John Monteleone is widely considered to be one of the world's preeminent builders of archtop guitars. Having started his career as a repairman for the famous (and now defunct) Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island, Monteleone quickly garnered a reputation for quality and design. Some of his work was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan from Rudy Pensa himself.
While Monteleone is mostly known for his archtops, he has also built some incredible flat top acoustic guitars. The Hexaphone model is a flat top that Monteleone introduced in 1977. The inspiration came from two iconic guitars: the Gibson J-200, which Monteleone admired for its size and design aesthetic, and the Martin OM-45, which he liked for its clear and balanced sound. The result was the Hexaphone, named because Monteleone views it as a six-string speaker cabinet.
