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Old 07-07-2022, 02:05 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Default Finally, an archtop for the CF crowd...

Although Rainsong offered a (now-rare) jazzbox in the mid-90's, and Australian luthier Martin Lewis produced a short-lived carbon-fiber archtop about a decade ago, it looks like Rok Drobun has finally found the formula with his line of Fibertone instruments. Problem is they're produced in Slovenia and not often seen in the US, so if you were interested it was a sight-unseen/unheard custom-order deal - until now - and at a relatively affordable $3500 you're in high-end Eastman territory:




https://www.archtop.com/ac_21FT.html
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Old 07-08-2022, 07:17 AM
JGinNJ JGinNJ is offline
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It looks like it was in a fire.
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Old 07-08-2022, 07:37 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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TMK it's this guy's formula of directional CF - it takes on a textured appearance when light hits it at a certain angle...
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Old 07-08-2022, 04:17 PM
Backcountry Backcountry is offline
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I prefer mine.

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Old 07-09-2022, 03:13 AM
Robin, Wales Robin, Wales is offline
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Quote:
....The instrument is a true acoustic, with a clear, focussed voice, and ample volume to cut through the most crowded campfire session....
Buying a Fibertone does seem a lot of money to spend on a "campfire" archtop guitar! When you could pick up a Godin 5th Avenue or vintage catalogue archtop for a tenth of the price - And I have to say that, acoustically, they would probably do a better job for the type of repertoire you are going to be playing and singing at a campfire.

The Fibertone in the clip above doesn't sound particularly loud, warm or woody (reverb added and the mic' is quite hot judging by the amount of background noise it is picking up). But perhaps I am missing something?
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Old 07-09-2022, 06:51 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin, Wales View Post

Buying a Fibertone does seem a lot of money to spend on a "campfire" archtop guitar! When you could pick up a Godin 5th Avenue or vintage catalogue archtop for a tenth of the price - and I have to say that, acoustically, they would probably do a better job for the type of repertoire you are going to be playing and singing at a campfire.

The Fibertone in the clip above doesn't sound particularly loud, warm or woody (reverb added and the mic is quite hot judging by the amount of background noise it is picking up). But perhaps I am missing something?
Don't know if you read the archtop.com postings regularly (I do), but that's merely one of Joe Vinikow's attempts at tongue-in-cheek humor (he's no Stan Jay in that department - and in my extensive personal experience nobody was) to emphasize the guitar's durability under adverse conditions, and I suspect something was lost in the translation...

As far as the miking/reverb is concerned, I can tell you from personal experience with my own Rainsong jumbos that CF guitars can sometimes be temperamental in that respect - as I discovered on a gig with a run-of-the-mill Shure SM57 - so I wouldn't necessarily use that video clip as my criterion. By the same token Joe eats/sleeps/lives/breathes archtop guitars, so when he describes the Fibertone's voice as being clear, focused, and loud I'd be inclined to favor his evaluation...
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Old 07-09-2022, 07:45 AM
Robin, Wales Robin, Wales is offline
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There you go. I said that I was missing something!
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Old 07-09-2022, 08:24 AM
RJVB RJVB is offline
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Would definitely be interesting to hear an "honest" sample, recorded with a more appropriate mic position!

In the meantime I'll make do with my own, "non-purified carbon fibre" (aka wood) guitars
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Old 07-09-2022, 09:06 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by Backcountry View Post
I prefer mine.

Love that wood-veneer overlay, but I think Rok -as Martin Lewis before him - was looking to follow more in the mid-20th century tradition of Gibson/Epiphone/D'Angelico/Stromberg while bringing new technology to the table, than seek a different aesthetic as Emerald has done with their entire lineup...
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Old 07-09-2022, 10:31 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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I think the guitar sounds quite good -- a good sounding jazz pickup to my ears.

As noted, it is kind of expensive. I prefer the sound of my Eastman AR910CE which cost considerably less.

- Glenn
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Old 07-09-2022, 04:30 PM
Backcountry Backcountry is offline
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Of course, Tim can make anything sound good!
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Old 07-09-2022, 04:34 PM
Backcountry Backcountry is offline
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The main driver for me was that I spend about 6 months/year in the Upper Mojave where my house averages barely 10% RH. When I used to bring my wood guitars there I would be refilling the case humidifiers daily and even then in 24hrs they'd be bone dry.

My solution was to pay $$$ and get some guitars that were immune to the RH problem.
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Old 07-09-2022, 06:52 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Originally Posted by Backcountry View Post
The main driver for me was that I spend about 6 months/year in the Upper Mojave where my house averages barely 10% RH. When I used to bring my wood guitars there I would be refilling the case humidifiers daily and even then in 24hrs they'd be bone dry.

My solution was to pay $$$ and get some guitars that were immune to the RH problem.
This makes perfect sense! It's terrific that you have the CF option in your situation.

Where I live, near the USA northwest Pacific coast, the humidity ranges from 30-65% RH the large majority of the time and so rarely is any action needed to combat low humidity issues. So I have been satisfied with wood guitars.

But I can sure see the need for CF guitars where it's super dry, for sure!

- Glenn
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Old 07-09-2022, 10:30 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by Glennwillow View Post
...As noted, it [U]is[/IU kind of expensive. I prefer the sound of my Eastman AR910CE which cost considerably less...
As is beauty to the eyes, sound is strictly in the ears of the beholder - FWIW I also like the Eastman carved archtops - but at $3500 this one's in fact comparable to a brand-new AR910CE:

https://milanomusic.com/eastman-ar91...guitar-blonde/
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  #15  
Old 07-09-2022, 11:19 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
As is beauty to the eyes, sound is strictly in the ears of the beholder - FWIW I also like the Eastman carved archtops - but at $3500 this one's in fact comparable to a brand-new AR910CE:

https://milanomusic.com/eastman-ar91...guitar-blonde/
Thanks, Steve...

I had no idea the price had gone up that much! When I bought mine it was in the mid $2K range. Wow... time flies I guess!

Hope all is well for you, Steve!

- Glenn
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