#1
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Playing one of Eric Clapton's Monteleones
Several months back I had a chance to stop by John's shop to play a pair of guitars he built for Eric Clapton. John got out his iphone and shot a little video that actually came out very nicely.
This is the one that does not have a floating pickup, but other than that they are identically beautiful! https://youtu.be/s_calfkhKy8 High dropped D is the tuning if you're wondering. HE |
#2
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Nice guitar and picking! What's the nut width on that?
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National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube |
#3
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Great playing dude, and a nice reminder that a nice archtop is a nice guitar, not just a jazz guitar.
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#4
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That's 1 & 13/16". It felt great to me, but also because it was deeper as well.
John typically builds a 1 & 3/4" lower profile, but Eric, as you might expect, loves a larger, , meatier neck, and his signature Martin is certainly an indication of this. My 1930 Gibson L-5 is even bigger than than what Eric had made. HE |
#5
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I've owned a 1930 TGL-5 since 1976, and have played bottleneck & country blues style music on it, almost exclusively. It was John's exposure to my playing, and to another local musician, Billy McEwan (who played a 1928 Gibson L-5), that basically pointed him towards building his arch tops with more sustain than is typically heard. Here's a shot of John & me taken for an article that appeared in Fretboard Journal back in 2009. Best, Howard Emerson |
#6
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That's a beautiful guitar. And super playing. Makes the guitar shine ever brighter. Thanks for sharing the clip, Howard!
I always prefer to hear the acoustic voice of archtops as that, IMHO, is the only element that demonstrates the skills of a luthier. Is the body deeper than 3"? It looks that way in the video. |
#7
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HE |
#8
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__________________
National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube |
#9
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Many archtops with a 1-3/4" nut width will only have a 2-1/16" string spacing as opposed to the 2-1/4" to 2-5/16" found on many flat tops. This may account for the difference in feel.
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#10
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Any particular reason for an archtop to be constructed like that? |
#11
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1 & 3/4" is a linear spec of one thing: Nut width. Period. It doesn't take into consideration the string spacing, how the fret ends have been finished (which can ABSOLUTELY affect possible string spacing adjustment), the circumference of the neck, the profile of that circumference, the depth from the fret tops to the back of the neck, neck width at 12th fret, etc, etc. If you're having trouble with your plucking hand, you can easily widen the string spacing by regrinding the bridge top, and reslotting, but of course the prior considerations have to be met. Also: Do you sit or stand when you play? That will affect the centerline of how the neck meets your fretting hand. Oh, and as far as John's instrument go, they start around 25K, but you can find plenty of builders who build to spec for a whole lot less. HE |
#12
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Is he still building mandolins? At one time, he was the second coming of Lloyd Loar to the mandolin community. I think David Grisman has or had several of his mandolins.
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#13
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Yes, John still builds mandolins & mandolas, etc. Recently a FB friend purchased a used 10 string mandolin. I believe John made 5 of those, but he no longer makes them......at the moment. Regards, Howard |
#14
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Awesome work... on both the instrument and the playing. Thanks for sharing that with us. It's the closest I'll ever get to both!
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Will |
#15
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__________________
National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube |