Which Archtop? So So Many to Choose From

hotroad · #1 10-07-2017, 09:05 PM

Got one~!!! After a ton of research and talking with some amazing archtop artists, I decided on the Peerless Monarch. It was a very close race with the Peerless Imperial coming in second, the Eastman 580 in third and a D'Aquisto New Yorker in fourth. And got it for $300 under my budget which leaves room for a new small archtop amp. Got ideas.

I am a good acoustic guitar rhythm and flatpicking player. I want to venture out a bit into something with more punch or attack and I am thinking an archtop might do the trick. But there are so so many to choose from. I am a total rookie in archtop land. So please help me.

My budget is around $1200 out the door. I do not want a lot of bling or dual pickups. Being an acoustic player, I like wood and understated versus lots of knobs and switches and chrome.

So, what do you recommend for me. I am open to used but in excellent condition only. I will be playing it through a variety of acoustic amps and sound systems so forget that factor.

Steve DeRosa · #2 10-07-2017, 09:31 PM

Save up a few more bucks and go for one of these:

https://www.soundpure.com/p/eastman-...15652057/18815

No pickup, no electronics, no pickguard, just pure acoustic tone...

hotroad · #3 10-07-2017, 09:45 PM

I forgot to mention that I play plugged in all the time...full time gigging.

Mandobart · #4 10-07-2017, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Save up a few more bucks and go for one of these:

https://www.soundpure.com/p/eastman-...15652057/18815

No pickup, no electronics, no pickguard, just pure acoustic tone...

That's basically what I play. But then I added a floating neck puckup, a twin head SBT, and pickguard. And Newtone 13's. Great acoustic and plugged in tone!

hotroad · #5 10-07-2017, 09:58 PM

How does the dual source sound? Twin head SBT plus floating neck pickup. Sounds interesting. Was it hard to add the neck pickup. I have installed a few SBT systems in guitars but never a neck pickup since I only have played acoustic flattops.

Mandobart · #6 10-07-2017, 10:24 PM

I got this pickup from Stewmac. Fit my neck perfectly. Instructions were not hard to follow, but I was an electronics tech in the navy. I used these thumbwheel controls under this pickguard.

I have a Baggs Mixpro to mix the two pickups or just use whichever I want.

hotroad · #7 10-07-2017, 11:18 PM

Looks easy. Thats what I said as I started disassembling my Chevy diesel engine. But thanks and I may go that direction. After listening to several videos of Archtop guitars I am not finding the tone I really am after. The archtop tones I am hearing are more muted than i want. I want more of the acoustic guitar tone than the muted tones of the archtops I have heard tonight. So the journey continues.

Mandobart · #8 10-08-2017, 05:45 AM

For me, I really had to go seek out guitars to play - I just don't trust videos. There are so many variables in recording and playback equipment. I made a few trips to Seattle to demo everything I could find. I was not impressed with just about everything except a late 40's L48. Still kinda wish I'd picked it up. Finally I decided to convert my Eastman MDC805 mandocello to a 6 string guitar (by then I had a much better custom built mandocello). It made the most sense and I got a nice archtop for just the cost of some parts and time. And I can always convert it back by going back to the original nut and bridge and restringing.

Mr. Scott · #9 10-08-2017, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotroad

Looks easy. Thats what I said as I started disassembling my Chevy diesel engine. But thanks and I may go that direction. After listening to several videos of Archtop guitars I am not finding the tone I really am after. The archtop tones I am hearing are more muted than i want. I want more of the acoustic guitar tone than the muted tones of the archtops I have heard tonight. So the journey continues.

In that case the best way may be to go with a mic setup, that is really the only way to capture an archtop's "chink" as you strum; and you are right, they are quite toppy in sound acoustically (or should be). It's only after people started using arch top guitars as solo instruments that the more "muffled" sound you mention became fashionable. Having said that, Charlie Christian, an early exponent of amplified solo jazz guitar did not have that kind of sound.
I know micing is not always practicable on stage but to get round that requires multiple pickups on and in the guitar with a suitable mixer/blender and then quality becomes expensive. Try what I did: get an Eastman AR371 (or372) and plug in. You can go from bright as a Fender to dark as a Gibson with one of those. And they are cheaper than the model you mentioned with the pickup(s) ready installed. I do hope that has helped and not confused the matter further.

Silly Moustache · #10 10-08-2017, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I got this pickup from Stewmac. Fit my neck perfectly. Instructions were not hard to follow, but I was an electronics tech in the navy. I used these thumbwheel controls under this pickguard.

I have a Baggs Mixpro to mix the two pickups or just use whichever I want.

All pretty much as fitted as standard on the real acoustics by Eastman with the "e" option.

MC5C · #11 10-08-2017, 09:03 AM

Part of the issue may be the pickup location. See if you can find a single pickup ES-125 from the 1960's to try, single P90 mounted in the middle position. Or try any two pickup electric archtop and see what the bridge pickup sounds like. My 1946 Epiphone has quite a bright tone, and it's single coil pickup is at the bridge.

Brian

hotroad · #12 10-08-2017, 10:01 AM

These are great suggestions and thanks. Keep em coming. Being a newbie to archtops I know absolutely nothing about the pickups, the tone or much else. I do want some acoustic tone as a solo artist but also the punch of the pickup blended in versus vice versa. I am not after an electric tone but more of the clear, strong blended tone of acoustic and electric. I once had a Tom Anderson Crowdster and it was along those lines but expensive too.

Big Band Guitar · #13 10-09-2017, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Save up a few more bucks and go for one of these:

https://www.soundpure.com/p/eastman-...15652057/18815

No pickup, no electronics, no pickguard, just pure acoustic tone...

I have that same model. I like it.

I use a lapel condenser microphone on a tiny gooseneck clipped on the tail piece positioned just behind the bridge. Not over the f hole.

Mandobart · #14 10-09-2017, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

All pretty much as fitted as standard on the real acoustics by Eastman with the "e" option.

My Eastman MDC805 is a surprisingly real acoustic mandocello. Its really real

But it didn't and still doesn't come with a pickup, pickguard or volume/tone controls. Or a bridge or nut set up for a 6 string guitar. Now I guess I've made it real-er. Maybe real-er than an AR403CE as it has the additional piezo p'ups....

hotroad · #15 10-10-2017, 11:45 AM

UPDATE: Been shopping on line a lot for my first archtop. Talked to Guitars 'n Jazz and got some great ideas. Good people there. I am looking for a Peerless instead of an Eastman, I think. Of course raised my budget a bit to $1500. Its so tough to buy a guitar without playing it first but I am many hours away from a city with a decent guitar store that carries enough archtops to make it worth the trip.
So looking at mostly Peerless and Eastman. If you know of another builder that I might like, please pass that along here. I want a floating pu, parallel bracing versus X braced and tone that has good acoustic guitar vibes as well as the plugged in electric archtop vibe. Thanks for all the good ideas so far.