Steve --
A couple more thoughts:
If you're trying one of these beasts out, be sure it's got medium strings or heavier (well, medium will be just fine) on it, as that's what they were designed and built to accept. Back in the day, they may actually have had much heavier strings installed, and they won't sound their best with light-gauge strings. Fresh strings make a difference, too.
Also, don't discard the 16" archtops from your consideration. It's true that acoustic archtop builders progressively upsized body sizes during the jazz and swing eras, with 18" instruments like the Gibson Super 400 and the big Strombergs being exemplars.
But that was in the days before amplification; thus the trend to larger bodies and heavier strings to hold down the rhythm in a big band setting. These days we have pickups and microphones to do the acoustic heavy lifting, and many people -- me included -- really like the 16"-bodied archtops for playing ease. The sound is just about the same as the larger-bodied instruments to my ear, maybe not quite as deep and not quite as loud, but a very authentic swing sound, very sweet, and maybe even better for lead work.
The only problem is, in the vintage world, premium-quality archtops like the Broadway weren't made in the 16" size after roughly the late 1930s, so they tend to be a bit rarer than the L-7 and its 17" counterparts. But post-30s less-expensive 16" instruments like the L-50 can be very nice indeed, and a bargain in today's market -- but you have to know just what you're getting, since some of the less-expensive 16" models had pressed tops, not carved, or went back and forth in different model years. And Gibson made a *lot* of different inexpensive 16" archtop models, so you'll need to do your homework...as far as I know, all the 17" models you've mentioned had carved tops throughout their production -- discounting modern production, of course. The Eastmans have carved tops too.
Finally, if you don't already have them, you might enjoy the three recordings by Steve Greene (I know they're available on Amazon); they feature acoustic archtops, played acoustically, and he's just a master of tone and taste on the acoustic archtop, IMO.
Whew! Hope that's not too confusing. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I am will correct my errors, too.
Cheers,
Mark McPherson
|