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  #1  
Old 03-18-2018, 07:35 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Default Help picking/finding archtop

I'm still in the market for my first archtop. My budget is in the $2,000 range. I think I want a maple top, ideally carved, not laminated.

I think I like the sound from a floating pickup rather than a body mounted pickup. I'm not opposed to a used guitar, I might even prefer it, but the selection process is overwhelming.

Can anyone provide some guidance?

Last edited by Quickstep192; 03-18-2018 at 08:26 AM.
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Old 03-18-2018, 09:35 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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IMO a carved maple top, while likely providing explosive projection and volume, would be painfully bright to the point of harshness - that's why spruce tops have been favored for the last millennium; that said, finding an all-carved spruce/maple archtop in the $2K range is not terribly difficult. Eastman and Loar both have excellent instruments for under $2K, the former being more "modern" in tone/execution in the spirit of Benedetto/Buscarino et al., the latter being near dead-on replicas of Eddie Lang/Mother Maybelle Gibsons (including the vaudeville-era-correct 1-3/4" thick-V neck - IME you'll definitely want to play one of these before you take the plunge, as things can get physically unpleasant for some folks after a few minutes' play time); if you've got a hankering for a genuine Big-Band/early Bop-era comp box, non-cutaway New York-made Epiphones sell for significantly less than their Gibson counterparts, while sacrificing nothing in terms of either quality or tone - and if you need lots of acoustic cutting power and headroom without compression, one of these is the way to go. Arguably the biggest sleepers in the vintage guitar market today, very-good-to-excellent 16" Epis, as well as the occasional player-grade 17" Devon/Triumph/Broadway, can routinely be had for $1700-2200 depending on year/model - I've seen all-laminate L-48's and laminated-body/solid top L-50's selling for similar money, with nothing intrinsic to justify the added cost other than the "Gibson mystique"...

Hope this helps...
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Old 03-18-2018, 10:30 AM
Big Band Guitar Big Band Guitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
IMO a carved maple top, while likely providing explosive projection and volume, would be painfully bright to the point of harshness - that's why spruce tops have been favored for the last millennium; that said, finding an all-carved spruce/maple archtop in the $2K range is not terribly difficult. Eastman and Loar both have excellent instruments for under $2K, the former being more "modern" in tone/execution in the spirit of Benedetto/Buscarino et al., the latter being near dead-on replicas of Eddie Lang/Mother Maybelle Gibsons (including the vaudeville-era-correct 1-3/4" thick-V neck - IME you'll definitely want to play one of these before you take the plunge, as things can get physically unpleasant for some folks after a few minutes' play time); if you've got a hankering for a genuine Big-Band/early Bop-era comp box, non-cutaway New York-made Epiphones sell for significantly less than their Gibson counterparts, while sacrificing nothing in terms of either quality or tone - and if you need lots of acoustic cutting power and headroom without compression, one of these is the way to go. Arguably the biggest sleepers in the vintage guitar market today, very-good-to-excellent 16" Epis, as well as the occasional player-grade 17" Devon/Triumph/Broadway, can routinely be had for $1700-2200 depending on year/model - I've seen all-laminate L-48's and laminated-body/solid top L-50's selling for similar money, with nothing intrinsic to justify the added cost other than the "Gibson mystique"...

Hope this helps...
I agree.........................
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Old 03-18-2018, 12:44 PM
campusfive campusfive is offline
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What Steve said is dead on. Eastman or Loar, or if you're lucky an old Epi.

As for L-50's/L-48's, these are really a different class of instrument from the more "professional" Gibson and Epi archtops. I can dig something about a 1935-1940 L-50, but even those just aren't the same quality and projection of an L-7 or Triumph, or something further up the line.
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Old 03-18-2018, 01:55 PM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Thanks for that insight.

While searching, I also came across Hofner and Peerless. Any opinions on those?
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Old 03-22-2018, 09:54 AM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
...finding an all-carved spruce/maple archtop in the $2K range is not terribly difficult. Eastman and Loar both have excellent instruments for under $2K, the former being more "modern" in tone/execution in the spirit of Benedetto/Buscarino et al., the latter being near dead-on replicas of Eddie Lang/Mother Maybelle Gibsons (including the vaudeville-era-correct 1-3/4" thick-V neck - IME you'll definitely want to play one of these before you take the plunge, as things can get physically unpleasant for some folks after a few minutes' play time); if you've got a hankering for a genuine Big-Band/early Bop-era comp box, non-cutaway New York-made Epiphones sell for significantly less than their Gibson counterparts, while sacrificing nothing in terms of either quality or tone - and if you need lots of acoustic cutting power and headroom without compression, one of these is the way to go. Arguably the biggest sleepers in the vintage guitar market today, very-good-to-excellent 16" Epis, as well as the occasional player-grade 17" Devon/Triumph/Broadway, can routinely be had for $1700-2200 depending on year/model - I've seen all-laminate L-48's and laminated-body/solid top L-50's selling for similar money, with nothing intrinsic to justify the added cost other than the "Gibson mystique"...

Hope this helps...
Chiming in with my thanks too. Also, I second QS's comment; definitely a lot to know about what's good/ain't about (especially vintage) archtops.

A question about Loar; have they upped their QC game in the past couple of years? Back when I was browsing archtops, and there were still several guitar shops in my neck of the woods, the Loars I was able to demo had some serious problems.
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Old 03-28-2018, 12:55 PM
campusfive campusfive is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192 View Post
Thanks for that insight.

While searching, I also came across Hofner and Peerless. Any opinions on those?
I've not seen a guitar from either maker that is a truly acoustic archtop. Those can be fine guitars, but they're designed to be played with an electric pickup.

Loar, Eastman or an Old Epi Triumph.
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www.campusfive.com/swingguitarblog
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1932 Gibson L-5
1939 Gibson L-5
1937 Gibson ES-150
2012 National Style 1 (German Silver)
2004 Eastman 805 non-cut
2002 John LeVoi 12-fret Petite Bouche
2016 Waterloo WL-14 LTR
1939 Gibson EH-185
Vintage '47 VA-185G
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  #8  
Old 03-31-2018, 07:29 AM
jwguitar jwguitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
IMO a carved maple top, while likely providing explosive projection and volume, would be painfully bright to the point of harshness - that's why spruce tops have been favored for the last millennium; that said, finding an all-carved spruce/maple archtop in the $2K range is not terribly difficult. Eastman and Loar both have excellent instruments for under $2K, the former being more "modern" in tone/execution in the spirit of Benedetto/Buscarino et al., the latter being near dead-on replicas of Eddie Lang/Mother Maybelle Gibsons (including the vaudeville-era-correct 1-3/4" thick-V neck - IME you'll definitely want to play one of these before you take the plunge, as things can get physically unpleasant for some folks after a few minutes' play time); if you've got a hankering for a genuine Big-Band/early Bop-era comp box, non-cutaway New York-made Epiphones sell for significantly less than their Gibson counterparts, while sacrificing nothing in terms of either quality or tone - and if you need lots of acoustic cutting power and headroom without compression, one of these is the way to go. Arguably the biggest sleepers in the vintage guitar market today, very-good-to-excellent 16" Epis, as well as the occasional player-grade 17" Devon/Triumph/Broadway, can routinely be had for $1700-2200 depending on year/model - I've seen all-laminate L-48's and laminated-body/solid top L-50's selling for similar money, with nothing intrinsic to justify the added cost other than the "Gibson mystique"...

Hope this helps...
You might even try Vega guitars. They made some really good archtops in the 50's that are still sold within your budget. Guilds can be had for in and around that price too. The other option is to try and get a Japanese jazz guitar. For example Ibanez made a really good Joe Pass model in the mid 80s. That might be worth a bit more than 2000 but it depends on when it is being sold and who is selling. Archtop.com is a good resource to find a good guitar. I have bought from them before and I have never been let down.
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