Thomas DeVoe made archtops starting from the mid 1990s. DeVoe originally worked as a mechanic, welder/fabricator, machinist and tool & die maker. In 1994 he applied his engineering and fabrication skills to archtop guitar making. At the peak of his production, in the early 2000s, DeVoe was making around 10 guitars per year. He always aimed to make affordable instruments - aiming to get them into the hands of players rather than making ornate museum pieces.

Source: DeVoe website (archived 2005)