Archtop guitars aren't for everyone. It could be that you're just not an archtop kind of guy.
Archtop acoustics tend to be bright, especially if the strings are too light. For instance, if it had light gauge bronze strings, then yeah, it would definitely sound way too bright. A medium set of 80/20 bronze strings will be somewhat bright at first and then mellow out after a few hours of playing time. Round wound nickel strings are another option. They're also a bit bright at first, but with less overtones. Flatwounds, on the other hand, just aren't loud enough acoustically to work very well.
Flat top guitars tend to naturally have a more balanced sound. Archtops require a certain finesse to get a good tone. Because archtops naturally favor the high frequencies, it's up to the player to coax the low end out of it. It's all in the technique, and it takes a bit of experimentation (using appropriate strings) on the part of the player to get there. Oh yeah - you can't let the back of an archtop rest against your belly while you're playing, or you'll lose your low end response.
At the risk of belaboring my point, I've played and worked on lots of archtops, and I've yet to see one that didn't sound its best with medium gauge roundwound strings. Whatever you decide, good luck to you, and keep us posted!
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