#16
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Nobody mentioned the wide range of Epiphone offers Century, Zodiac, olympic etc...) which would in my budget. Is it because the aren't good?
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#17
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If you're talking the recent Masterbilt models - which FYI have undergone a $200-300 price reduction recently - you're right, they aren't; FWIW a stocking dealer told me a while back that they've been such a flop in the marketplace that Epiphone is considering a total overhaul, along the lines of the successful Loar/Eastman archtops - carved tops/backs, more historically-accurate appointments - and the aforementioned major price drop only serves to lend further credence to the story. Frankly, I've been holding off on buying an Eastman in anticipation of a new New York-style Epi acoustic; if you're inclined to buy right now, a used Loar LH-600 (which meets your soecs) can be had around the top of your range - just make sure the neck angle allows for sufficient bridge adjustment range, and that the tailpiece crossbar doesn't contact the top...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) Last edited by Steve DeRosa; 02-27-2019 at 07:47 PM. |
#18
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I bought an Epiphone Century Zenith Classic with F-Holes a few months ago. I had it Plek'd, which seems to have been a good move. It had defective electronics, but the dealer replaced it, no questions asked. The replacement has a few ugly cosmetic issues, and the electronics are nothing to get excited about, but otherwise, I really like it. Feels good, sounds great, a chunky baseball bat neck which I've fallen in love with, and dang, is it pretty! (it turns quite a few heads)
It's been listed at $599 at most online sellers for the past couple of months, down from $799, so it may, indeed, be on its last legs as a new offering. But they're still able to restock when they sell out, so there doesn't appear to be a shortage just yet. I'd definitely recommend taking a look.
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I own 6 guitars and a banjo, I drive a Hummer, and I brew my own beer. Cool is not something I have to work at. |
#19
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Why not an acoustic Godin 5th Avenue ? I changed the original nut for a Taylor type one (1,75 in.) to enlarge string spacing : it works ! No string slipping out of fret. I even norified Godin so that they could offer this.
On the other hand, this archtop do not project sound as much as a dreadnough. It is my beloved practice guitar as it almost allows getting to 15th to practice my pentatonic scales.
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Needed some nylons, a wide range of acoustics and some weirdos to be happy... Last edited by mawmow; 03-09-2019 at 06:53 PM. |
#20
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IMO there are not many "budget archtops" out there that worth their salt, you have to get up there in L7 Gibson range 3500 and up......
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#21
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I followed the suggestion of several forum members and just purchased a 2016 Loar LH-600 in "excellent condition" on Reverb, for less than $600.00 including shipping.The guitar should arrive at the end of the week and I will report my impressions! Thanks everybody for the comments 😊
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#22
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Quote:
Live with it a bit. Archtops are different.
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An old Gibson and a couple of old Martins; a couple of homebrew Tele's |
#23
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My 700 has this problem - I had to take quite a bit off the top part of the bridge to get it to where I wanted it to be. For me its fine, it's not my main guitar but an archtop perfectionist might have issue with it.
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National Resophonic NRP 12 Fret Loar LH-700-VS Archtop Eastman E8-OM Herrmann Weissenborn Recording King RP-10 Recording King RG-35-SN Lapsteel Maton 425 12-string ESP 400 series telecaster Eastman T485 Deering Americana Banjo My Youtube |
#24
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I kind of bump this thread since I got a close attention to Loar LH-600/650...
I saw at least two with an at least two parts neck (not talking about the fretboard) : I could see a clear and neat line with wood grain difference at the neck joint ! In addition, the nut seems always at the lowest position on the bridge : neck angle construction mistake ? I mean, you could not lower string action more. Anyone could comment ?
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Needed some nylons, a wide range of acoustics and some weirdos to be happy... Last edited by mawmow; 03-23-2019 at 11:26 AM. |
#25
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So that's been a criticism on the Loars for a while...many do not have a sufficient neck angle. But it's not all, and I do think they've gotten better...
As for the neck, I remember the one I had (it was a 600) was one piece mahogany. Sounds like they might have switched to using a scarf joint. I do think the Loars are a "play before you buy" kind of guitar, or at least order from somewhere with a good return policy. |
#26
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My first impressions of the Master Build Epi guitars were not good at all. Acoustically, they just float my boat.
I did play a very nice Loar 700 two weeks ago that was impressive. The Eastman archtops I've played have sounded very good, but not in the same way as a classic acoustic archtop. |