New member from Europe: howdy!

[radiofm74]

Hi everyone,

just wanted to introduce myself. I’ve been playing guitar (as a hobby) for a long time. After playing classical and rock in the early years, then just rock, I’ve come to jazz just a few years ago. As my tastes and interests gravitated towards early jazz (trad & swing) I found my gear tastes moving away from set-pickup jazzboxes like the venerable ES-174 to acoustic archtops. Indeed, right now acoustic archtops and teles are the two kind of guitars I play almost exclusively. My strat sees very little action, and the same is true of my classical and lovely and beloved Yamaha LA-8 (the latter still having its moments of glory…).

I started peeking around this forum recently. I’ve just entered a big band and I am trying to figure out how to amplify my archtops. I am trying to achieve a good acoustic sound (with a condenser clip-on mic or a contact mic) for the chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk and then, on a footswitch, a nice old-style electric sound for solos (think late 30s to early 50s: Eddie Durham, Charlie Christian, Remo Palmieri, Barney Kessel…).

It’s… complicated! Plus, acoustic amplification is totally new to me and pretty intimidating: anti-feedback notches & phase switches, tweeters, full-frequency, phantom power, totally new and unknown brands, piezos, transducers, cardioids…. But this site has been invaluable in getting a handle on all this and I hope I’ll be able to pay back some knowledge as I learn the tricks of the trade. Right now, I am in the process of choosing an amp. Looking hard at Fishmans (including discontinued stuff available around here), JazzKat, DV Mark and perhaps most of all Acoustic Image…

I look forward to more exchanges with you all!

[SprintBob]

Welcome, you’ll find good info and help for your archtop questions in the Archtop sub-forum and there is also an acoustic amplification sub-forum that could be helpful.

Hope you will become a Charter member in the future.

[personatech]

Welcome to the AGF!! You've found perhaps the best resource for figuring out all things having to do with our beloved instrument! I just bought my first acoustic this past March - started out thinking I wanted an archtop but ended up with a flattop instead. One of these days, I'll snag an archie...

[Kerbie]

Welcome to the AGF! We're glad to have you and hope you'll make yourself at home.

[radiofm74]

Thank you all for the welcome! I’m sure I’ll enjoy the discussions on this beautiful forum!

[radiofm74]

Yay! I managed to upload my first pic

My two archies and their DeArmond pickups, plus the rest of the family!

[justonwo]

I don’t believe you’re really European. Europeans don’t say “howdy!”

Welcome!

[The Growler]

Nice family picture. Welcome to the AGF!

[radiofm74]

Originally Posted by justonwo

I don’t believe you’re really European. Europeans don’t say “howdy!”

Welcome!

Well spotted, sir! But: Europeans who read forums inhabited by Americans and Australians do

[lowrider]

Europeans who watch too many ''Hee Haw'' reruns..........

Welcome to the forum!

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by radiofm74

Hi everyone,

just wanted to introduce myself. I’ve been playing guitar (as a hobby) for a long time. After playing classical and rock in the early years, then just rock, I’ve come to jazz just a few years ago. As my tastes and interests gravitated towards early jazz (trad & swing) I found my gear tastes moving away from set-pickup jazzboxes like the venerable ES-174 to acoustic archtops. Indeed, right now acoustic archtops and teles are the two kind of guitars I play almost exclusively. My strat sees very little action, and the same is true of my classical and lovely and beloved Yamaha LA-8 (the latter still having its moments of glory…).

I started peeking around this forum recently. I’ve just entered a big band and I am trying to figure out how to amplify my archtops. I am trying to achieve a good acoustic sound (with a condenser clip-on mic or a contact mic) for the chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk and then, on a footswitch, a nice old-style electric sound for solos (think late 30s to early 50s: Eddie Durham, Charlie Christian, Remo Palmieri, Barney Kessel…).

It’s… complicated! Plus, acoustic amplification is totally new to me and pretty intimidating: anti-feedback notches & phase switches, tweeters, full-frequency, phantom power, totally new and unknown brands, piezos, transducers, cardioids…. But this site has been invaluable in getting a handle on all this and I hope I’ll be able to pay back some knowledge as I learn the tricks of the trade. Right now, I am in the process of choosing an amp. Looking hard at Fishmans (including discontinued stuff available around here), JazzKat, DV Mark and perhaps most of all Acoustic Image…

I look forward to more exchanges with you all!

Ciao! and welcome from another European (British)!

I also love archtops althuogh I'm not a seasoned archtop , or jazz style player.

My personal theory is that the better that guiitar is acoustically, the worse it is amplified and vice versa.

That's is why Les Paul chopped his gibson L-5 into the parts and put a 4"x4" fence post in the middle to screw the picks to.

The best electrified archtops I've owned was an Eastman AR805(e) with a floating kent armstrong) pickup suspended from the fretboard extension i.e. not touching the body, lie your "monkey on a stick" mounted pickups!

Eastman are making some excellent archtops (acoustic w pick-up and semi solids which are very reasonably priced and really challenge or exceed the traditional American brands.

Good luck and benvenuto!

Here are my archtops :

[radiofm74]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Ciao! and welcome from another European (British)!

I also love archtops althuogh I'm not a seasoned archtop , or jazz style player.

My personal theory is that the better that guiitar is acoustically, the worse it is amplified and vice versa.

That's is why Les Paul chopped his gibson L-5 into the parts and put a 4"x4" fence post in the middle to screw the picks to.

The best electrified archtops I've owned was an Eastman AR805(e) with a floating kent armstrong) pickup suspended from the fretboard extension i.e. not touching the body, lie your "monkey on a stick" mounted pickups!

Eastman are making some excellent archtops (acoustic w pick-up and semi solids which are very reasonably priced and really challenge or exceed the traditional American brands.

Good luck and benvenuto!

Here are my archtops :

Hi SillyMoustache! I was sure I had posted a reply but it’s nowhere to be seen. Forgive me if it’s a repeat.

Thank you for your welcome! I think that your theory is well-founded especially in what concerns feedback. When they made the ES-150, they basically sacrificed the acoustic sound for the sake of amplification and fighting feedback.

Still, I enjoy the sound of an acoustic archtop, even amplified with a simple mic, and some of my favorite “electric" jazz tones are from acoustic guitars with floating pickups on them.

Below a picture of my hero Remo Palmieri in the 40s, with Red Norvo and Teddy Wilson. Notice big acoustic jazzbox with 1st generation DeArmond “Guitar Mic” or “Guitar Mike”. If you don’t know Remo Palmieri, you’re in good company, but don’t let that discourage you from discovering one of the finest swing-to-bop improvisers ever. Get to know him by listening to the original verison of “Groovin’ High” by Dizzie Gillespie. And if you want to delve deeper look up the “Teddy Wilson All-Star Sextet” (available on a well-known digital music service provider which I won’t name because it might have been taken for an AD… hence my post not being published perhaps?)

[v32 finish]

Just wanted to say "welcome"! I can't add anything that SprintBob didn't already say -- as I was reading your initial post, I was already thinking of the Archtop and Acoustic Amplification subforums -- but still wanted to say hi and welcome you here. This is a fine group of people here at AGF and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better resource on guitar (and music in general) anywhere in the entire world .

Myself, I've never delved into the world of jazz (yet) or archtop guitars, but I have a great appreciation for both. Right now I'm content with the instruments I'm blessed enough to own and occasionally making inspired music with them.

Hope you make yourself at home and welcome to AGF : )

-Scott

[Mandobart]

Hi and welcome radiofm! I really loved the limited time I've got to spend in Italy and Switzerland. I play an Eastman MDC805 (an 8-string archtop mandocello that I converted to a 6-string guitar). I have a Kent Armstrong floating humbucker (that Silly Moustache referred to) wired up to the tip of a TRS jack and a JJB PPS200 soundboard twin-head transducer that I wired to the ring. I use a TRS cable out to an L.R. Baggs MixPro preamp that allows me to mix these two or use either one alone.

[radiofm74]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and suggestions! I am in the middle of experimenting and will report back on the “acoustic amplification” forum!