Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192
I want an acoustic archtop that can make that mellow jazz sound. That sound that archtops make when plugged in with a little reverb. That sound that flattops make when you play bar chords and strum up the neck. That sound that makes you think of cats with berets and brushes on drums.
Is there an acoustic archtop that can make “that sound” unplugged?
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If you find one please share, but I am afraid you might be on a hopeless quest… a wild-goose chase, barking up the wrong tree, etc etc
If I got it right, the sound you have in mind is something like Wes. The "thumb" (and the alas fragile big heart behind it) was obviously a big part of it, but I've heard wonderful mellow jazz guitar sounds from plectrum guitarists. Hear this (a Byrdland through a blackface amp played so wonderfully I am lost for words):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-AU...g7h9gPMSq6fcVY
But a magnetic pickup through the bit of circuitry that is an amp is a HUGE part of that sound. And given that you're amplified, you can pick or pluck the string as softly as you wish and still have plenty of volume. It's all part of the recipe.
Acoustic archtops are usually (though not necessarily) played pretty hard to coax enough volume to be heard in ensemble playing. They can be extremely sweet if picked as Romain does in the video above – I especially love old Epiphones for their near-lute sound when picked in their sweet spot – and are much more mids-forward than your typical flat-top, BUT they're still unmistakably acoustic guitars, and have that zing… even when played as sweetly and wonderfully as this (both, I think, are Epiphone Deluxes in the hands of the masters, Van Eps and Bucky)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmpNfUiClQ0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2AaFXhC3Us
Perhaps your quest would be easier if you shed the acoustic aspect of it, and focused on (say) convenience and portability. A big hollowbody with a set humbucker – even a pimped-up, made in China Epiphone Broadway – and a good little amp would probably take you there at bedroom levels, better than a 6-7k 1930s archtop.