#16
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The Loars might have some setup issues out of the box but the raw materials are very, very good. |
#17
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On a related note: I recently picked up this used Loar LH-319. With the two P90's it is obviously not a true acoustic guitar. It does have a solid spruce top and if you string it with PB acoustic strings it sounds OK unplugged but the volume/projection is pretty well muted by the hardware attached. I took a few photos when I got it and you can see the thickness of the top in the 2nd shot. It's a good sounding guitar when plugged in but it doesn't pass muster for true acoustic tone.
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#18
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Thanks for all the input on the Loar vs. the Eastman. Very helpful!
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#19
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I guess that's about 6mm? For the centre of a carved-arch top that isn't too surprising I think. But it's true that these do seem to like pretty heavy strings.
__________________
I'm always not thinking many more things than I'm thinking. I therefore ain't more than I am. Pickle: Gretsch G9240 "Alligator" wood-body resonator wearing nylguts (China, 2018?) Toon: Eastman Cabaret JB (China, 2022) Stanley: The Loar LH-650 (China, 2017) |
#20
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Similarly, if you were looking from the get-go for a true dual-duty archtop the single-pickup LH-309 - TMK loosely modeled after a few uber-rare postwar ES-125's that were built on the carved-top L-50 platform - might be better-suited to your needs. FYI back in the days when even the smallest neighborhood venues featured live music 4-5 times a week (and a player could make a decent living teaching days and playing out at night) and strolling guitarists were commonplace, similar all-laminated instruments were often chosen for their combination of durability and tone. FWIW all-laminate construction has a far less-deleterious effect on an archtop instrument than a flattop: all-lam upright basses have been built for the last century (many of which - the now-rare New York-era Epiphones in particular, along with '40s-60s Kay and the early Engelhardts based on the Kay design - are prized for their tone as well as roadworthiness); the all-laminated postwar acoustic archtops (Gibson L-48, Guild A-50, nearly all of the post-1955 Gretsch lineup, and the recently-discontinued Godin 5th Avenue acoustic, among others), while not in the same league as a D'Angelico New Yorker or Stromberg Master 400, can be fine-sounding instruments in their own right; and many a savvy '50s semi-pro would use a 17" ES-150 or Epiphone Zephyr - the best of which could rival their all-carved L-7/Triumph counterparts for tone and volume, thanks to their relatively lightweight construction (in comparison to later offerings, built for amplified use in higher-volume settings where feedback was a potential problem) - as a dual-purpose acoustic and electric workhorse...
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#21
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Thank you, Steve. I will give the Monel's a try. The Loar is a decent instrument and the beefy neck profile with the V shape is just about perfect for me.
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#22
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Loar archtops
I have 3 of them. One has a stock P-90, another has a Charlie Christian pickup added by a guy in Ohio, and the third one is a #600 model, which is all solid woods. The #600 has an unusual black finish. The Loars have the best necks I've ever found-- 1.75 at the nut, and a moderate 'V' profile.
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