Thin/small bodied archtop suggestions

[ericwall]

I got a ton of suggestions on FB but I'm sure this will generate some discussion. If you were looking for a used/new thin (<3"), small bodied (15-16") archtop (nut width 1 3/4") with single neck pickup for jazz at a price point of $2.5-5k, what might you be looking at/for? Short-scale preferred. And it's a plus if it has some acoustic (non-electric) presence. Laminate or solid wood included.

Thanks for your comments.

Eric

[Steve DeRosa]

Stephen Holst will build one to your specs, all-laminated, for $3500:

http://www.pacinfo.com/~sholst/archtops.htm

[fpuhan]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Stephen Holst will build one to your specs, all-laminated, for $3500:

http://www.pacinfo.com/~sholst/archtops.htm

Mine cost a little more, but the specs you gave immediately made me think of Stephen. Note however, the last time I spoke with him, he had an 18 month backlog.

(Here bordered by my Taylor 652ce Builders Edition and Taylor GS Mini-e Koa for perspective and scale).

[Livingston]

How about a Sadowsky SS-15? 15 inch lower bout, 1-3/4" nut, beautiful tone.

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=659986

[ericwall]

Thanks. Very much on my radar but rarely comes up at anything near affordable. Almost nailed one but it got away. But I'm a patient man. Thanks again.

[fpuhan]

This could be way off your radar, and might get me drummed out of the "high end guitar seekers" club, but have you looked at the Ibanez line? I maintain that they own the field, and at prices that you could buy two for what's been offered.

I have an AG95QA that I bought on a whim, and I like it so much that many of its specs were used to build my Holst custom. Yes, it has two pickups, not one, but you don't have to use both if you don't want to.

[ericwall]

Thanks and yes, I have looked at some Ibanez models like the Artcore. Agree that you can always turn off the bridge pickup. I never say never but a 2 pickup model wouldn't be my first choice. And they are very high quality for the price point. Not sure about the necks but I would have to try them in person. Thanks for the suggestion though.

[upsidedown]

Those Stephen Holst archtops have me drooling.

Not seeing any used ones though, unfortunately....

[ericwall]

Call or email Steve. He has a 14" that he is finishing up that is available. Scale is 22" though.

[upsidedown]

Originally Posted by ericwall

Call or email Steve. He has a 14" that he is finishing up that is available. Scale is 22" though.

Not currently looking for anything, but know someone who might possibly be interested in such a build.

Texted Steve, who responded with pics/description. Nice looking guitar. Nice guy too.

[ericwall]

Agreed. I just couldn't get the 22" scale but the guitar is a beauty. And he was very friendly to boot.

[fpuhan]

Originally Posted by ericwall

Agreed. I just couldn't get the 22" scale but the guitar is a beauty. And he was very friendly to boot.

Twenty-two inches!!? Mine was a very short 24". I have a couple of 23.5" scale guitars, but 22"???

[ericwall]

My reaction exactly. The customer (who backed out at the last minute) apparently had arthritis and thought it would be easier to play. I just couldn't go that that short.

[Livingston]

I purchased a custom archtop from Stephen Holst back in the early 2000's...somewhere around 2004 I guess. Steve is a great luthier to work with and probably one of the best kept secrets in terms of custom builders.

[tbeltrans]

Going out on a bit of a limb here, may I recommend a carbon fiber archtop that fits the OP's specs in price and size?

My daily go to guitar is currently my Emerald Kestrel.

Here is a link to Emerald's Kestrel page:

https://emeraldguitars.com/models/kestrel/

...and here are some pics of mine:





Here is the page where these and more pics of my guitar are on the Emerald site. They create a page of pics when you buy a guitar from them:

https://emeraldguitars.com/galleries...l-pau-ferro-2/

This guitar plays like a dream, very comfortable. I think my Eastman FV-880CE (same price range) and Gibson Citation (good grief, I paid less for my car!!) sound better acoustically, but the Kestrel sounds good enough to play at home without plugging in. The build quality of mine is excellent. I can find no flaws. Mine has both the Krivo humbucker neck pickup and the piezo bridge pickup. You can make customization choices on the 3D customization page:

https://emeraldguitars.com/3d-guitar-builder/

You have to buy factory direct, but if you look around the carbon fiber sub-forum, there is a thread in which people offer to let you try their various Emerald models. Also, Emerald now has an "Ambassador" program that provides a similar service.

We archtop players are often a very traditional crowd, and I still say nothing beats a decent Gibson archtop, but these Emerald Kestrel are worth a look too.

Tony