small/parlor/mini/travel archtop?
 

does anyone make a smaller archtop? Ideally something that's not shrunken down like a travel guitar, just smaller body (14", 13", 12" even) but still at least a 24 3/4 scale or reasonable.

I've seen one from Peerless that appears to be a prototype but never saw at a production level, just one guy on Reverb and Eastman put out a couple 13" things over the years. I'd like to see more.

Stringphonic has some things that look promising, but I only see them coming from Japan, nothing to buy here in the USA.

I'd ideally like something no bigger than 14", but probably more like 12 or 13. I'd also like it to be sub $2k.

Ideas welcome and appreciated - especially those with links, photos, etc.

TIA

Guild m65 freshman 3/4?

Benedetto had a 12" entry-level carved-top model called the Andy that sold in the ~$2K range about 15 years ago, but I strongly doubt that anyone who has one is going to part with it any time soon since the current Andy Deluxe version sells for $12K... :eek:

I built a 15” a few years ago and it has become my favorite. I rarely get my 17” out anymore.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...psfjl1duqt.jpg

I put a Guild DeArmond knock off on it recently and really like the tone.


http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...s1df6jqws.jpeg

Epiphone Masterbilt Olympic

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Aco...t-Olympic.aspx

I don't think it's possible to get good acoustic tone out of a 12" - 14" archtop. I think it would be very honky, middy, and lack bass response. I think it would be fine as a practice guitar, but in that case there are a lot of practice travel guitars. If you are looking at an electric archtop, then the archtop part is just style anyway, and I am sure you could come up with something that sounded great electrically, etc, but wouldn't it be just a kind of chambered out Les Paul at that point? There is the Anderson Little Archie, but again it's really just a smallish electric-biased archtop. Lots of people, me included, make full size guitars with de-mountable necks where you could take the neck off with one screw in a minute, put it back on likewise, and tune it up - and the guitar would fit in a carry-on bag. Ken Parker touts that ability of his archtops.

Just thoughts for conversation... :)