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My friend Deni took this shot at a gig last week. My PEERLESS Monarch. Complete w flip-flops in the "F holes"

I LOVE this gtr!

Jookeyman wrote:Looks very similar to the Super 400 but thinner.

meh....i dunno. those Super 400's started as straight up acoustics and ended up w dual mounted routed humbuckers. big boys at 18" at the lower bout as opposed to most archtops being 16" and 17" (my PEERLESS Monarch and Guild X150 Savoy are both 17" and they are PLENTY big.)

Gibson got into this "bigger is better" war Epiphone (their main competitor back then) and after Epiphone came out w a 17 1/2" archtop (the biggest at the time...i forget the model....MAYBE and Emperor?) Gibson came out w the Super 400.

I don't see much resemblance between the Peerless and the Super 400 other than them both being big archtops. Instead of cutting up the top for two mounted HB's and vol and tone knobs....the Peerless Monarch has a floating pickup and just one mini volume pot attatched to the pickguard. so basically it's an acoustic gtr w a p/u.

it actually cops a vibe much closer to D'Angelico Exel w the floating P/U, ornamentation, headstock (with a FINIAL!!!)...and the Monarch's wooden tailpiece is a nod to Jimmy D'Aquisto's design (D'Angelico's apprentice) who took much of what he learned from D'Angelico but toned down some of what he considered over the top ornamentation.

Here's a Super 400.... w Florentine (pointy) cutaway...they were made w Florentine, Ventian, and non cutaway style


D'Angelico Exel....


PEERLESS Monarch...