cheap archtops

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

When I was working full time in a trio, I had an old Fender Concert amp with 4x10 and a Gretsch Tennessean archtop...

Seen lots of Tennesseans but only two Concert amps in my lifetime (one brown, one an extremely rare early blackface) - what a fantastic rockabilly setup that must have been...

[drive-south]

I'm in the market for a "cheap archtop" meaning a fully carved 17" guitar with cutaway and floating pickup. Unfortunately even the Eastman's will set you back $2k now. There are no more real cheap archtops I'm afraid.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by drive-south

I'm in the market for a "cheap archtop" meaning a fully carved 17" guitar with cutaway and floating pickup. Unfortunately even the Eastman's will set you back $2k now. There are no more real cheap archtops I'm afraid.

You should be able to get a used 16" Loar LH350/650 in the $1k+/- range if you look around...

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Seen lots of Tennesseans but only two Concert amps in my lifetime (one brown, one an extremely rare early blackface) - what a fantastic rockabilly setup that must have been...

It probably would have been great for that. We played MOR (middle of the road) stuff in supper clubs and resorts and some private clubs. Our band leader used to say that it might be cool to play the occasional rock gig in a bar where college kids share a beer, and the you brag to all your friends about being a gigging musician for the rest of the month. But if you want to make a steady living, play the places where the customers have real money, and do it steadily. So we worked 6 nights a week, every week.

For us, "MOR" meant standards and softer pop tunes.

Of course, that was around 1976-78, but from what I hear, that kind of thing isn't viable anymore.

Tony

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

...We played MOR (middle of the road) stuff in supper clubs and resorts and some private clubs...Of course, that was around 1976-78, but from what I hear, that kind of thing isn't viable anymore...

Maybe it's a matter of location, but there's still a small but steady audience for that type of material - in fact, here in S.I. there's a guy well into his 70's who's also a hardcore techie, playing the supper-club/private-party circuit as a one-man band with a guitar and a rackful of equipment, while still maintaining an active teaching schedule and hosting a weekly TV show. If you're located near a retirement village, assisted/independent-living facility, and/or large senior day center with strong social programs, there's also a ready-made audience - and IME social directors are constantly on the lookout for potential entertainment; while the numbers of those who grew up during the Brill Building/Phil Spector, British Invasion/Motown, and Woodstock periods is increasing, there are still those who know and appreciate the softer sounds of American Songbook, postwar pop, even Prohibition-era jazz - and if you cut your musical teeth anytime during the 1957-1972 period, when live bands were standard fare at every social gathering, the styles and repertoire should be pretty much second nature. FWIW I've played and sung at a couple venues of this type, and seeing the light return to the eyes of some of these folks - knowing many of us here are not too far-removed in terms of age and/or state of physical health - is a priceless experience in itself, one that cannot be measured strictly in dollars and cents, and I can't think of a better way to "give back" after a lifetime of pursuing one's musical passion; just be prepared (true story) when you've just gotten through doing "Sunny Side of the Street," "Bill Bailey," and a chord-solo version of "Once In A While", and some octogenarian calls out from the back of the room, "Hey - you know any Willie Nelson...?"

[drive-south]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

You should be able to get a used 16" Loar LH350/650 in the $1k+/- range if you look around...

I'm guessing the Loar is not a carved guitar but a pressed-top.
Ideally I'd love a Gibson L5 but that's not gonna happen. I'm looking at the range of Carve tops from Eastman and the 900 series looks to be the closest to what I'm after. The Jazz elite series seems to have a more focused sound for chord coming.

[OldFrets]

Originally Posted by drive-south

I'm guessing the Loar is not a carved guitar but a pressed-top.

Those models have carved tops, as do the LH-600 and LH-700.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Maybe it's a matter of location, but there's still a small but steady audience for that type of material - in fact, here in S.I. there's a guy well into his 70's who's also a hardcore techie, playing the supper-club/private-party circuit as a one-man band with a guitar and a rackful of equipment, while still maintaining an active teaching schedule and hosting a weekly TV show. If you're located near a retirement village, assisted/independent-living facility, and/or large senior day center with strong social programs, there's also a ready-made audience - and IME social directors are constantly on the lookout for potential entertainment; while the numbers of those who grew up during the Brill Building/Phil Spector, British Invasion/Motown, and Woodstock periods is increasing, there are still those who know and appreciate the softer sounds of American Songbook, postwar pop, even Prohibition-era jazz - and if you cut your musical teeth anytime during the 1957-1972 period, when live bands were standard fare at every social gathering, the styles and repertoire should be pretty much second nature. FWIW I've played and sung at a couple venues of this type, and seeing the light return to the eyes of some of these folks - knowing many of us here are not too far-removed in terms of age and/or state of physical health - is a priceless experience in itself, one that cannot be measured strictly in dollars and cents, and I can't think of a better way to "give back" after a lifetime of pursuing one's musical passion; just be prepared (true story) when you've just gotten through doing "Sunny Side of the Street," "Bill Bailey," and a chord-solo version of "Once In A While", and some octogenarian calls out from the back of the room, "Hey - you know any Willie Nelson...?"

That is good to know. I suppose a gig live that would fare better if I were to team up with a singer and end up backing him or her with the occasional chord melody solo thrown in. That is the thing with those of us who don't sing. We get that question in the form of either "why don't you sing?" or "do you sing?". If you play guitar, you must sing. That isn't an expectation for piano players even with the popularity of Elton John, Carol King, and others. But the guitar is different for some reason for most people.

Tony

[kurth]

...by definition, wouldn't the 'cheap archtops' be the chinese like the grote ?

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by kurth

...by definition, wouldn't the 'cheap archtops' be the chinese like the grote ?

Cheap archtops, as I used it would likely be anything around and under $1,000 new. It seems most understood that, judging b the discussion.

I suppose technically, a person could establish what "cheap guitar" refers to. For somebody who typically buys guitars over $15k, the definition "cheap guitar" could refer to instruments under $10,000. In other words, "cheap guitar" is really a relative term.

Tony

[darkwave]

Prices are always on a sliding scale - over time and over differing personal benchmarks. I thought the original post by "drive-south" post was odd because "cheap" seemed out of sync with the premium features requested. Regardless of the era, it seems to me that carved tops were never a feature of "cheap" archtops. That was the realm of pressed tops at best.

That said, we have been living in times where Asian offerings like Michael Kelly and The Loar have those features at what I considered pretty cheap prices (with compromises in quality or detailing). I never put Eastman in that group - I considered them more "affordable" than "cheap", personally.

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Cheap archtops, as I used it would likely be anything around and under $1,000 new. It seems most understood that, judging b the discussion.

I suppose technically, a person could establish what "cheap guitar" refers to. For somebody who typically buys guitars over $15k, the definition "cheap guitar" could refer to instruments under $10,000. In other words, "cheap guitar" is really a relative term.

Tony

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by drive-south

I'm in the market for a "cheap archtop" meaning a fully carved 17" guitar with cutaway and floating pickup. Unfortunately even the Eastman's will set you back $2k now. There are no more real cheap archtops I'm afraid.

Fully carved and all solid wood construction is probably a tall order for a "cheap" archtop dependent upon what your definition of cheap is for this type of guitar.

Best of luck in your search!

[Sage Runner]

Here’s the Rare first Recording/Album featuring the Great Glenn Campbell. He appears to be holding a Cheap—1950s Gibson L-50? But the F holes are are segmented— so maybe it wasn’t a L-50? . I know album covers are not always indicative of the Guitar the artist used— but knowing Glen—I bet it was! Now would that Gibson Arch top be considered Cheap? Well if it was a L-50 they we’re definitely Gibsons entry level A-Top—- standing just above the lowly L-48 of the time period.

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by darkwave

Prices are always on a sliding scale - over time and over differing personal benchmarks. I thought the original post by "drive-south" post was odd because "cheap" seemed out of sync with the premium features requested. Regardless of the era, it seems to me that carved tops were never a feature of "cheap" archtops. That was the realm of pressed tops at best.

That said, we have been living in times where Asian offerings like Michael Kelly and The Loar have those features at what I considered pretty cheap prices (with compromises in quality or detailing). I never put Eastman in that group - I considered them more "affordable" than "cheap", personally.

A goo example of somebody playing a cheap top professionally is Jake Reichbart, who posts occasionally in these forums. He has played a low end Ibanez archtop for many years at his solo guitar gig at a high end restaurant. To him, as long as the neck is straight, he is fine. He only paid a couple hundred for it. I figure if it is good enough for a pro player like that, it is good enough for me. So not too long ago, I bought a used Ibanez AF95FM via the local Craig's list. This is an entry level instrument too selling for around $600-$700 new, and it seems perfectly fine to me.

The question becomes what does one really need to make music with?

That doesn't address the quoted post directly, but instead just gives us pause to consider what we really think we need.

Tony

[OldFrets]

Originally Posted by Sage Runner

Here’s the Rare first Recording/Album featuring the Great Glenn Campbell. He appears to be holding a Cheap—1950s Gibson L-50? But the F holes are are segmented— so maybe it wasn’t a L-50? . I know album covers are not always indicative of the Guitar the artist used— but knowing Glen—I bet it was! Now would that Gibson Arch top be considered Cheap? Well if it was a L-50 they we’re definitely Gibsons entry level A-Top—- standing just above the lowly L-48 of the time period.

It's a Harmony guitar, probably an H996. At half the cost of an L-48, yes, it would have been considered pretty cheap when new.