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#1
05-18-2015, 04:54 PM
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The new "Steel City" acoustic archtop
Hey everyone. Apologies if this is a double post for everybody as I do have this guitar in a build thread in the custom shop board. But as the custom shop board tends to be mostly flat top work I wanted to make sure the arch-top fans here caught it.
After a year of design, fabrication and work I've finally finished the first of a new model of mine I'm calling the steel city. I will be debuting this along with two other versions at the memphis guitar festival if anyone will be in the area. I was really interested in creating an instrument that was inspired on a fundamental level by the late 20's L5. That I could make in a way that allowed me to offer it at a lower price point than my other instruments. This is a 15-3/4" width at the bout 25.1" scale 1.675" at the nut and 2.2' at the 14th fret This particular instrument has a sitka spruce top with big leaf maple everywhere else (and a slight birds eye on the neck) The sides are a special laminated configuration I came up with using a straight grained old growth doug fir core. this increased the stability, strength, and flatness tremendously which let me save weight in other areas. The tail piece is one piece stainless steel The guitar pictured here is an X-brace but the Steel city model in general was designed for parallel bracing. The tone is very balanced throughout the fretboard, nice thick mids and high, a present but not overpowering bass. Its got some punch but I wouldn't describe it as being percussive. Its not the loudest guitar I've built but it has good headroom. If one wanted to amplify I think it would work well with a nice acoustic pickup or a Bartolini 5J (or something similar). This model starts at $5,500. Out of the three I am taking to Memphis this is the only one that is still available. Any interest or questions please feel free to ask here or shoot me an email. Hope you guys enjoy the new piece.        
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#8
05-19-2015, 08:32 AM
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Wow, very beautiful guitar. I wish I could play one!
 Thank you for posting photos!
__________________
“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself” — Miles Davis.
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#9
05-19-2015, 09:10 AM
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Very pretty guitar, and interesting unique tail piece!
How did you decide on the dimensions, particularly the (somewhat unusual) scale length? Did you have a particular tonal result, or playability concerns, in mind? Would the (beautiful) curved end of the fretboard make it more difficult to install a floating pickup?
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#10
05-19-2015, 09:35 AM
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Awesome looking, gorgeous instrument!
The price is about 5 times what I'm willing to spend on any guitar, but I'm betting you'll find lots of buyers. Scroll most of the way down this page http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/faq.php and you'll find instructions for posting sound clips. Used to live in Pittsburgh. Love that city.
__________________
It's all one big note. - Frank Zappa Ain't Nobody's Business: https://soundcloud.com/vern-equinox/...usiness-but-my
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#11
05-19-2015, 09:41 AM
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Stuart,
Congratulations on the beautiful new model. I love it all from the tuners to the tailpiece. You should have no problem selling that one, and no problem moving lots of future versions. Really wish I could meet you and play it at Memphis... maybe one day.
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#12
05-19-2015, 02:34 PM
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Quote:
The basic foot print (body size/shape etc) was inspired by the L-5. With slight changes. I started with a more punchy, percussive tone in mind and went from there. The 25.1 scale length is not odd to me. I worked for Tom Ribbecke for 6 years and thats what we used. So, to me it seems very normal. But I suppose to most other people it is a little different. The advantage of it is it's versatility. Its just a happy medium between a longer 25.5 and a shorter 24.75" but it pushes the harmonics a bit further apart than a straight 25. which is nice because I've never liked the harshness of a 25. I like it as a builder because I can use it on both my archtops with different body sizes and it works well for both. My other archtop has a wider neck, 1.75 at the nut. And I wanted to make something that was more comfortable for people who were used to a 1.625 nut. And the tail piece dimensions are as is because of the elastic feel I was going for of the strings. I like strings to feel loose and pliable but snapback with quick response. which again plays into the 25.1… just a feel that I like.
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#14
05-19-2015, 04:19 PM
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That looks like a real sweetie: flamed sides/back/binding, segmented f-holes a la early Epiphone/Stromberg (one of my favorite designs, BTW), abalone-inlaid peghead, armrest, custom-made tailpiece - however...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the "Steel City" supposed to be the no-frills, Plain-Jane, entry-level $4K+/- "AGF Forum" guitar...? 
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#15
05-19-2015, 05:25 PM
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Quote:
that was my intention when beginning this project. However, after almost a year of designing, researching, looking at the market etc…I just realized it wasn't the direction I wanted to head in. First of all, after researching the market a bit I noticed that there are plenty of archtops being made already at that price point. So I dont see the need for me to fill that space. And ultimately the numbers just dont work for me I'm not saying its impossible. for some people, maybe that price point works for their situation and their process. But everyone has a different situation and a different process. in addition I dont feel like that would really represent the spirit of who I am as a luthier and the goals I have for my career. Someday, if my business has picked up and maybe I've hired another luthier, then its possible to see a cheaper stripped down version of my archtop come out of my shop. But for now, it's not the path I want to take. That said, I do think, objectively speaking, that $5,500 is a pretty killer price for a hand carved, hand-made instrument of any type. Also Steve, I build custom guitars. you know? That means very little of what I do is fixed in stone. If you actually put a solid concept on my table as a serious offer for a commission, and we agreed to get rid of things like… no pick-guard, no binding etc etc… Then its possible I could meet you at a price that worked for you. Or not. But I think its important to understand that since I'm not a manufacturer I have flexibility built into every aspect of my process. just something to keep in mind.
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