Entrada Archtop Guitar

For the last two decades or so I have been looking for a guitar with the following specs: thin body single cutaway jazz guitar, single pickup, good quality, good looks and above all affordable. I think I nailed it this time. I was browsing the web for the millionth time when I stumbled upon this site of Robert Conti. I immediately mailed them and they answered all my questions quickly and to the point. They even facilitated my indecisiveness on the bridge top: Gotoh T.O.M or compensated ebony. I got both. Since I live in The Netherlands, Europe I expected a long wait before I could hold the guitar I ordered in my hands. Not so. Shipped Monday and delivered Thursday! Thumbs up for both Conti Guitars and their shipping firm FedEx. I use the guitar already. Mr. Conti and his staff have made me a very happy guitar player indeed. This is stellar service. To be recommended!

Robert, the Entrada is everything you described it to be in the personal video you sent — and more! It plays smoothly and the notes are clear and very sharp. My wife, Linda, likes the color of the guitar, and the look of the Gold Finger tailpiece. In your video you explained that the Gold Finger tailpiece contributes to the sound of this beautiful arch top as well as looking nice.

I have enjoyed my equity model for 10 years, and now I can continue that enjoyment with a lighter guitar around my neck.

I started my Conti journey with your Source Code and Ticket To Improv DVDs, and now I am improving my playing with the live private online lessons with Robert. Wow! Great instructional products, wonderful guitars, and the outstanding teaching of Robert Conti.

Thank you again, and God bless you.

I collect guitars with a large collection of new and preowned. Most are the latter. I have dealt primarily with dealers in acquiring the 125 instruments I own. The value of my Conti instruments far exceeds the price I paid for them as the quality and playability of both of these instruments is far greater than the price paid. Out of the box I can state that I have never acquired a new or used instrument that is set up and that plays better than my Conti Guitars. I am not an active professional player like many of those reviewing their Conti purchases but I have played guitar for over 60 years and had the pleasure of recording in studio in Hollywood in 1963 and signing a record contract for the Band I played with. Our recording was never issued but it was an experience that was wonderful for a 21 year old. I continue to play Blues and am pursuing learning jazz guitar from a great teacher.

Guitars have been a big part of my life and I am overjoyed in stating how pleased I am to be a part of the Conti family of owners. Thank you Robert for your great creations and your outstanding service in delivering these amazing guitars.

All my best to you both. I finally got the pictures properly taken.

Due to the tropical climate in the Philippines (humidity, temperature) I started looking for a good quality jazz guitar with laminated construction up to $ 2,000. I have been following the offers of the better Koreans, Chinese and Japanese on various sites for quite some time. Below 2k, however, the supply was limited. Moreover, the shipping costs often turned out to be high because of the remote location here on the Philippines.

After visiting several sites worldwide, my eye fell on Conti Guitars. I noticed them on Facebook groups such as Archtop Guitars and Jazz Guitar. So I sent a message via email inquiring about the Entrada model, pretty soon I got a reply from Steve (Conti Support). This was followed by an extremely constructive exchange of emails with Steve, who was responding well to my ultimate priorities regarding the guitar, what you call personal attention. Robert Conti, also thanks for the personal message in the introductory video of my instrument, nice detail! This in combination with the communication with Steve and Mike shows involvement and feels good! Meanwhile, the blonde Conti Entrada has arrived in good condition. The first meeting feels good. Excellently finished guitar, all details are correct. Fantastic playability, good sound acoustically and amplified (tone rolled back approx. 80%). We're going to have a lot of fun with this!

Loek Hagen - Agusan del Sur, Philippines
Proprietor, Uptown Garage Café and KTV Bar

Thank you for the wonderful purchasing experience of this new Robert Conti “Entrada” archtop guitar. From the outset I spent a lot of time with your team member Mike guiding me through all of the options available for this beautiful instrument and finalizing the payment of the purchase price. Patience was more than exemplified by both Mike and Steve. They assured me that the Guitar would be forwarded via UPS, packed and stored in a very secure box and insured. That put me at great ease.

Within 2 days of shipment I received a wonderful video of Robert playing the exact guitar purchased. It was a great resource for hearing the guitar’s tone along with very specific information about the guitar’s materials and use of the hardware. The video contained a discussion of the Kent Armstrong Pick Up (single), control knobs, Gotoh Tune-O-Matic bridge with Ebony base. I chose the Gold Finger Tailpiece with string tensioners. His explanation as to their use and impact on tone quality was educational. In closing, the video was very personal; appearing as if I were in the same room talking to him. His share of having lived in Ponte Vedra, Florida was quite warming. In the approximate 30 minute video, I came to believe that Robert was putting out the best product at a very reasonable price compared to his competitors.

Upon arrival, I let the guitar sit for a few hours (as recommended by Robert) to allow the guitar to acclimate to the Florida climate. The packaging was first rate and the guitar arrived “without” a blemish. The accompanying gig-bag was more than ample to protect the instrument, and, with the two shoulder straps allowed the ease of carry as a ‘back pack”. Robert advised in the video that prior to shipping string tension would be dropped a whole step. Upon bringing the guitar to standard tuning, I was surprised at the richness of tune for a hollow body archtop with a body depth of less than 2 inches. The intonation was perfect and there was no fret buzz.

Conti guitars earns “5 stars” in my review. I am very pleased with the guitar and the entire purchase experience. Therefore, if your are in the market for a slim body jazz guitar, I highly recommend that you consider purchasing the Conti “Entrada”!

What a great guitar! I have bought a lot of guitars, and I have to say I have never encountered a seller/manufacturer who cares this much about satisfying their customer. I feel like I am their most important client! Thank you! This jazz club is up 20+ stairs. Nice to finally be able to bring a single guitar to play the gig – standards, funk, blues. Love the guitar!

That pre-shipment video was magnificent. A real personal touch. She arrived yesterday. A stunning lady. I have adjusted the action back and put a plain G on and adjusted the saddle to suit. I have a few gigs this weekend so I will try to get some photos and maybe a video. Outstanding. Thanks again. Over the moon. Not just with the product, which is fantastic and just what I’ve been looking for for some time, but also with the customer service and communication which has blown me away. Outstanding company to deal with.

3 Day Update:
Took the guitar out for its first gig tonight. Very impressive, sounds great and feels even better. It was a real crowd pleaser as well, had quite a few people asking about it. I’m loving playing it. I’ve attached a photo from last night.