Quote:
Originally Posted by tbeltrans
That looks to be a BIG guitar! I would think it could be mighty loud with a big beautiful tone...
I have not had the opportunity to play a vintage Epiphone archtop yet, but they do show up locally on rare occasions. Considering how highly thought of they universally seem to be, I will have to make a point of getting to a shop that gets one in. George Van Eps played a 7 string Epiphone as I recall having read.
|
You're right on the money about size (18-3/8") and volume - many Big Band-era compers favored Emperors for their ability to project to the back row of a 3000-seat house and, if you're familiar with the "classical archtop" solo style that flourished between 1925-1940 (search it on the AGF search engine), the center-hole design provides the extended bass response of a flattop with an archtop's immediacy and projection - perfect for the solo excursions of the virtuoso prewar soloists...
If you've never played a good New York-era Epi you're in for an experience, especially if you're used to the often clubby-feeling necks on guitars from this period; while generally large (with the exception of some '37-39 models that boasted 1-9/16" necks - which would not appear on any other Epiphone instrument for another 25 years) - a necessity in the days when a 14-60 set was considered standard gauge, and Epiphone would set up your brand-new guitar for a wound B string at no extra charge - I find them more comfortable than their Gibson competitors in spite of their often-substantial dimensions (not infrequently exceeding .90" at the nut, with many approaching a sitar-like 1.20" at the tenth fret). Just to whet your appetite a bit here's one of my favorites of the younger generation archtop players, fellow AGF'er Jonathan Stout (AKA CampusFive) showing how it's done at Norman's Rare Guitars; note the subtle tonal distinctions between guitars of the same make/model as well as between different makes/body sizes (he's using a prewar L-5N in the third clip), how each is used in chord-solo/single-string/comping roles -
and precisely why those New York-era 18" Epiphone Emperors were so renowned for their ability to cut through a full-tilt 20-piece horn section with no problem:
On the other hand, many of the old-timers referred to their own (different) archtop technique as "coaxing the velvet out" - extracting that warm, rich, creamy, woody, "tone you can eat with a spoon" from what could, in the hands of a lesser player, be solely a strident and steely-sounding instrument, to the ears of some lacking in dynamic range and character. While both approaches have their place and time (and a well-rounded archtop player
should be proficient with both) I always preferred the latter: Romain Vuillemin provides a perfect example here, on similar instruments to those used by Messrs. Stout and Rossi, and offering a strong contrast to their edgier, punchier style intended to showcase the "cutting power" customarily associated with these guitars: