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  #16  
Old 06-15-2016, 10:00 PM
tdq tdq is offline
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I have a Loar 700 I got second hand for under $1K. Although the Eastmans I tried were "nicer" sounding guitars, I went for the Loar as it had that dry flat chunk I was looking for - I have other guitars for "nice". The neck profile doesn't bother me one bit, but I would have liked it to be wider - perhaps a custom Yunzhi is on the cards!
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  #17  
Old 06-17-2016, 10:40 AM
Hot Vibrato Hot Vibrato is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Klepper View Post
If my goals and budget were yours, I would be looking for a used pre-Gibson Epiphone, most likely a Triumph.
I was going to say the same thing. New York Epiphones have a more even frequency response to my ear than Gibsons of the same era. They're fantastic for anything from swing jazz to bluegrass to fingerstyle folk. They just sound great. Modern Chinese guitars just don't compare.

Eip's are very underrated, and therefore can be had for less money than a comparable Gibson. Unfortunately, like most old guitars, a vintage Epi is likely to need some work to make it play its best - a refret and/or a neck reset might be in order, so be sure to bear that in mind and factor it into your budget.
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  #18  
Old 06-25-2016, 02:43 PM
Bluegrif Bluegrif is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hot Vibrato View Post
I was going to say the same thing. New York Epiphones have a more even frequency response to my ear than Gibsons of the same era. They're fantastic for anything from swing jazz to bluegrass to fingerstyle folk. They just sound great. Modern Chinese guitars just don't compare.
A New York Epiphone is probably going to be your very best choice. Understand these are world class guitars, comparable to any production guitar made. You'd only do marginally better by spending 4 figures plus for a small builder model. Because few "famous" players are associated with them, they're an incredible bargain. Yes, many will have cosmetic issues like binding coming away, that sort of thing. But as long as it's functioning correctly, you can choose to address those issues or not.

As for new guitars, I was in a similar position a few years back. I needed an acoustic archtop for a series of shows doing 30s East Coast blues. I bought both a Loar and an Eastman. Frankly, there was no comparison. The Loar played fine but sounded one dimensional, almost like a laminated guitar that was designed to be electric, but it was a fully acoustic archtop. The Eastman, an AR805, was outstanding. In fact I sold it after the series of shows ended and really wish I hadn't. That said, it was a very "sweet" sounding guitar and wasn't particularly loud.

If I were in the market again there's no question I'd look for a 40s or 50s New York Epiphone. But if I couldn't find the one I wanted or couldn't handle the price, I'd go with an Eastman again. Beautiful tone and very well made with a real hand crafted vibe.
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  #19  
Old 06-27-2016, 02:10 PM
conso conso is offline
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Has anyone had any experience with the Godin Fifth Avenue? They make an affordable all-acoustic archtop (as well as various versions with pickups) that I've had my eye on.
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  #20  
Old 06-28-2016, 10:49 AM
ericmeyer4 ericmeyer4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conso View Post
Has anyone had any experience with the Godin Fifth Avenue? They make an affordable all-acoustic archtop (as well as various versions with pickups) that I've had my eye on.
Yes, they are fantastic guitars. Usually they can be picked up for $300-400 with a case on the second hand market. Many need to have the base of the bridge sanded slightly to better fit the top. Doing this is a simple way to improve the tone.

They do not sound as archtopy as their Loar and Eastman counter parts. They seemed to sit closer to the flattop sound to me. If that is a negative or a positive that is up to you to decide.

I cannot comment on the pickup versions as I have only interacted with the full acoustic version. My guess is that the addition of a pickup could diminish some of the acoustic properties.

Last edited by ericmeyer4; 06-28-2016 at 12:22 PM.
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  #21  
Old 06-28-2016, 03:38 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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I own two Godins - an all-acoustic 5th Avenue and a CW II electric - and I'll ditto everything Eric says about them; in many ways they're the modern equivalent of those student Harmony and Kay archtops of 50-60 years ago - inexpensive, functional, good-sounding, and attractive in appearance - but built to a consistent standard of playability and QC that the originals never attained. BTW, although post-purchase bridge fitting should be standard procedure for just about any low-end archtop, another inexpensive way to improve tone is by replacing the stock plastic (they say GraphTech ) bridge with a wooden version; StewMac makes three different styles, and for ~$20 each they're a cheap DIY way to experiment with the tonal possibilities - FYI archtops are highly idiosyncratic beasts, and you might be surprised just how much difference a bridge swap can make...
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  #22  
Old 06-29-2016, 11:26 AM
conso conso is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ericmeyer4 View Post
Yes, they are fantastic guitars. Usually they can be picked up for $300-400 with a case on the second hand market. Many need to have the base of the bridge sanded slightly to better fit the top. Doing this is a simple way to improve the tone.
You are not making it easy.
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  #23  
Old 06-29-2016, 11:28 AM
conso conso is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
I own two Godins - an all-acoustic 5th Avenue and a CW II electric - and I'll ditto everything Eric says about them; in many ways they're the modern equivalent of those student Harmony and Kay archtops of 50-60 years ago - inexpensive, functional, good-sounding, and attractive in appearance - but built to a consistent standard of playability and QC that the originals never attained. ...
Neither are you.
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  #24  
Old 06-29-2016, 11:35 AM
ericmeyer4 ericmeyer4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conso View Post
You are not making it easy.
How about now?
https://reverb.com/item/2329908-godin-5th-avenue-sg-sf

(no connection to the seller)
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  #25  
Old 07-01-2016, 10:21 AM
gmr gmr is offline
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If you are not in a hurry, wait a couple months for the new Epiphone Masterbilt Century series archtops to hit the street. They are solid tops and come in the Century Deluxe, the Zenith, and the Olympic. They range in size from 17 to 14.5 at the lower bout. I am excited about these guitars. They are fitted with a piezo pickup and do rest volume and tone controls. They off both round hole and f hole versions in the larger guitars. The big one sound beefy from the short promo I saw but I ergonomically I like smaller guitars. They are stunners, all three models. David Rawlings has played an old Olympic on most everything he has done in the last several years

Last edited by gmr; 07-01-2016 at 03:03 PM.
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  #26  
Old 07-01-2016, 10:29 AM
ericmeyer4 ericmeyer4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmr View Post
If you are not in white hurry, wait a couple months for the new Epiphone Masterbilt Century series archtops to hit the street. They are solid tops and come in the Century Deluxe, the Century Classic, and the Century Olympic. They range in size from 17 to 14.5 at the lower bout. I am excited about these guitars. They are fitted with a piezo pickup and do rest volume and tone controls. They off both round hole and f hole versions in the larger guitars. The big one sound beefy from the short promo I saw but I ergonomically I like smaller guitars. They are stunners, all three models
Any idea when these may release? I have been looking for a small bodied archtop.
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  #27  
Old 07-01-2016, 11:30 AM
gmr gmr is offline
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Mid August is what I have seen. Go to the Epi website home page. They have a couple of short promo videos and you can see all the variations.
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  #28  
Old 07-09-2016, 11:23 PM
Jabberwocky Jabberwocky is offline
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https://bernunzio.com/product/eastman-ar400-21729/ . An Eastman is always good.

An acoustic Heritage Eagle Classic (carved spruce top, mahogany back and rim with no ornamentation) can be found for under $2000 used.

An Epiphone Triumph or Broadway (pre-Gibson, pre-PacRim) is great but prices have risen lately.

But based on your music genre requirements, perhaps a good old dreadnought or jumbo steel-string flat top suits the bill. Use nickel or monel strings to move away from the phosphor bronze jangliness, use flats instead of rounds, you are almost in acoustic archtop category.

Last edited by Jabberwocky; 07-09-2016 at 11:31 PM.
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  #29  
Old 07-09-2016, 11:29 PM
Jabberwocky Jabberwocky is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmr View Post
If you are not in a hurry, wait a couple months for the new Epiphone Masterbilt Century series archtops to hit the street...
Great suggestion. These look very promising.

That reminds me, made-in-Asia Gretsch Synchromatic G400, if you can find one. They are surprisingly good, loud and chunky.
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