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  #16  
Old 09-24-2009, 04:03 PM
JoeCharter JoeCharter is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Emerson View Post
Joe,
Fast forward to 3:40 on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6Gho...eature=related

This is from Gibson's Golden Age of Archtops: A 1927 Gibson L-5, 16" with the Master Model label.

It does everything that flat top lovers say archtops can't do..........I paid $35 for it back in 1976.........

HE
That's a great video and an awesome guitar, Howard.

Thanks for sharing!
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  #17  
Old 09-24-2009, 04:16 PM
Howard Emerson Howard Emerson is offline
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Originally Posted by JoeNewbie View Post
That's a great video and an awesome guitar, Howard.

Thanks for sharing!
Hi Joe,
I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Any of my sound clips where I'm playing bottleneck were recorded with that guitar.

HE
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  #18  
Old 09-24-2009, 04:25 PM
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- Great playing Howard!

And that last song you played in that clip on the Flammang is such a beautiful song.
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  #19  
Old 09-24-2009, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Herb Hunter View Post
I never played an archtop guitar whose tone appealed to me more than that of a flattop.
Me too. I've played some great archtops, and I like that sound sometimes, but not enough to buy one. Plus the ones that I did like are close to the price of car...
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  #20  
Old 09-24-2009, 05:03 PM
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Hi Joe...
The reason I've never gotten hooked is they don't fit my style of playing...and I've played cheap and expensive, hand built and manufactured.

None has ever grabbed me...not even mildly...for more than 10 minutes.

Perhaps if I had another small fortune to invest in a quality one and amp, and if I had a couple decades to donate to conquering jazz, I'd be more interested...

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  #21  
Old 09-24-2009, 05:03 PM
brad4d8 brad4d8 is offline
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Originally Posted by min7b5 View Post
Me too. I've played some great archtops, and I like that sound sometimes, but not enough to buy one. Plus the ones that I did like are close to the price of car...
I'm an archtop acoustic fan. I'm also a flattop acoustic and classical acoustic fan. I never could afford much more than a Harmony Patrician (not a bad axe, to be honest) and a low end 1930s Metro B, a little better than the Patrician, cost about $400 on eBay.
This spring I saw a listing at Archtop.com for a guitar model that I've wanted for 40 years (Guild Artist Award), in a condition I couldn't believe. It's a little newer than the ones I drooled over in the late 60s (1975) but literally in showroom shape-not even any fret wear or tarnish on the plating. And, yes, it cost more than either of the cars we currently own.
It does not have the same sound as my flattops, but they, on the other hand, don't have the sound that it has. What I find very interesting is that when played individually, the treble strings have considerable sustain, volume and projection, more than the bass strings when they are played individually. However, when played chordally, there is a balance you wouldn't expect. There is one area where it is unsurpassed. Swing style rhythms. The first time I picked it up, it almost played itself when I started to play four to the bar swing chords.
For fingerpicking, the way I play now, with no picks and little nail, it's not really suited. I think, though, that if I went back to my youth and dug out my Dobro thumb pick and National fingerpicks, it would acquit itself well.
Would I want it as my only acoustic guitar? Probably not, if only because I never will get rid of my Guild F-212 that I've had since 1965 and because I play a lot of classical guitar, necessitating a nylon string. That said, if I had to choose only one of my acoustic six strings ( I have four others, one archtop and three flattops), I would probably go with this one.
Brad
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  #22  
Old 09-24-2009, 05:13 PM
Frank Roberts Frank Roberts is offline
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Acoustic archtops evolved to be a part of the rythmn section of a band, doing duty chunking out chords loudly. They were not voiced to sustain or to flatpick or fingerpick in the way that flattops were/are. Yes, I know Mother Maybelle Carter played a Gibson L-5 archtop in her church lick style, but that became the exception, not the rule. Acoustic archtops fell out of favor along with the music they were designed to make. I'm not saying that is a good thing, simply a historical fact.

Electric archtops survived largely on the backs of traditional jazz players for a long time, then with the advent of semi-hollow bodied archtops and "fusion" there was renewed interest in archtops. George Ghrun, I believed, for years preached about the inherent value of guitars in comparison to the way the vintage market was going. The cost in time and craftsmanship it took to construct a Gibson L-5 guitar compared to the "inexpensive" industrial methods of putting together a Fender Stratocaster, for example, was turned upside down by the market when vintage strats were going for a lot more money than a vintage Gibson archtops.

What was the question again? Sorry, I digressed. Work also intervened but I'm back. I think the answer is twofold, 1.) demand and 2.) profit margin.

Frank

P.S. Wow, I started this response when there were only two responses, and in my delay, look at all the responses and Howard Emerson even posted a Youtube of Maybelle Carter playing Wildwood Flower! Did you see the future Mrs. Johnny Cash sitting, strumming away on the autoharp?

Last edited by Frank Roberts; 09-24-2009 at 05:21 PM.
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  #23  
Old 09-24-2009, 05:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard Emerson View Post

This is from Gibson's Golden Age of Archtops: A 1927 Gibson L-5, 16" with the Master Model label.

HE
UNFAIR! You are playing with the slide. When slide is used all rules about acoustic tone change!
Great slide work!
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  #24  
Old 09-24-2009, 06:50 PM
Christian Reno Christian Reno is offline
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Originally Posted by Howard Emerson View Post
If you're familiar with Chet Atkins' early stuff, like Mainstreet Breakdown, you'll be interested to know he recorded that on a Gibson L-10, acoustic with a Bigsby.

Hand any good flat picker or finger picker A Good archtop and they love them.........They're just expensive, hard to find, or both.

My friend John Monteleone makes archtops that have every bit of the sustain that flat tops have with far more punch...
Thanks for the links...I am sure Monteleone's instruments are fantastic. I am quite familiar with Chet's early archtop guitars - L10, L7, Super 400, D'Angelico etc.. Maybelle Carter played an L-5.

Now back to reality price ranges and what I thought was the essence of the original question. If you take a new Gretsch G100 or maybe a Godin 5th Avenue and compare them to an equaly priced flat top like a Seagull or Blueridge, hand them to a good fingerstyle player or a good flat picker, I would bet money on which guitars the majority would find more to their liking.
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  #25  
Old 09-24-2009, 07:19 PM
riovine riovine is offline
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Well, I just recently got a custom archtop made for me by Mark Campellone. I play mostly traditional strait ahead jazz. I like the sound of a full carved archtop best for that style. I also have a Goodall Standard. It is a wonderful guitar, with huge lush overtones. What I found is that it is almost too lush and too scooped in the midrange to really cut through an ensemble. When you play a lot of dense and complex jazz voicings, there is almost too much going on sonically. The Campellone has that great dry, woody, fundamental, midrangy tone. I usually play with light amplification. As to the point that once you amplify it you no longer need an archtop, I completely disagree with that. A Les Paul will not sound like a fully carved arcthop, even with the same pickups, strings, scale length etc. Not that you can't get it to sound good for jazz, but it just won't sound like an archtop. There are of course endless debates on the subject on the various jazz guitar forums. As for archtops not being good for fingerstyle, check out Joe Pass accompanying Ella Fitzgerald fingerstyle on an acoustic archtop (probably an old Gibson Super 400). There are some clips you can listen to, but if you are interested in acoustic jazz, I highly recommend picking up this CD, Joe & Ella are just magic together.

http://www.amazon.com/Fitzgerald-Pas.../dp/B00004Z3ZK

I think it comes down to what style of music you play. If guys are playing bluegrass, country, fingerstyle etc stuff, they will not like an archtop, but for a lot of jazz guys, they are the only way to go. If you think people no longer play/want archtops, you are just on the wrong forum,

Here are some pics of my new Campellone:




Last edited by riovine; 09-24-2009 at 07:43 PM.
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  #26  
Old 09-24-2009, 09:19 PM
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I love archtops and flat tops. I alaways thought that archtops looked very cool but i couldn't find one that sounded good when i palyed fingerstyle. Then back in the early 90s Acoustic Guitar had an article about the new golden age of guitar builders. Steve Andersen was interviewed and he talked about building archtops that were voiced for modern fingerstyle playing.

I called him up and talked with him, I was very interested but I wanted play one of his guitars before i bought one. I ended up going to Gruhn's. They had an Andersen, but it sold the day before I got there. They let me play it long enough for me to decide that I wanted one.

I placed my order for the Emerald City model. I eventually got another Andersen that is made with an Oval Sound hole.

Do these guitars sound like flat tops? without a doubt no. But they are great sounding acoustic guitars that will respond to fingerstyle of pickstyle playing. They are very comfortable to hold and they look very cool in my opinion.

Here's a couple of pics

[IMG][/IMG]


[IMG][/IMG]

It's ironic that the guitars pictured are 2 Andersens and 2 Andersons
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  #27  
Old 09-24-2009, 10:08 PM
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Wow, some very nice guitars guys.

In my opinion, if you're this guy (check out the string height on his guitar!)...



...playing in this band...



...then an acoustic archtop is the sound for you.
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  #28  
Old 09-25-2009, 06:23 AM
riovine riovine is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Livingston View Post
Wow, some very nice guitars guys.

In my opinion, if you're this guy (check out the string height on his guitar!)...



...playing in this band...



...then an acoustic archtop is the sound for you.
Yeah, Freddie Green is the man. But I'd just add that an acoustic archtop has a lot more applications in jazz than just chunking chords behind a big band.

Check out this contemporary guy playing an acoustic archtop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W23BX...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXhyn...eature=related

Last edited by riovine; 09-25-2009 at 06:51 AM.
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  #29  
Old 09-25-2009, 06:46 AM
tennjed tennjed is offline
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This might be a good time to ask a question I have had for a few monts now.

For several months now, I have been considering purchasing one of the affordable Godin 5th Avenue models or a low end Gretsch Electromatic. Is the Electromatic, pickups and Bigsby aside, an archtop accoustic in the same sense that the Godin is.

My appologies if this seems a ridiculous question; I am not knowledgeable about archtops.
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  #30  
Old 09-25-2009, 07:10 AM
JohnZ JohnZ is offline
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I don't see that anyone has mentioned Eastman archtops. I got an 810CE several years ago and have been very happy with it...even if I don't get the chance to play it all that much, I like the change now and then. Great fun voicing stuff mid neck.
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