Alternatives to AR805 for acoustic flattop player in same price range?
 

I'm usually one forum away (Carbon Fiber, Emerald X10) and can't help clicking over here with the intriguing posts and my David Rawlings awe. Lot of talk here about AR805 is an archtop that a flattop player would love, while the vintage archtops maybe not. So, to subject question, what other archtops at the AR805 price range would likely appeal to flattop player?

Nit: I think you mean archtop.

So in the $1,500 - $2,000 range? And you’re set on new? You can get a lot of vintage archtop even at that price point.

Check THESE GUITARS out.

Sorry for lack of clarity -- I've edited post.

The solid wood Eastmans are hard to beat. But, keep in mind that they are a modern take on the traditional Gibson L-5 type acoustic archtops. Mainly due to using X-bracing instead of ladder bracing. So, they have a somewhat more balanced tonal range compared to a more mid-forward vintage design. Today you can get something closer to that vintage design with The Loars. The LH-600 and LH-700 are more traditional in sound and construction than the Eastmans. I have both Eastmans and Loars and like them both for their different voices. The only down side to the Loars is they can be inconsistent in the execution. Typically it's the neck angle that can vary. But, if you buy from a good dealer who will check it for you or provides a good return policy, they can be a decent choice. Expect to have a luthied who knows their way around archtops go over it to get it playing and sounding right. Won't be quite like David Rawlings Olympic, but you'll be in the ball park with a good Loar.

Thanks Paddy. It's helpful to get this comparison with the Loar virtues and warnings. The LH-700 sounded great in the videos I've seen.

Personally, I've owned Loars, (and moved them on/returned them).
I've heard Godins, and wouldn't have one.
I own a '60s Harmony which is great and a '34 Gibson L-4 which sounds like it's supposed to but has to be worked hard (it was designed and would function as an orchestral instrument) and an AR805.

The Eastman is the sweetest sound and best made.

There is a used one in sunburst with a nice case on ebay for £1200.

Alternatives to AR805 for acoustic flattop player in same price range?
 

Eastman AR610: During the waning days of their New York operation - after founder Epi Stathopoulo's untimely death and in the midst of severe infighting between brothers Frixo and Orphie for control - Epiphone introduced the Devon, a no-frills 17" spruce/mahogany (changed to maple on some of the final production examples) guitar noted for its unusually sweet, mellow tone, and until today's Epiphone factory finally reissues the long-rumored/long-awaited replacements for the moribund Masterbilt archtops this is as close as you're going to get; incorporating elements of the Benedetto design paradigm with the Epiphone platform - this one's also an archtop for the flattop crowd, but in a different way than the AR805 - the wood combination minimizes the "nasal" mids some players associate with traditional archtops in favor of a mellow, smooth, and somewhat subdued tonality compared to a similar maple instrument (not necessarily your first choice for comping behind a 20-piece horn section but I understand a couple players have made it work, with heavy-gauge strings and a long hard initial break-in period) that allows a less-experienced player to, as the old '30s/40s Big Band players used to say, "coax the velvet out" for chord solos or vocal/small-combo accompaniment. Personally, that richness of tone is the reason I always favored vintage 18" non-cut boxes like the Gibson Super 400/300, Epiphone Emperor/Super Deluxe, and D'Angelico New Yorker, as well as the newer (and unfortunately somewhat rare) all-acoustic Heritage Super Eagle and Triggs Master 400 - as I get older and somewhat less able to wrestle with one of those bandstand behemoths I find the idea of a 17-incher with comparable qualities quite intriguing, and the $1500 street price puts this puppy right at the top of my short list... :guitar:

Apparently you can get a nice archtop for that price by ordering directly from Yangtze. From what I've seen online they could be a good option and compare favourably to the Eastmans, although I'd be nervous as it's a commitment that would be hard to go back on. I considered it as I'd like a wider neck and spacing on my loar-700 but it's too much of a leap of faith for me.