Pure acoustic archtop question

[wildbill1962]

Howdy, Been wanting to get a pure acoustic archtop (no pickups) for awhile now. My budget is 1500, and play mainly rhythm on classic country mixed with some western swing.
Will have to order since no good shops in my area. So wanted to hear your opinions before I start my quest.
New or good used.
Thanks in advance
Bill

[Dave Richard]

Have you been able to play any acoustic archtops over the years? I see you state that there are no shops with archtops in your area. My experience is with vintage Epiphones and Gibsons, in the various sizes, and not with new or newer ones. All of the vintage archtops I've owned, or now own, have needed various amounts of repair to play and sound their best(a downside to buying one in your budget, unless you are lucky, and careful). My Epiphones and Gibson excel at rhythm, for what you describe(currently I own a '48 Gibson-made National: 17", like an L-7, and a '35 Epiphone Zenith, only 14-1/2" wide, but has wonderful volume and tone too). A vintage 16" Gibson L-50, or a vintage 16-3/8" Epiphone Zenith or Blackstone(in good condition!) would fit your bill, and probably your budget. I'll let others suggest newer, modern equivalents. If you are on Facebook, I have posted many demo videos of vintage archtops at my page, David Richard Luthier. Good luck with your search!

[RLetson]

I've found vetting archtops to be a tricky business, even for new ones from builders with established reputations for uniformity of product. With a $1500 ceiling, it's either a new or used Loar or a used Eastman, unless you luck into an unrecognized gem--which you don't generally do when shopping remotely. (And I know that the Godin 5th Avenue non-Kingpin will get some votes.)

Then there's the matter of what one's own ears and hands want in an archtop, and that's addressed by auditioning in person. And even then there are the persistent problems with stores not understanding how to string and set up an archtop for acoustic playing. (Commonest problem: too-light strings and/or flatwounds.)

I've owned five good (or at least serviceable) archtops, and every one of them I got to play before buying. The alternative is to order from a dealer with a decent return policy and be willing to eat the shipping costs should the guitar not be satisfactory.

BTW, you might come across some of the *new* Epiphone Masterbilt archtops. There might be a gem among them, but I didn't find any in those I sampled, and from what I've read, neither did most who tried them. Pretty enough, but with thin, nasal, brassy voices and nothing like the classic Epis I've played.

[rmp]

what was just mentioned (King Pin) is worth a look

I have a King Pin II and I really like how it feels and sounds.

won't even come close to your ceiling price wise

not sure if they make the "no pickup" ones still

they also have a single pickup no-cutaway King Pin I

[wildbill1962]

Thanks for all of your advice and sharing your wisdom.
When I first started playing back in the early 70,s I started on an old Harmony archtop acoustic. Played it till the neck came loose. I then received my grandfather's old Epi hollow, dont remember what year it was, but think early 40,s. It was stolen after a gig.

Thinking off the Loar 600 but havent talked with anyone that has one. Reviews are 50/50
The new Epi master series look nice, but the reviews are terrible.
I know Godin built an acoustic only that folks talk highly about. But Godin quit making them, and not many used ones out there.
I do have a D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Hollow Body Archtop does okay acoustically, but shines when plugged in with the floating neck pickup.

I know 1500 isn't a great budget, but still gotta eat and pay bills... lol

Thanks again
Bill

[wildbill1962]

IuiThanks for all of your advice and sharing your wisdom.
When I first started playing back in the early 70,s I started on an old Harmony archtop acoustic. Played it till the neck came loose. I then received my grandfather's old Epi hollow, dont remember what year it was, but think early 40,s. It was stolen after a gig.

Thinking of the Loar 600 but havent talked with anyone that has one. Reviews are 50/50
The new Epi master series look nice, but the reviews are terrible.
I know Godin built an acoustic only that folks talk highly about. But Godin quit making them, and not many used ones out there.
I do have a D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Hollow Body Archtop does okay acoustically, but shines when plugged in with the floating neck pickup.

I know 1500 isn't a great budget, but still gotta eat and pay bills... lol

Thanks again
Bill

[mr. beaumont]

I had a Loar. Needed some setup, had a poorly cut nut, but had a GREAT sound. The real deal.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get along with the hard V neck. But on a budget, that guitar NAILS the old-school sound.

The Godins, if you can find a used, sound remarkably good for an all laminate.

The Epiphone Masterbuilts...I don't really know what was going on there.

I'd like to hear the D'Angelico round hole archie they're making in Korea. My guess is that it's heavy and overbuilt, but it's also probably a high quality instrument.

I've been using an old Kay. These are hit or miss. Mine was a hit, it was well cared for...many will need neck resets, and have other issues...they were inexpensive in their day, many were not well taken care of.

I've been digging deep into rhythm guitar lately, here's the Kay in action.

[RLetson]

Forgot the other quasi-classic acoustic archtop--the Guild A-150, based on one of their old entry-level, solid-pressed-top models. It comes with a (very decent) floating DeArmond replica pickup, but it can operate acoustically, at least if some of the YouTube demos are to be believed. This one struck me as more than decent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMG_7iublZo

I haven't had a chance to play one myself, and not all the YouTube demos of the unplugged sound are as useful--too many players have no idea of how to operate an acoustic archtop. But Guild is one of those companies whose products are quite consistent, so if you can find several demo videos that sound right, there's a decent chance that a remote purchase will work out OK.

[RLetson]

I have a Loar 600--which, like my other archtops, I bought because I was able to play it first. (And because it was priced very aggressively.) It has an entirely decent classic rhythm-box sound and was good enough for me to take to a week-long swing workshop last year. I have no problems with the neck profile--in fact, my aging hands like a deeper profile. But my Eastman 805CE is also very comfortable (played it for 2-1/2 hours last night) and has a more refined, modern voice. (Still a fine acoustic swing-rhythm instrument, though.) I see some used examples on Reverb, but they run just over that $1500 limit. On the third hand, Eastmans are real pro-level guitars.

[wildbill1962]

Thanks everyone. You gave me some ideas of what to look for. Think I will post a wanted ad and see what might pop up.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by wildbill1962

...Think I will post a wanted ad and see what might pop up.

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]

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...

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.

[wildbill1962]

Thank you very much !!
I think I will shoot him an offer and see what happens

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...

[wildbill1962]

Just made an offer on the Eastman, wish me luck.

[Steve DeRosa]

Good luck - looking forward to an in-depth review when you get it...