Testimonials:

"So beautiful, gets better every day, I keep discovering new things about it. It plays beautifully and contains many songs waiting to pop out."

~ Colin Hay, Los Angeles, California - www.colinhay.com

"I have been a jazz guitarist for over forty years. I just purchased a Contessa from Buffalo Brothers Guitars in North County, San Diego. At first, I was put off by the "plain-ness of the finish and thelack of bindings. Not your issue, mine. Old habits, I guess. As I played it at home, it grew. So much that now I think I could put it in a planter and it would grow roots. This is the most organic guitar I have ever played. I thought my 'muse' had left me, but now it's back, in the form of the Contessa. I have barely put it down since I purchased it. I'm 62. Sometimes I look at it and it looks like a Japanese primitive instrument.  Other times it looks like one of the fine violins played by the great studio players I've worked with. I'm sure this is just the beginning of a new relationship, an old relationship. Thank you. If I record anything with this beauty I will send you a copy, in hopes you may see how I interact with YOUR creation."

~ Stephen O'Connor, San Diego, California - www.steveoconnor-music.com

"Contemporary archtop builders are few and far between
and Peter Hopkins' work is among the finest available."

~ Buffalo Brothers Guitars, Carlsbad, California - www.buffalobrosguitars.com

"After having looked at dozens of different arch top guitars including some from the most renowned builders, playing Peter's Monarch was a love at first sight kind of experience for me that still hasn't cooled off. This instrument has a wonderful warm and rich sound and is so incredibly well crafted."

~ Boris Bastian, San Francisco

"I've been working at Buffalo Brothers for a little over a year, and been a customer there for about 5 years. In that time, I've had the opportunity to play hundreds of archtops from every year, maker, model, etc... that you can think of, and the 'Marquis' and the 'Contessa' that we've had in the shop are easily the nicest new archtop guitars I've ever played. The Contessa we currently have in is not only beautiful, but plays like a dream and sounds like a 50 year old instrument. In the 'Contessa', I've finally found a guitar that actually allows me to play what I'm hearing in my head without seemingly fighting me every step of the way. The Contessa has the "vintage sound" that I really love, but the playability is unlike any other archtop I've ever played. I finally own an archtop that begs to be taken out of it's case and played, and my swing playing has never been better. Thanks again."

~ Paul "Shorty" Kreutz, Carlsbad, California

"WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "I can't tell you how impressed I am with the instrument - it is so beautiful! You truly are an artist."

~ Tom Scheira, New York

"... the Marquis is still a breathtaking instrument to play and to behold. The craftsmanship and materials are nothing short of superb. And I love the custom inlay!"

~ Eugel Yeo, Singapore

"I can only congratulate you on producing a guitar that has exceeded my most optimistic wish. Now that I've had a chance to spend some time playing my guitar and making those tiny adjustments that every guitarist does with a new guitar, I can only say that my respect for what you've done here increases every time I pick the instrument up. It's going to take a giant of a player to get to the limits of this guitar."

~ John Dickinson, Surrey, England

"On my latest CD "Main Course", I was proud to be able to use my new Hopkins Marquis archtop guitar. Luthier Peter Hopkins of Penticton, B.C., Canada has successfully blended the required ingredients of workmanship, tone and playability in his archtop guitars. Not only did I want to showcase the tone of my Hopkins Marquis on my latest CD but it's beautiful sunburst finish earned it the cover shot as well. I'm confident it won't be long before Peter's guality craftsmanship earns him international acclaim in the industry."

~ Craig Brown, Ottawa, Canada

"I just purchased my Hopkins Marquis from Buffalo Brothers in Southern California. Wow, what a great guitar. I have only had it a few days but it has more than met my expectations. It looks beautiful and plays great."

~ David Yergensen, California

"Just wanted to drop you a line about the Contessa we received for the shop. It's truly a wonderful guitar, as was the Marquis. Hopefully soon I'll be contacting you about one for myself. My wife has even said that I should save up for one!"

~ Adrian Demain, Buffalo Brothers Guitars, Carlsbad, California

 

Articles:

Hopkins Monarch Guitar: Balanced Response

Dave Zaworski, Downbeat Magazine August 2005

After playing the Monarch guitar, a handcarved, handmade archtop from Hopkins Guitars, one might think that guitarmaker Peter Hopkins has been busy making guitars for decades, such is the Monarch's feel, sound and playability. That's not the case. Rekindling a dormant interest in guitars 10 years ago after befriending a local musician, Hopkins began from scratch, applying his wordworking and cabinetmaking experience with the help of luthier Bob Benedetto's guitarmaking book and teenage memories of watching his father carve a mandolin top.

"I saw Benedetto's book and right away I thought of my dad carving the top and thought that would be a neat project and at the end of it I'll have a guitar," Hopkins said. "I started off with the book and I just related to it. It all made really good sense to me when I was reading it. I followed his instructions step by step. For some reason since I started building them I've just had an intuitive knack for bringing out this acoustic response."

One relizes how understated Hopkin's intuitive knack is when playing the Monarch. Well-built with impeccable craftsmanship, the Monarch plays comfortably, singing with a resonant tone that is a near-perfect balance of treble (mellow yet bright), mids (warm with no harshness) and bass (plenty of oomph without being boomy). For anyone who's interested in playing jazz on a handmade carved archtop, it would be a chore to find a guitar that has this kind of quality craftsmandhip, sound and overall feel. The Monarch responds evenly to hard and soft attacks on chords or single-note lines. With a soft attack, the notes push out from the Monarch, swelling in overtones and intensity while still remaining soft. With hard attacks, the notes remain controlled without losing volume or intensity. The Monarch's sound is such that a guitarist doesn't have to physically overwork it to get a great tone: the tone is inherent in the Monarch and it nearly plays itself, both acoustically and amplified.

Outfitted with flatwound strings, the Monarch under review included quilt maple back and sides, ebony tailpiece, ebony pickguard with tone and volume control rotary dial and a floating pickup at the neck position. Hopkins builds between 10 and 12 guitars per year, offering custom options on the Monarch as well as the Regal 18, Contessa and Marquis models. For the time being, he plans to keep it a one-man operation.

"The main thing is I love to build these instruments, that's why I want to keep it just me and build the whole thing," Hopkins said.

Many thanks to Downbeat Magazine for permission to reproduce Dave's review.