My arch top builds are all “acoustic”, even some nylon string. But you are right, there is precious little market for that. For 95% of all arch top buyers (which is already a tiny number) the arch top guitar is a Cadillac of bling ELECTRIC guitar.
There is good reason for that. Most acoustic guitar players want a guitar to accompany vocalists. It’s hard to do better than a dreadnought with its boomy lows and shimmering highs. Acoustic arch tops lend themselves to the far more difficult task of solo guitar playing. More like a classical guitar, but without the heritage, history, or body of work.
As an electric guitar players have many examples of talented players. From Charlie Christian to Pat Methaney you have a wide variety of guitar heroes on electric arch tops.
My personal philosophy was to choose: do I build acoustic guitars for me and three or four other people a year, or somehow try to capture a slice of the electric guitar market? I’m not sure how anyone can make a living as a luthier today, but I’m grateful I don’t have to. That means I build the guitars I want to play, and consider myself blessed to sell a few here and there. Two pickups and four controls are NEVER going to live on the top of one of my guitars*
*of course, I was persuaded to make one just like that a few years ago for a charity auction, so I guess “never” is too strong a word
