied directly toward that guitar and, in many cases, helps cover build, materials, or luthier work already in progress.

You have three days from the date of purchase to cancel your deposit for a refund. If cancelled within that window, we will refund your deposit minus a 3% credit card processing fee, which is not returned to us by the processor.

After the three day period, deposits become non-refundable until the reserved guitar is sold to another customer. Once the instrument is resold, we are happy to refund your deposit at that time, again less the non-recoverable 3% processing fee.

This policy allows us to keep small batch builds moving forward while still being fair and transparent with our customers. If your situation changes, we always encourage you to reach out. We are a small shop, and we do our best to work with you whenever possible.

At this time, we are not offering wood selection or pre selection of individual instruments.

Each guitar is built and voiced as a complete instrument, and we make those decisions in the shop based on how the wood wants to work and sound, not just how it looks on its own. Keeping the process this way allows us to stay focused on consistency, quality, and getting finished guitars into players’ hands without delays.

This is something we would love to explore in the future. For now, every guitar that comes into stock is fully completed, carefully set up, and chosen because it meets our standards for tone, feel, and playability.

No. We do not sell kit guitars or unfinished instruments.

From time to time, we share photos from our production shop that show guitars in progress. These can look unfinished at a glance, but they are simply in the middle of the build process and still moving through carving, binding, finishing, setup, or electronics.

Every guitar we sell is fully completed, professionally set up, and ready to plug in and play right out of the box. We believe the instrument should arrive as a finished musical tool, not a project.

On a small body archtop, koa and walnut live closer together tonally than something like spruce versus maple, but they still feel different under the hands and to the ear, especially in how quickly the note speaks and how it decays.

Koa
Koa tends to be quick and articulate right out of the gate. On a small archtop, that usually shows up as a fast attack with a slightly sweet, rounded top end. The mids are focused and musical rather than wide and boomy, which works really well for single note lines and chord melody. There is often a gentle compression to the sound, so hard picking does not get harsh. Sustain is moderate, and the note bloom feels smooth rather than dramatic. Koa also has a way of warming up over time, so a guitar can sound a little tight at first and then open into a more complex midrange as it gets played.

Walnut
Walnut sits a bit closer to maple in clarity, but with more warmth and less glassiness. On a small body archtop, walnut often gives you a strong fundamental with excellent note separation. The low end stays controlled, the mids are clear and honest, and the highs are clean without being brittle. Compared to koa, walnut usually feels more immediate and linear, with less natural compression. Notes tend to decay a bit faster, which can be great for swing, Freddie Green style comping, or any context where you want definition and rhythmic clarity.

Side by side on a small archtop

• Koa leans toward warmth, sweetness, and a slightly forgiving response.
• Walnut leans toward clarity, balance, and a drier, more transparent voice.
• Koa often feels more lyrical for solo work.
• Walnut often feels more precise and rhythm focused.

Neither wood overwhelms a small body, which is important. Both keep the instrument focused and responsive rather than tubby. The real choice usually comes down to whether you wants a touch more color and bloom, or a touch more truth and definition. Either can make a small archtop feel alive and expressive, just in different ways.

No, Josh Maxey does designs and works with the MA team to create each model in addition to being a full time musician and guitar teacher. More about Josh’s music and teaching at: JoshMaxey.com 

Maxey Archtop Guitars are hand crafted in Beijing, China. We partner with our artisan luthier and builders to make hand carved instruments featuring solid woods based on historic archtop construction. Every Maxey Archtops guitar is received at our California warehouse where it's setup and tested before shipping.