NGM-- first archtop(s)
 

I haven't posted for years but have enjoyed reading the forums.
I went about 18 months without buying a new guitar and life is good, so I decided to have a new guitar month! :) I got my first Martin 3 weeks ago (OM-35)--- it is terrific! Today I got 1 of 2 humble archtops--- the Epiphone Masterbilt Olympic (tomorrow the Zenith arrives)
Out of box impressions are
1. very tidy construction-- no noticeable flaws, great setup.
2. Action is remarkably good-- 5/64 low, 4/64 high at 12th no capo, bone nut.
3. Cleartone strings it shipped with were awful---but to be fair could have been old from being on the instrument from factory.

changed strings to Elixir nano-PB 13-53 and wow, what a difference. A really lovely vintage sound-- very appealing and distinct sound. Tons of sustain and excellent intonation. A reverb- like quality on the treble strings. The electric tone through my Boss AD-10 took some tweaking but is now really nice.

To be fair I'm no expert on archtops so no expectations of any kind. But I have a very nice range of flat-tops for comparison. This is a nice instrument that I find to be a lot of fun to play-- and for a very modest price in comparison to my other guitars.

Looking forward to getting the Zenith tomorrow, Wednesday is my Taylor T5 Custom day (another guitar that gets mixed reviews, hoping it is a keeper and fills a niche for my combined electric/acoustic sessions)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/824/39...623e239e_z.jpg

AER compact 60-2
Martin OM-35
Taylor 814
Taylor GS8
Rainsong CO-WS1000N2
Gibson CL-35 dlx
Rainsong Shorty SG
Taylor 410
to name a few :)

Is the top solid spruce?

Yes--it is solid spruce top. I understand it is pressed rather than carved. floating bridge.

The sound is quite different than a flat top.. It is a niche guitar but definitely something interesting. It is a very interesting to go from this guitar to my wood flat tops and even more so to the Rainsong.
For the cost, it is a reasonable item-- I will see over time if it is just a novelty or if I bond to it. My Zenith and Taylor T5 Custom also arrive today--- will see how those sound as well.


AER compact 60-2
Martin OM-35
Taylor 814
Taylor GS8
Rainsong CO-WS1000N2
Gibson CL-35 dlx
Rainsong Shorty SG
Taylor 410
to name a few

I've never played one but yours have some beautiful coloring on the top. Love it. Hope to try some of those series sometime.