Kudos to all of you above who encourage such an open minded, unstereotyped, non-limiting view of archtops!
Back to the original post, I'll list some of the reasons I choose an archtop over a flatop:
1. Balance. The bass does not dominate on a good archtop. The treble does not dominate. When I play a scale form the lowest E to the highest A, all the notes are the same volume. For some styles of music the booming bass is an asset, but for me, walking bass over a chord melody or comping alongside a standup bass, or just soloing, I want balance.
2. Projection. The natural EQ of a good archtop cuts through the band. It stands out either in a big band or in a small group of guitars.
3. Dynamic range. When played softly they can be smooth and luscious, or when hit hard they bark like a big dog. Both sounds are good, both are useful, both are musical.
4. Acoustic and electric versatility. The very first electric-acoustic guitars were archtops. An acoustic archtop with a floating pickup can cover a huge amount of ground.
And all of the above work together to make an archtop what it is. Lately I've been playing straight up jazz, but I think archtops work for a wide range of musical styles. They accompany voice well, they mix with other instruments well. The limit is not the guitar, it's the player.
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