Disappointed with Epiphone Archtop
 

As a lefty, any acoustic Archtop is very hard to find, unless you can drop 2K.
I can’t justify that kind of spend so when a converted Epiphone Olympic came up I got it for £250.
Had it a couple of weeks now and I’m still struggling with the baseball bat neck, action is hard work and it still feels a bit alien.
Picking up the Larrivee OM3 straight after, the playability is in a different league.
I know I shouldn’t buy without playing and at 250 was probably expecting too much. How long should I persist before moving it on?
Thanks folks

Is it a new model or a vintage? Probably new. It probably just needs a good setup, maybe a fret dress, but changing the neck would be hard. Archtops don't need to have large necks, but some do. Anyway, an acoustic archtop without a cutaway is not "handed", there is no difference between right and left hand versions except for the nut and the bridge topper. Very easy to change one to the other.

I bought 2 of the new epis. The olympic and the deluxe. Both were DOA out of the box with non working elctronics. I didnt even take them home from the store. My quick impression is that they are more like the 50s electric archtops than the 40s acoustic archtops. The electric archies are designed to be more dead in overtones so they feedback less and are less boomy amplified . If you are not going to put a pickup on it then you will be disappointed that it is less resonant for acoustic uses. The new epis might actually be good with an added pickup. I didnt have mine long enough to try that. Vintage 40s epiphone archies are around for well under 2k or ive seen intersting videos about loars for under 1k. I myself got a '51 epiphone century for about $700 but i think that was a fluke.

As stated before, a $50 setup wllmake a righty into a lefty.

No experience with those Epi's. but if I was you, I would look for a used Emperor Regent. single pickup, 17" lower bout.. Neck is NOT big at all. you can probably snag a pretty good one for under 500. (Lefty may be a challenge, but I bet there out there)

A Broadway would be another option, two pickups same size as the Regent, and should have pretty much the same neck. These are still in production and you can probably get a left handed version. if you shop around you may find a good price.

I've had both, and still have my regent, It's a great jazz box for the dough.

I've played several of the old Korean-made Emperor Regents/Broadways, and as far as I'm concerned the Masterbilt archtops are a step backward - neither fish nor fowl tonally, inaccurate in terms of vintage features (instead being a hodgepodge of New York-era design cues not specific to the given models), a real handful to play even when properly set up - and quite frankly it's no surprise Epiphone has dropped the prices $200-400 across the line; FWIW there have been rumors for a couple years now of an all-carved, historically-accurate line of archtops, intended to compete directly with the successful Eastman AR Series and comparably priced - if you need a small-bodied/inexpensive archtop I'd recommend scoring a Godin 5th Avenue in the meantime, and holding out in favor of future developments...

It’s the Indonesian Olympic Masterbilt with the pick up already converted lefty. I think I’ve been spoiled playing Martins and Larrivees and this feels like a £250 guitar.

Indo epiphone vs a martin. If you didnt find the martin much better i would slam martin for hype and overpricing.

Could you simply have the Epiphone setup correctly and see if you like it? I have the larger Century Deluxe and the setup is perfect. It does have a large neck but that part doesn't bother me.

I have the Olympic Masterbilt reissue, and I know it needed a proper set-up before it felt right to me. I use the Martin retro-lights for it, and do have a cheapo Fender acoustic guitar amp for it. I admit the wider neck is a bit of a put off for some people, but because my first guitar was an old Harmony Sovereign with a baseball bat for a neck, it wasn't too much of a bother for me.