Is it worth to spend more for an Eastman archtop?
 

I have my eyes on a brand new Loar LH-600 all solid wood archtop that I can buy at a very good price (less than $800) . Should I wait and save for an Eastman AR-610, also all solid wood but way more expensive? Both guitars are only acoustic, and that is fine to me because I play acoustic i.e. unplugged
Does the Eastman justify the difference in price?

I've never played a Loar, but I've heard mixed reviews. Eastmans, on the other hand, are well made guitars. That I can attest to. So I would say if the difference is only a few hundred, then yes, you probably should wait. Especially if it doesn't take you too long to raise the extra bucks.

Depends what you're looking for in terms of tone and how you're going to use the guitar; whereas the Loar will have the classic strong midrange emphasis and laser-like focused cut characteristic of the Eddie Lang-era 16" Gibsons - great for early Big Band-era comping and single-string solo work - Eastmans in general have a more "modern" tonality with a broader frequency response and less apparent volume, arguably better-suited to a first-timer accustomed to flattop guitars. The mahogany back/sides of the AR610 further emphasize this characteristic, smoothing out the upper-mid stridency many lower-end maple archtops often exhibit - something Epiphone used to advantage in their similarly-constructed, circa-1950 17" Devon model - and to my ears one of these would be my first choice for acoustic chord-solo work, comping in a quartet/quintet where the guitar needs to fill more sonic space, backing up a solo singer (either alone or with an upright bass), or if you just want a guitar to mellow out with after a hard week at the office. Keep in mind that archtops are by nature highly idiosyncratic and temperamental beasts, less consistent from instrument to instrument than comparable-quality flattops, and unless you're buying a hand-carved box from an individual luthier (with a $5K price of admission and going up - way up - from there) you might go through a bunch of frogs before finding your princess - particularly, as Bluemonk suggests, when it comes to the Loars...

As with everything else, YMMV...

Well, actually, unless I buy an Eastman AR-610 pre-owned, the difference with the new Loar LH-600 would be around $600.00... not a small amount of money.
The problem is that here in Michigan nobody have these two guitars in stock, so I have to buy on line. I am planning to play the archtop fingerstyle but also to learn a bit of jazz solo/chords.

Note also that Eastmans have a 1 3/4 inch nut width and necks that are acoustic guitar player friendly in my opinion.

If I were in Michigan I'd ride over to Elderly. I'm sure I could find something that I'd love.

Loar also has the 1 3/4 inch nut.

Apples and oranges, sound wise. What do you want to play on it?

Hi, I've had two Loar archtops, first one given away, second one ) LH-700 returned.
I've had two Eastman AR805s, only bought the second one because I foolishly traded he first. wonderful instruments and far superior to Loars in every way.

My earlier AR805(e) in "classic finish"




My AR805 in 'burst :

I don't believe Loar is in the same league with Eastman. As with anything, even made in China you get what you pay for.

Mr. Beaumont,

I am looking to play fingerstyle jazz and blues.

Mandobart,

There is not one acoustic archtop sold at Elderly.

There are 5 on their website, but only one (Gretsch) is in the Loar price range.

Select acoustic guitars from their main menu, then choose the acoustic archtop filter.

Finger style without fingerpicks, I'd hold out for an Eastman.

The Loar is an old school parallel braced archtop...you gotta use some muscle (or at least a nice heavy pick) for them to do what they do best.

Thank you Mr. Beaumont. On the other hand, I don't know if it makes much sense to look for an archtop (like Eastman) that is closer to a flattop sound!
An old school archtop with vertical bracing may not be as smooth and warm as a "modern" Eastman, but at least is what an archtop should be. I always have my beloved Guild dread when I want a traditional steel strings sound !:)

Your opinion, but not mine. I like balance, refinement, and versatility in an archtop.