NGD or NAD new archtop

[E-man]

First time I've done a NGD or a NAD

Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II 2014 Cognac Burst

She's a beaut.... my first archtop and electric...

Now it's an all new ballgame ... strings???? setup???? amp???? help!!!!!

http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/bw...0f0f1.jpg.html

[JohnW63]

I just did the same thing a few weeks ago !

It's a new tone and new fun.

See....
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=354102

and ... I had to get an amp too, and it came on the same day!

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=355021

[Archtop Guy]

That's a pretty electric looking archtop, so if it was me I'd go for all nickel .012s for strings.

Any electric guitar amp will get you started, but again, if it were me, I'd use my Fender Deluxe Reverb. There's no need for lots of distortion, or multi-channel stuff for the tones that I like. I like really flat EQ (Fender Reverb treble = 0, bass = 0, guitar tone knob = 10) for jazz tones but other setting will get you into other territory.

Enjoy the trip!

[icuker]

Nice guitar! Enjoy it. I almost bought an all acoustic black finished Godin (no cut away) a few years ago. Sorry I didn't bite at the time. Oh well, so it goes...

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by E-man

...Godin 5th Avenue CW Kingpin II 2014 Cognac Burst...strings???? setup???? amp???? help!!!!!...

In order:

1] I have the same guitar in blonde BTW, so congrats - ya done real good . I've got mine strung with flatwound 13's - really gets some "wood" into the tone - but my earliest background was in jazz, so I don't find them a problem (see also #2). Roundwounds will give you a crispier tone - a lot of guys prefer them with humbucker-equipped guitars for just that reason (I don't, BTW) - but flats are more traditional if you're playing straight-ahead jazz, early R&B, rockabilly, roots/Americana, or the like; in any event, I personally wouldn't go any lighter than 12's on a short-scale (<25") full-hollow if you expect to get any real tone...

2] Setup is what's comfortable for you, and allows you to most effectively execute the techniques necessary to your signature tone; with the sole exception of my LP Studio goldtop (my straight-up rock/blues axe) all of my electrics have a classic circa-1955 jazz setup of the heaviest possible strings (flatwound 12's or 13's in my case) and the lowest possible action (I've got flatwound 10's on the LP, BTW) - most players coming from a rock or even acoustic background that I've met can't play my guitars, but as I said it's what works for you. One thing I will suggest is that you make sure that the bridge feet are properly fitted to the curvature of the top, by someone who understands archtop guitars and knows how to do this properly (FYI most run-of-the-mill techs, however competent in other areas, don't); even with a hollow-body electric you want the string path to be as solid and free of tone-robbing gaps and parasitic vibrations as any solidbody, and if you don't have an archtop specialist in your area, I'd recommend seeking out a violin luther - bridge fitting is routine on orchestral strings, and he/she should be able to do it for a reasonable price...

3] While I won't be quite so brand-specific, I'll echo A.G.'s preference for an open-back tube amp with one (or two) 12" speaker(s) - that's the combination that gave birth to electric guitar as we know it, and it's hard to go wrong with a tried-and-true setup with eight decades of history under its belt; although a good low/mid-powered 1x15" combo can be excellent for straight bop or early blues with those P-90's, IMO it might be a bit restrictive if you have a more eclectic style. Whatever you decide on you'll want as much clean headroom as possible, in the interest of both tone and feedback prevention; depending on your intended use I'd personally opt for a bit more power than you really need (a 20-30W tube amp suffices for most practice/small gigs if you're playing clean) and think classic "American" tone - simply put, Fender/(vintage) Ampeg rather than Marshall/Vox, Eminence/Jensen speaker rather than Celestion, 6L6/6V6 tubes rather than EL34/EL84 (with one notable exception to the latter - PM me if you're interested). If you need super-clean high power (75W+), can't afford the price of admission for a Twin Reverb or JC-120, and/or don't want to mess with the higher maintenance requirements/cost of tubes, there are a number of well-built/engineered 1x12"/2x12" no-frills solid-state amps in the under-$500 range that might fill the bill; there's a certain breadth/depth of tone available from a high-power amp, even at low volumes, that you're not going to get from a lower-wattage rig - and if the late Les Paul could use a silverface Twin on 2 for club gigs (I saw him do this at Fat Tuesday's about 20 years ago) in the interest of tone, I'm certainly not about to argue...

4] Shop around, play everything you can, and decide what you like best - should you still need advice/assistance, we're here...