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Old 12-29-2018, 12:55 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Depends what you mean by both "small body" (archtop guitars have been made in widths as great as 19", and 17"/18" instruments are common among mainstream jazz players) and "pickup" (built-in, suspended, UST, humbucker, single-coil, multi-source) - that said, I'll offer you some suggestions based on what I think you might be looking for:

Epiphone Olympic: Ostensibly introduced to cater to the David Rawlings fans, this one shares the ~14" body of the original '30s New York version but little else in terms of either tone or construction; good news is that it comes with a factory UST with volume/tone controls (mounted inside the lower f-hole), so if this is the sound/size you're after it's your sole option TMK. Be advised, however, that there have been rumors of a wholesale discontinuation of the Masterbilt archtop line - considered neither fish nor fowl by most archtop aficionados - in favor of a more historically-accurate/tonally-superior all-carved lineup, targeted at the similar (and very successful) Eastman guitars (and comparably priced in the low four-figure bracket); FYI there's been a major price drop across the board - lending further credence to the story - so this may be your last chance. Note that the matching hardshell case is extra, sending your $499 bargain into the mid-$600 bracket - and for my money there's better to be had at that price; here's a link:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...lectric-guitar

Godin Kingpin: A 16"/single P-90 archtop in the mold of the early-postwar Gibson ES-125/Epiphone Zephyr, this one's a favorite of blues/roots/early jazz fans on a budget, with all the tone and QC the Godin family (Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, Art & Lutherie, LaPatrie) guitars are known for. While it doesn't offer the unplugged volume of its all-acoustic 5th Avenue counterpart (which can be fitted with a suspended pickup if this is important to you), with the right setup it has "that" tone if you're just chilling out on the couch or laying down an acoustic track; plugged in it punches way above its weight, and many pros who own four- and five-figure jazzboxes keep one of these $600 puppies around for that Swing-era electric vibe - here's a demo from one of our fellow AGF'ers:



The Loar LH-350: This one's a true carved-top/single-cutaway 16" jazzbox in the mold of the postwar Gibson L-4C, with a suspended humbucking pickup to allow full acoustic capability; while they can be excellent guitars for the money - several of the regular posters here on the Archtop subforum own them - neck geometry (extremely important on an archtop guitar - far more so than on a flattop) can be iffy, so you may want to seek the hands-on assistance of a knowledgeable friend when it comes time to make a choice. Here's a link:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...lowbody-guitar

Godin CW II: The cutaway/twin-pickup version of the aforementioned Kingpin, and everything I said above applies here as well; although the generally-advertised street price (~$1K) is a bit above your stated $800 budget, they can be had for much less if you shop around:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...i-cognac-burst

Best of luck in your search...
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Last edited by Steve DeRosa; 12-30-2018 at 09:50 AM. Reason: typo
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