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  #16  
Old 05-28-2012, 01:18 PM
jhwalker jhwalker is offline
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Great question, and one that has perplexed many of us I am sure. I love playing on electric guitars, but they are not that acoustic compared to say, an acoustic( ).
To date, the only acoustic I have really bonded with is a Collings C-10, and the chances of me finding a used one, with a cutaway which I want, are probably zero. A new one is quite expensive. So, I have also been on the search to get the great acoustic sounding electric guitar. I have tried a Larrivee OMV-O3R and a OMV-O3K and two Larrivee parlors. I just got a Larrivee all mahogany parlor with a cutaway. I like it despite some drawbacks( short scale, four inch wide body, and strap knob placement ), but it is not a Collings C-10. I really like Larrivee's, so I am not bashing them in any way, and I think they are the best value out there in hand made solid wood acoustic guitars.
I also just got a Heritage Sweet 16 which is a hollow body archtop with a single floating pickup. I think the Heritage may have satisfied my acoustic bug, until I can plunk down the super chunk of money it will take to get the acoustic I want. The single floating pick up archtop guitar with a spruce top is very acoustic sounding but yet still plays like a electric. This or a acoustic archtop with a small body depth of three inches would be my first and primary recommendations to you. For the electric archtop, I would also recommend a single floating pick up Heritage hollow body like the Sweet 16 or an Eagle. I strongly believe that Heritage guitars are the best value and quality you will find, new or used, meaning you would have to spend much more money to equal these fine guitars. I hear Eastman guitars are good, but you can get a used Heritage for the same price. I personally would rather have a US made guitar by the same guys that used to make the great Jazz guitars for Gibson when Gibson was still in Kalamazoo, and that are still making great Jazz guitars there now for Heritage.
You could also try a Godin Multiac or Ultra, or maybe even better a Tom Anderson Crowdster. I have tried out a Godin Ultra and it has a decent acoustic sound, but I did not like it enough to keep it. You can also try a Carbon fiber guitar that might fit your needs. I had a Composite Acoustic X guitar that was three inchs in width with a belly and neck contour that was very nice to play and very acoustic.
Personally, I missed the acoustic sound of a wood guitar which led me to the Larrivee Parlor and the Heritage Sweet 16. I can see myself doing a custom order Heritage with a tap tuned top and back, that would really give me a big acoustic tone, and I still want that Collings C-10 or a modern type of boutique equivalent. You could also drop some serious money on a McPherson acoustic guitar that you could choose the thickness on like a 3.0 side depth. Many acoustic builders are now including an arm bevel option, and that may help you as well. I know I can be happy with the right archtop, but I am not giving up on on a all acoustic guitar either. I am intrigued by newer concepts like sound ports, arm bevels, etc..., so when a acoustic builder with some serious clout starts using these options, I will likely have to bust my piggy bank. Happy Hunting.
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  #17  
Old 05-30-2012, 02:08 PM
SteveHung SteveHung is offline
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I have a Crafter SAT, which is a Taylor t5 knockoff. Like the T5, it can replicate that piezo-pickup sound you hear in electro-acoustics, but I have yet to find an electric guitar that really emulates the natural etheral tone of an acoustic.
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  #18  
Old 05-30-2012, 02:30 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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I think you might be better off with a short scale acoustic, a good setup, and some silk and steels or other "low tenson" string.

Archtop electrics, like some have mentioned, often play like an electric but have some acoustic tone too...but it's not the same tone as a flattop...

Actually, you might really dig something ike a Godin Kingpin...24.84" scale, slim neck, can be set up with low action and with a set of .11's, plays easy but still has some decent acoustic properties...and it's inexpensive.


* I love Taylor's acoustics, but IMnotsoHO, the T5 is a jack of all trades, master of none, and I don't think it sounds like much of anything unplugged...
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  #19  
Old 06-02-2012, 12:06 PM
Comfyfoot Comfyfoot is offline
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I just finished this up recently, LR Baggs T Bridge elements in a custom bridge to achieve wider spacing more common on acoustics. Sounds pretty darn convincing, it was at an open mic last night, if you turned your back on the stage you would never guess it was an electric.
Flip the switch however and:
http://youtu.be/CXfc2FxTOeQ

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  #20  
Old 06-02-2012, 07:39 PM
gretsch1956 gretsch1956 is offline
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if youエre talking about a plugged in acoustic sound from an electric feeling guitar i would recommend the GODIN A6 ULTRA. you can use acoustic strings on it and it sounds great and really acoustic plugged into a pa. itエs the same size and feel of a tele with a lovely slim neck and also has a humbucker and two different outputs. it also has separate volume faders for each pickup so you can blend the sounds. itエs so versatile and you can get anything from pure acoustic to hollow body jazz to full on electric sounds. itエs a cheap guitar too. you can find them new on ebay for less the $600. try one out.

Last edited by gretsch1956; 06-02-2012 at 07:40 PM. Reason: mistake
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  #21  
Old 06-09-2012, 09:33 PM
sjino sjino is offline
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A PRS Hollowbody II with a piezo pickup. Because it's a hollowbody the electric sounds are very acoustic like, and the piezo pickup gets you pretty darn near to an acoustic sound because the hollowbody is very much like a thin acoustic. Plus, you can blend the two sounds (like on the Taylor T5, but without so many combinations).

I have this guitar for sale in the classified section if you're at all interested.
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  #22  
Old 06-12-2012, 07:21 AM
j3ffr0 j3ffr0 is offline
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Of all the models I've heard it is the Carvin AE185 by a wide margin. The active piezo under the bridge is a good one. When plugged in this guitar is actually capable of sounding more acoustic than many acoustics. These guitars are easily the most versatile I've ever seen.


http://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/ae185
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  #23  
Old 06-17-2012, 10:57 AM
hesson11 hesson11 is offline
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Default A possible solution found?!?

AN UPDATE FROM THE OP:

Thanks so much for your opinions, everyone. I appreciate them. But I believe I've found a solution. It's not perfect, but it comes about as close as I'm likely to get, I think:

Ibanez Artcore AF105F NT! (If you search for this on YouTube, you'll see some videos, in addition to my photo here.)

This model was discontinued some time ago, as I understand it, but I was able to find a brand-new one at a local store. Got a pretty good price on it, too, with a hardshell case (which, by the way, smells like something died in it!)

I知 not crazy about the maple pickguard, so I may try to replace it with something that goes with the rosewood of the tailpiece. I saw a photo somewhere on the 鮮et from someone else who did this, and I thought it looked much better.

The guitar also came with an extra rosewood bridge, which I want to use to replace the hunk-o-metal that痴 on it now. As a long-time acoustic player, I知 still a bit averse to any metal on a guitar.

I知 not sure whether I知 looking forward to setting the intonation with the rosewood bridge or not! I do like to tinker a bit, but often get myself into trouble by doing so.

My first step will be to replace the strings. I致e got a set of nickel round wound and a set of flat wound chromes , both D但ddario .010s, and I知 trying to decide which to try first. (The guitar is shipped from Ibanez with .010s.) Any clues as to what I can expect with each of these?

So far, I知 just enjoying the guitar for my own grins, using a little Roland Mobile Cube amp. Sounds remarkably good.

I've concluded that even a well-amplified acoustic guitar doesn't sound much like an acoustic guitar when plugged in. The Ibanez comes pretty darn close to some of the better amplified-acoustic sounds I've heard. I think the fact that it has a floating pickup may have something to do with it; that's supposed to leave the top more free to vibrate than does a pickup that's mounted directly on the guitar top itself.

I'm not sure how I'll like it in a year, but I'm kind of having fun with it right now. AND it's a breeze to play!

-Bob

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  #24  
Old 06-17-2012, 11:26 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Just mark where the bridge is now and try the rosewood bridge....for a more acoustic tone...go with the wound strings for starters ( i do like flats on some of my archtops though)

just a note...the tune o matic bridge, as it is adjusted in the photo, is for a plain 3rd string.

The ibanez af series are pretty nice...the floating pickup will give you a brighter tone than a set humbucker...will definitely sound a bit more acoustic like.

Enjoy your step into the world of archtops...there is nothing beter imho.
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  #25  
Old 06-17-2012, 11:42 AM
hesson11 hesson11 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
Just mark where the bridge is now and try the rosewood bridge....for a more acoustic tone...go with the wound strings for starters ( i do like flats on some of my archtops though)

just a note...the tune o matic bridge, as it is adjusted in the photo, is for a plain 3rd string.

The ibanez af series are pretty nice...the floating pickup will give you a brighter tone than a set humbucker...will definitely sound a bit more acoustic like.

Enjoy your step into the world of archtops...there is nothing beter imho.
Thanks a lot, Jeff. I've still got much to learn, obviously. When you say to "go with the wound strings" for a more acoustic tone, do you mean the round wounds?

It kind of struck me as odd that the G string bridge was set so far behind the others. I didn't realize it would be different for a plain vs. wound G. Thanks again.
-Bob
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  #26  
Old 06-17-2012, 11:49 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Yeah...a nickel wound round wound string is a good compromise...warm...ut also magnetic for the pickup.

But i go both ways...some guitars just sound better with the flats...and you never know what it will be...for example, my laminate godin sings with rounds while my solid wood heritage sounds best with flats..which might go against se conventional wisdom.

Best guide is your ears.
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  #27  
Old 06-17-2012, 07:57 PM
hesson11 hesson11 is offline
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Jeff, one more question, if you make it back here:

If I'm going to put the rosewood bridge on it, would I be better off to stick with a wound G string? The rosewood obviously doesn't allow for the kind of severe intonation adjustment you pointed out on my tune-o-matic bridge with the unwound G string, so I'm wondering whether it would be a good idea to stay away from unwound G strings when I switch to the rosewood bridge. THANKS!
-Bob
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  #28  
Old 06-17-2012, 08:15 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Im a proponent of heavier strings and always a wound G on an archtop....
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  #29  
Old 06-20-2012, 11:39 AM
Retropicker Retropicker is offline
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This Wechter has me intregued.

http://www.wechterguitars.com/models...Series/PM-7352



Acoustiphonic-studio quality acoustic sound from your electric guitar

captures the natural acoustics of your guitar-hear the sound of the wood! eliminates feedback and mic placement problems associated with an amplified acoustic guitar automatically detects and selects mono (single amp) or stereo (dual amp) operation plug in a stero cable and you can send the acoustic and magnetic signals to seperate amps plug in a mono cable and you send both signals to the same amp switching jack turns off onboard active circuit when 1/4" plug is removed acoustic volume control with push/pull mid boost master volume and tone controls for magnetic pickups 3 way selector- magnetic / magnetic & acoustic / acoustic
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  #30  
Old 04-11-2021, 02:58 PM
Omar Zenteno-F Omar Zenteno-F is offline
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Smile Great acoustic sounds and amps!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluewyatt View Post
I used to play a Telecaster with flat wound strings through a Roland AC 30 and it had a very pleasing acoustic type sound. I even gigged live (solo) with that set up for awhile.
Yes, it is. The Roland Amps are great for jazz and acoustics!
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