Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival puts 30-plus builders and 60 hours of music in Arvada
The September 18–20 gathering combines an archtop luthier showcase with more than 30 workshops and clinics, making the instrument itself the center of the weekend.
Sep 20, 2026
Credit: Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival (via source)
The Rocky Mountain Archtop Guitar Festival is running September 18–20 in Olde Town Arvada, Colorado, bringing together more than 30 archtop builders alongside players, teachers and clinicians. The festival's official site lists more than 60 hours of music and over 30 workshops and clinics spread through local venues.
Unlike a general guitar show, this event is built specifically around the archtop: its builders, construction traditions and the players who use it across jazz, blues, country, western swing and beyond. That makes the festival a useful window into a specialist lutherie community that rarely receives the same day-to-day coverage as mass-market electric-guitar launches.
Why it matters
The event connects boutique instrument making, education and live playing in one unusually focused archtop gathering. It is particularly relevant to readers interested in lutherie and jazz guitar beyond mainstream product cycles.
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