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  #1  
Old 04-24-2004, 05:03 PM
Di B Di B is offline
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Default Acoustic Archtopia

Well the ex-T-forum has a more all-acoustic flavor going for it so why not archtops?

Its kind of lonely these days being an archtop freak so thought I'd try to start a discussion for people that appreciate or might even prefer acoustic archtop guitars to the flattop variety.

Are you out there archtopians? What are you playing?....meaning guitars, music, dinking around.....that sort of thing. I've got a recent version and a few vintage specimens and have to say they suit my eclectic and non-specialized musical interests more than people give them credit for.

I'll hold back for a bit before I ramble on, just to see if there is anyone else that likes these things....archtop topics tend to drop fast and I'll step back and let this one sink if thats where wants it to go.....

D
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Old 04-24-2004, 06:57 PM
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Old 04-24-2004, 07:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac LeGrande
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Old 04-24-2004, 07:20 PM
Di B Di B is offline
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Gee....looks like I'll never be one of the cool kids.......

Oh well...
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Old 04-24-2004, 07:29 PM
Pinsk94 Pinsk94 is offline
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Hey take it easy
I for one love archtops as much as flatops. I have owed, actually kind of still own a early 70's Gibson Super 400ces. Not a huge acoustic sound, but sweet when plugged in. I am getting rid of it because it is too big for me and I wanted something more acoustic/woody and smaller. I have money down on a used Heritage Golden Eagle (like a L-5) which will fit the bill. I by nature am a jazz player and love an archtop plugged in. SMMMMMOOOOOTH. Like Wes Montgomery. My favorite all time is a Palen. This thing played itself. Just don't have the money. If one is looking for a good deal on archs with all solid woods and "Carved" not pressed archtops, I recommend checking out either Heritage (the gibson factory workers) or Eastman Guitars (Made in China - violin makers under the direction of an Amercain Luthier). Good and cheap, for archtops that is. Don't knock it untill you try it.
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Old 04-24-2004, 08:26 PM
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oops, double post.
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Old 04-24-2004, 09:40 PM
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I like archtops! I was hoping someday Bob Taylor would come up with something utilizing the CNC technology that he has used to develop such great flat tops.

Personally, I favor archtops that are laminated and electrified. So far, one of my favorites has been the Ibanez George Benson model (I have a GB-100) played through a Polytone Mini Brute II. I had my eye on the Jim Hall model by Roger Sadowsky but I can't justify parting with the bread right now.

By the way, if you like discussion about jazz guitar, archtops and the like, you should check out the RMMGJ on Google Groups.

Di B - Do you currently have an archtop or an archtop collection? Let's hear about what you have or what you're hoping to get some day.
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Old 04-25-2004, 03:22 AM
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I love the sound of acoustic archtop, especially in playing with smooth jazz. It's just so dark and mellow, and rich beyond description. I can never find it within myself to shell out the 5g's for a carved one (I would really hate myself in the morning), so I am gonna hold out till either school is done or when I am good enough to make one myself (after I get some the finer points of making a classical first, could be a relaxing project to do in a couple of years).
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Old 04-25-2004, 07:12 AM
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Hello again....

I've typed two long dissertations on archtops only to somehow lose them both before posting. The first time must have been a misuse of the preview button and the second was caused by a small tear in the fabric of time.

In a nutshell....it was about tone....and liking the old ones.

Anyway...I'm exhausted and frustrated so will come back later and try again when I'm refreshed.

.....slow swell to the sound of crickets (and katydids).... but spring peepers would be more appropriate where I live.

DB
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Old 06-08-2004, 12:59 AM
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Can I echo the appreciation of people in this thread for that archtop sound. I just love the fact that archtops are often much more articulate that flattop acoustics, in that the archtops have a more nasal, midrangey and less cavernous sound, so each note stands out more with less mushy legato around everything. I own just one archtop, a hollow-body jazz-style guitar made in the Far East for/by a British firm specializing in cheap copies of just about every guitar style you can think of. Even though the guitar only has a laminate top, it doesn't sound too bad played acoustically or through the humbucker pick-up, and it does have an undersaddle piezo pickup as well for some vaguely acoustic tones which you can mix in with the humbucker. In this respect it's not unlike Yamaha's now discontinued AEX500 (Yamaha's expensive AEX1500 is still going). The main problem with my guitar is that the intonation wasn't great to start with, and I had to have a new saddle made for it to try to improve things.

The sad thing is, does anyone know of a decent, possibly solid-top, archtop guitar with a good acoustic sound that's available at a reasonable price - by which I mean not dissimilar to a Taylor 300 series guitar for example. I know there are plenty of hollow-body guitars out there which are probably not dissimilar to mine and sound merely so-so acoustically; Ibanez make quite a few for starters. I think there's really a gap in the market for something better, though I admit I can't think of many people who'd buy one. Here in the UK there are already pretty few dealers who make a point of stocking any hollow-body jazz guitars (as opposed to semiacoustics).

Richard
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Old 06-08-2004, 04:22 AM
Di B Di B is offline
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Hi Richard,

Glad to see someone bring this topic back.....

I'm a believer in tapping the vintage market for archtops. The less collectable everyday models can be great instruments and had for bargain prices. That old wood can deliver the most amazing tone.

For instance you might look for a vintage Gibson L-50. That's what I'd do. In the thirties they were all solid wood but the earliest ones had flat backs. No problem with that, they work quite well. Into the forties some carved and arched back versions appeared but by the fifities they frequently started building them with laminated backs and sides and possibly even tops by the sixties.

I see L-50's selling from $xxx to $xxxx quite frequently and there are a lot out there.

Lots of great old Epiphones with carved tops and laminated backs can be had for under $xxxx. Models like the Olympic, Blackstone and Zephyr from the thirties and forties come to mind.

www.archtop.com frequently lists L-50's. You pay a bit more but the guitar will be set up to play. Old Gibson L-50's and lower line vintage Epiphones are all over eBay.

Drop me a line if you find something and need any help deciding. I've been studying these things for the last couple of years and really enjoy the search.

Di

PS....If you want new....Eastman Strings offer some very nice lower priced solid wood constructed archtops. $xxxx price range....made in China. The sound of these and vintage style build surprised me.

Last edited by cotten; 06-08-2004 at 10:07 PM. Reason: See AGF Forum Rule #2 - No guitar price discussions. Thanks!
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Old 06-08-2004, 08:19 AM
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[QUOTE=Di B]If you want new....Eastman Strings offer some very nice lower priced solid wood constructed archtops.QUOTE]

Ditto on Eastman. I've played a couple Eastman models at my local shop. Nice acoustic sound and reasonable price.
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Old 06-08-2004, 10:24 AM
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Guild makes some of my favorite archtops.
I have owned an L-50, ES-175, a Gretch Country gentlemen and an old Starfire III, I now have a Starfire IV (more of a 335 than a true arch top), and I think most of the guilds I have played gave more for the money than the Gibson’s. I recently played a Guild Artists Award at Buffalo Brothers that was one of the best arch tops I have ever played. If you play live and loud as I do the laminates are a must the solid one scream feed back at any volume. I really like a little dirt from my amp when you really bite into it anyway so the laminates work well for me.

I have often thought about selling off a bunch of stuff for an artist’s award though.

For cheap check out the Tacomas.
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Old 06-08-2004, 11:09 AM
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Hey D Bi,
I have one archtop and it is a 1931 Epiphone Masterbilt Royal. It is the perfect guitar for fingerpicking any Ragtime, Jug Band, and/or Blues tune.
It's all about that cool funky sound you get from an old archtop.
Paid just over five hundred for it, and think it is worth every penny! Arch on my friend!
Russ
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Old 06-08-2004, 03:10 PM
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I checked out those Tacomas as suggested - unfortunately the single Paisley soundhole just doesn't do it for me. :-) I am very much wedded to the twin f-hole aesthetic of the traditional archtop.

I have seen the occasional Gibson L-50 on sale in central London but at much higher prices than you mention. It's quite common to find old Hofner archtops over here. These can be surprisingly inexpensive, by which I mean they start at perhaps 50% more than what you would pay for an Ibanez Artcore archtop. Hofner is, of course, producing new archtop guitars these days too. Also, I've realized that the Yamaha AEX1500 isn't actually all that expensive - it goes for about the same as a Taylor 310. As for the Eastmans, they have no UK distributor as far as I can tell.

Unfortunately all of these can't be a priority for me right now as I'm still hoping to buy a proper Taylor quite soon, which will sap me of any guitar-buying power for quite some time...

Richard
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