I'm a guitar-playing Josh Rouse fan and the Spain-based Nebraska-born singer/songwriter's 2003 disc "1972," is my favorite of his records, thanks to its breezy, melodic sound that conjures the pop music of my youth.

So, I was surprised and pleased to hear that Milwaukee's own Archer Guitars has designed the Josh Rouse 1972 Signature Guitar, Jazz Archtop Model JR1972-T guitar and is now taking pre-orders for it. The company has also designed a bass for veteran sideman Kasim Sulton.

The single-cutaway, wide hollow body guitar looks like the great jazz guitars of the '40s and '50s. It boasts twin Performance Studio Level pickups, an arched laminated flamed maple top, deluxe art deco tuners, a maple body and set neck, a rosewood fingerboard, custom shop Abalone Archer in-laid logo, JR initialed back headstock, D'Addario strings, and special 1972 truss cover, in a select tobacco sunburst finish.

It lists at $799 but pre-orders on the Archer and Rouse Web sites run $200 less. Guitars will be ready to ship in February 2009. The Web sites also host a competition to win a free guitar.

Archer guitars are designed in Milwaukee and manufactured overseas.

In other Rouse news, Josh celebrates Turner Hall's first anniversary as a music venue with a gig there on Oct. 11 and on Sept. 16, Rhino releases the two-disc retrospective, "The Best of the Rykodisc Years."