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  #106  
Old 04-17-2013, 10:20 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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Is the Mel Bay Presents Benedetto DVD worth buying?

BTW, that Gibson above is outta sight!
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  #107  
Old 04-17-2013, 10:56 AM
WordMan WordMan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L50EF15 View Post
Now, that? That is chillier than most cool things.
I was just waiting for the dust to settle. The L-7c is mine - once again, the folks at RetroFret were great.

The L-7c is a great guitar - now I have to get some jazz chops so I can give it a good workout! But given how this guitar plays and sounds, I suspect it will encourage me along . And it has a small amount of wear including one visibly repaired crack off the bass f-hole. Not a big deal and not a value/collectibility issue, but archtops are normally so glossy and pristine; I am better off with one that has a bit of wear so I don't worry about babying it...

I am really enjoying it - and it could not sound more different compared to my laminated top Kalamazoo KG-31 - they really complement each other.
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  #108  
Old 04-18-2013, 08:54 PM
L50EF15 L50EF15 is offline
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Originally Posted by WordMan View Post
I was just waiting for the dust to settle. The L-7c is mine - once again, the folks at RetroFret were great.

The L-7c is a great guitar - now I have to get some jazz chops so I can give it a good workout! But given how this guitar plays and sounds, I suspect it will encourage me along . And it has a small amount of wear including one visibly repaired crack off the bass f-hole. Not a big deal and not a value/collectibility issue, but archtops are normally so glossy and pristine; I am better off with one that has a bit of wear so I don't worry about babying it...

I am really enjoying it - and it could not sound more different compared to my laminated top Kalamazoo KG-31 - they really complement each other.
Yeah! Congratulations. That's exactly how I felt when I started on my Harmony before finding the L-50. Enjoy!
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  #109  
Old 04-28-2013, 04:40 PM
L50EF15 L50EF15 is offline
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I don't have this recording, but I'll have to track it down. It's a great example of the range of sounds an archtop can give you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEhjG1VG2r0
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  #110  
Old 04-29-2013, 09:32 AM
Archtop Guy Archtop Guy is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L50EF15 View Post
I don't have this recording, but I'll have to track it down. It's a great example of the range of sounds an archtop can give you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEhjG1VG2r0
Thanks, love that recording of Dick McDonough, but I think it only hints at the great tones you can get from a good archtop. IMO, it suffers a bit from the recording technology available in the early '30's.
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  #111  
Old 05-06-2013, 09:20 PM
L50EF15 L50EF15 is offline
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Originally Posted by Archtop Guy View Post
Thanks, love that recording of Dick McDonough, but I think it only hints at the great tones you can get from a good archtop. IMO, it suffers a bit from the recording technology available in the early '30's.
Agreed. Imagine these guys, the early masters, in hi-fi... wow.

This fellow gives a pretty good primer on the instrument; not a virtuoso demonstration of technique, but a good intro for those unfamiliar with the sonic possibilities of archtops:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOaXOXE9ITg
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  #112  
Old 05-07-2013, 01:58 PM
Archtop Guy Archtop Guy is offline
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Here's a great example of the versatility of a good archtop... (and with nice recording quality)

Black Prairie
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Last edited by Archtop Guy; 05-08-2013 at 12:16 PM.
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  #113  
Old 05-07-2013, 04:18 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blue-wily-fox View Post
Here is a 1923 L-2, and a 1947 L-7, I'm a big fan of the round hole archtop! ..........
Loook into mmy eyes - you feel verrrry sleepy - you are packing up your now unwanted L-2 and sending to the nice man in England - Now - #Wake up - finish packing.

Address to follow !
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  #114  
Old 05-07-2013, 04:20 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TimberlineGuy View Post
Right on their homepage
Yup - used it on my '34 L-4/L-7 - woke it up some.
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  #115  
Old 05-07-2013, 04:27 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Took me ages to get turned on by Archtops. Fisrt real purchase was a Harmony H1325 1966 - bought in showroom condition - neck is as good as any good ne3ck I've seen. In that funy banded sunburst finish - love it. -

Then waited two years for a hn Eastman AR805e (in "callsic" - arrived bright red - but plays nidcely - my only "electric guitar".

Then went crazy - bought a '34 L-4 "export" which is in fact identical to the L7. no refinish but very clean. Had it refretted - now it is splendid - do I play 'em much ? Nah. Not until the invitation to join Bob Wills comes along.
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  #116  
Old 06-11-2013, 07:10 PM
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iim7V7IM7 iim7V7IM7 is offline
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Default I will ad mine the the pile

This my 16" Comins Classic. It arrived about two weeks ago after a 14 month wait to have it commissioned. It is 3" at the rim and has a 25" scale to make those 5-fret "Johnny Smith" fingerings a bit easier on my aging fingers. The top is master grade Carpathian spruce and the back, sides and neck are highly figured US Big-leaf Maple and its bound in maple as well. The custom aspects of the instrument are the fretboard inlays, truss rod cover inlay, side mounted pots on a "Chuck Wayne" style finger rest and ebony tuner buttons. Bill uses a Kent Armstrong pickup with adjustable pole pieces. Its x-braced and Bill carved the top to be responsive to a fairly light touch (I play mostly solo). I had a Heritage Sweet 16 which you can see posted earlier in this thread back in 2012 for the last 12 years. It was a great guitar, but having an instrument built to your specs by a master craftsman like Bill is one of the great treats that any guitarist could aspire to.









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  #117  
Old 06-11-2013, 07:26 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Wow, that Comins Classic is a real beauty! Congratulations!

- Glenn
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  #118  
Old 06-18-2013, 09:19 AM
blues4fatty blues4fatty is offline
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Default NGD! Old Marvel archtop

Just got a cheap, fixed up Marvel archtop on Craigslist, circa 50s or 60s? Not sure if it's Harmony or Kay... Slightly high action at 12 fret and up -- so might use for slide.... Anyone know anything about these guitars? Any advice on using archtops for slide?

Here are some photos:

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps549de915.jpg

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps43bb192c.jpg

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps392eb816.jpg

Last edited by blues4fatty; 06-18-2013 at 10:56 AM. Reason: To add photo links
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