Peerless Monarch
The Peerless company is another modern-
day maker of fine, affordable archtops
with its origins in Asia. The company was
founded in Busan, South Korea in 1970 and
spent decades manufacturing guitars for
other well known makes before stepping
out on its own with the Peerless brand.
Since that time Peerless instruments have
distinguished themselves with timeless
jazz archtop aesthetics, true manufacturing
excellence, lively, sonorous tones, and
prices that the average musician can afford
without hocking an organ. One of the
company’s most popular models is
the Monarch, a guitar built in the
classic pre-war style, with a 17-inch-
wide solid spruce top, solid maple
back and sides, and an ebony
fretboard with matching ebony
bridge, tailpiece, and
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TONE TALK //
pickguard. All in all, it’s a sight to behold
with fat, cutting tones to match. A Kent
Armstrong floating mini-humbucker in
the neck position takes care of the
electric side of things in superb
fashion. The Peerless Monarch
is a spectacular deal, typically
selling brand new for under
1200 dollars, and used for
a whole lot less.
6 Archtops for the Working Class Jazzer