[RLetson]

Steve D.: Do you think the top-material upgrade makes that much difference in sound? My impression (from many conversations with builders) has been that wood grading is more about aesthetic appeal than sonic qualities and that the crucial element is how a top (of a given species) is managed--thicknessing, bracing, and (for archtops) carving. *If* Loar's builders take extra care with the voicing of the pricier LH-700 tops, then I would expect a difference in sound. If not, then any differences would be down to the usual variables in a factory process. When I rooted around, I couldn't find any Loar marketing material that mentioned special treatment in the building of '700s--and if I were writing their promo materials, I would certainly make a big deal of that.

FWIW, the friend who built one of my archtops fine-tuned the top by carving on it after the guitar was constructed but before it was finished--he would play it, then refine the curve with a finger plane, then play it some more, and so on. That kind of process would certainly add to the cost of an instrument.