Pure acoustic archtop question

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

That guy playing swing is like Barney Coopersmith saying "capisce."

Cool guitar though...still has that stringy Benedetto thing going on to my ears. I'd rather have a Loar for an old school sound.

Yeah, it's obvious this guy's not a jazzer - I took lessons from Jack Wilkins when I was a kid (and he was a teenage phenom - it was like jamming with the older brother I never had) so I'm intimately familiar with the real deal - but I posted this strictly as the A/B tonal comparison it was intended to be, and not a demonstration of his chops; FWIW he's also got light strings on both guitars - I've heard Eastmans with mediums, and while they have the Benedetto vibe (heard/played a bunch of those too, when Mandolin Brothers used to stock them and a brand-new Fratello could be had for $3K) a set of mediums reins that in somewhat (YMMV)...

[wildbill1962]

Was offered a nice looking Hofner pure acoustic archtop, but know nothing about Hofner line, are they quality?

Waiting on a reply from the gentleman regarding some questions about it.

Thanks
Bill

[Steve DeRosa]

FWIW Eastman is a known quantity, and many of us here can vouch for their quality...

Not too many Hofner archtops made it here to the States, and while my wife's early-2K's 5000/1 Deluxe (their unfortunately-discontinued flagship Beatle bass: tight-grained spruce and birdseye maple, gold hardware, blonde finish) is impeccable I understand that, like Gretsch during the same time period, some of their stuff can be iffy - see my response to your other thread...

[wildbill1962]

Thanks Steve ! I really appreciate your advice. Think I will steer clear of the Hofman. His last reply to my questions was this...

Yes, you're right about the german build and the frets have been fairly ground down past the 12th to accommodate the neck angle, and there is no fret wear generally on the neck.The guitar have received a nice hand-rubbed finish, basically the setup bringing the action down to 3/32" at on the bass register and 1/16" on the treble when measuring at the 12th fret. The guitar has a narrow neck width, a fairly serious fretboard radius, excellent sustain, lightweight and resonant.

His comment about the frets past the 12th fret doesnt makes sense when we also said all frets are good.

I'm still waiting for the reply from the guy with the eastman. I'm hoping we can work something out

Bill

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

FWIW Eastman is a known quantity, and many of us here can vouch for their quality...

Not too many Hofner archtops made it here to the States, and while my wife's early-2K's 5000/1 Deluxe (their unfortunately-discontinued flagship Beatle bass: tight-grained spruce and birdseye maple, gold hardware, blonde finish) is impeccable I understand that, like Gretsch during the same time period, some of their stuff can be iffy - see my response to your other thread...

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by wildbill1962

...the frets have been fairly ground down past the 12th to accommodate the neck angle, and there is no fret wear generally on the neck...

Can't say without a hands-on, but it sounds to me like this was a dog from day one: FYI neck geometry is extremely important on an archtop - far more so than a flattop guitar - and I'm thinking this guy bought an unplayable guitar (which accounts for its uncannily-pristine condition in the pic), sunk a couple hundred into it for a quick fix, and he's hoping to unload it just as quickly...



If you don't hear from the Eastman guy I'd follow up with him in 48 hours (weekend or not)...

[wildbill1962]

Lost out on the Eastman. Made an offer, but someone offered full price.
So the quest is still on.

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

No need - this just popped up:

https://reverb.com/item/68151572-eas...-2017-sunburst

FYI this one's part of a series designed for Eastman by the late Epiphone authority and author Jim Fisch, and it's the closest thing you'll get in a modern guitar to the postwar Epiphone Devon, at that time their entry-level 17" acoustic and built with a mahogany body that gave it a warmer, woodier tone than a typical maple-bodied instrument. Here's a comparison video with an otherwise-identical maple guitar - and while both are set up with light-gauge strings (mediums would go a long way in fattening up the tone) I think you'll get the idea:



FWIW these don't come on the market very often - used or new - and when/if they do they tend to be snapped up quickly (and with good reason), so if you have the cash you might want to consider making an offer...

[mr. beaumont]

Re: Hofners

Vintage is a must play in person proposition.

Modern Hofner archtops are amazing guitars, and I don't think they're making many of them anymore.

[radiofm74]

Originally Posted by wildbill1962

Thanks Steve ! I really appreciate your advice. Think I will steer clear of the Hofman. His last reply to my questions was this...

Yes, you're right about the german build and the frets have been fairly ground down past the 12th to accommodate the neck angle, and there is no fret wear generally on the neck.The guitar have received a nice hand-rubbed finish, basically the setup bringing the action down to 3/32" at on the bass register and 1/16" on the treble when measuring at the 12th fret. The guitar has a narrow neck width, a fairly serious fretboard radius, excellent sustain, lightweight and resonant.

His comment about the frets past the 12th fret doesnt makes sense when we also said all frets are good.

I'm still waiting for the reply from the guy with the eastman. I'm hoping we can work something out

Bill

Hey Bill,

I'm very late to the party! How did it end? I just thought I'd share my experience with a Höfner (their top-of-the-line 16" carved top model in the early 1950s) and a Loar LH-700 (which I understand is the same guitar as the LH-600 with a little more bling). I'll keep it very simple:
- the Loar is a fantastic first and perhaps last acoustic archtop… I've gone on to buy vintage guitars and sure I've found better for 10x the price, but the Loar will stay here forever. Buy used, take it for a good in-depth set-up (mine needed some work on the fretboard), and you have an excellent acoustic archtop with a wonderful 1920s vibe. Slap on a pick guard and a DeArmond and you're in business for electric swing as well. As Jeff pointed out, you have to like that big V neck. If not, a Guild Savoy (while not in the same league acoustically) is a nice swing box, includes a DeArmond from the get go, and has a more common "C" neck. I liked all those I tried.
- Vintage Höfners, and more generally German acoustic arch tops, are very quirky and a pretty different kind of animal – they are "Schlaggitarren" with a different type of sound and vibe from American archtops. Mine was gorgeous and I had it for not much money. Nothing but respect from me: it's the first guitar I've taken to swing gigs. But acoustically, it sounded a bit tinny and it had a super narrow neck, so it eventually had to go.

I'm personally on the lookout for an early 30s, 16" Golden Age Epiphone … but even if I find one, I won't let go of my little Loar!

Let us know how your quest went!

[rollypolly]

If you can, try some guitars in person. One of the only guitars I’ve purchased in person was a Gretsch New Yorker, a 1957 year model. I picked it up in the guitar center acoustic room and didn’t even look at the headstock. When it played and sounded amazing, I couldn’t put it down. The price wasn’t that bad so to took it home. It’s one of my fav guitars now. Funny thing is I haven’t heard of a lot of good experiences with these old Gretsch archtops. Apparently they are susceptible to falling apart. I love mine, and it feels very solid, but it’s definitely that unrefined yet loud archtop tone.