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Old 11-08-2016, 07:48 AM
Hot Vibrato Hot Vibrato is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spook View Post
OK.. So I made this long argumentative post completely worthy of deletion (why does Internet suck us into that?). My apologies. Basically I'm just really glad there are flat tops, arch tops, nylon string, and in-betweens out there to enjoy and I think they are all quite different. That and I don't agree about oval holes. They aren't brighter and actually have more bass bridging the gap (to a degree) between flat top and arch top.

And yes.. archtops are amazing guitars that aren't as well appreciated as they should be. Part of that is that you have to be a fairly advanced player before their attributes shine brightest.
I read your post last night, and it did not strike me as being overly rude or combative. But to be honest, my opinions here have dug me into a hole that may be hard to get out of. Your points are valid, and it's not my intention to disparage flat tops or those who play them - I mean, Doc Watson played flat top guitars, and music just doesn't get any better than that...

Things have been kind of slow here on the archtop sub-forum, so I'm glad to have started a thread which sparked such a lively discussion. I was going to prepare a response to your previous post, but then you had to go and be all diplomatic, which just helps to prove what I've always thought - that people who play archtop guitars have class.

Regarding the topic at hand:

I'm a fingerpicker, and I love the way a good archtop sounds played fingerstyle. It takes a more aggressive attack to get a rich tone (than with a flat top steel string or classical), but the sound is just heavenly to my ears. I've often wondered why archtops haven't caught on with more (non-jazz playing) fingerstyle guitarists.

Regarding oval hole and round hole archtops - my experience is mainly with Gibson L-1's and L-3's, which are small guitars, so that may have caused me to form the opinion that they lack bass response. I don't see too many other round hole examples of archtop guitars very often, so maybe it's not fair for me to even have a general opinion of how they compare to f-hole guitars.

I do agree that it takes a fairly advanced player for their attributes to shine brightest. It's definitely easier to sound good on a flat top. Archtops require a certain touch to make them sound their best. Another member here ( I think it was Steve) says the old-timers called it "coaxing the velvet out". I love that.

I've had to delete posts and apologize for my behavior on the internet in the past as well. When you're as opinionated as I am, you're bound to rub some people the wrong way. But internet forums are more fun when these discussions don't escalate into petty bickering. Thanks for taking the high road.
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