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  #16  
Old 08-28-2019, 10:30 AM
AuntieDiluvian AuntieDiluvian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post

Scharpach Vienna Apex.
$35K.
Several years' wait.
Only guitar I'd even consider spending that kind of money for.
When St. Peter shakes my right hand I want him to hand me one of these with his left...
Whoa.....that's nice. That looks more like a top-tier violin than any guitar I've ever had the privilege of playing - which probably shows its lineage as a "serious" instrument.
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  #17  
Old 08-28-2019, 12:31 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Originally Posted by AuntieDiluvian View Post
Whoa.....that's nice. That looks more like a top-tier violin than any guitar I've ever had the privilege of playing - which probably shows its lineage as a "serious" instrument.
Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) composed eight string quintets (violins I/II, viola, cello, guitar); FYI the guitar parts are not terribly demanding in (fingerstyle) classical-guitar terms - tapping back into my earlier post about "classical archtop," I could easily see a highly-skilled cross-picker playing a Scharpach Vienna Apex in that context...
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  #18  
Old 08-30-2019, 05:22 AM
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Steve,

You have really messed up my world. I am having Scharpach Vienna Apex dreams these days. I have spent the last few days taking an Internet tour of every guitar and/or guitar maker named in the previous posts and then some off shoot rabbit holes as well. I keep drifting back to this model. Reminds me a lot of my favorite violin. Fortunately I wasn't completely blown away by the recordings I found on line enough to take out a loan. Might be in person though, so I am going to try to stay away.

I am cutting out Starbucks and vending machines to put a little money aside just in case I need extra cash. It's going to take a lot of candy bars to get there.

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  #19  
Old 08-30-2019, 09:30 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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That Scharpach is beautiful, but you can get an absolutely top tier acoustic archtop for well under 10k, which makes us guitar players pretty lucky. Ever price bassoons?
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  #20  
Old 08-30-2019, 10:12 AM
mot mot is offline
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Ever price bassoons?
Obliquely. Had a friend I played ultimate with considering taking out a loan to get a better bassoon. He didn't get the loan, but got a foundation to sponsor him and give him a loaner one of the quality he was looking for.

I have priced and bought various brass instruments. The rule of thumb there is you can get by with a decent one that cost about 3 times an entry level instrument. It will play about the same as one that can cost a lot more.

I've been assuming there are rules like that in guitars (like listed earlier on this thread), but guitars seem to have a lot more variance than brass instruments in same brand/model/year IMO which makes finding the perfect instrument that much more challenging.
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  #21  
Old 08-30-2019, 12:09 PM
AuntieDiluvian AuntieDiluvian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
That Scharpach is beautiful, but you can get an absolutely top tier acoustic archtop for well under 10k, which makes us guitar players pretty lucky. Ever price bassoons?
You said it - I just wrapped up a theater gig as music director for a show the required contrabassoon and english horn. I gave up on the english horn - way out of budget everywhere I looked, but we were able to borrow a contrabassoon from a local university music department. An entry-level contra is more than three of my "pro" level guitars, and a "pro" level is $30-50K and up.
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  #22  
Old 08-31-2019, 02:28 PM
mot mot is offline
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The Benedetto Archtop is a little closer to my budget. Might work in a pinch if I can't afford a Scharpach.

https://benedettoguitars.com/guitars...es/la-venezia/
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  #23  
Old 08-31-2019, 04:30 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Hi Gents, I'm hesitant to join this worthy group with some very fine instruments and probably the abilities to play them appropriately - which is where I fall short, However, I thought I might add my three guitars to this discussion.

I offer these purely for your interest - a '60s Harmony which is about the cleanest and has the straightest, truest neck I've ever seen on a Harmony, my '34 Gibson L-4, and my Eastman AR (eight) 05 (sorry that key doesn't work on my laptop).

All are 16" bodies which I feel is all that is necessary unless competing with a large brass section.

Whilst I'm aware that Gibson didn't design archtops purely for big band rhythm sections, they surely proved worthy and superior to the task than any form of flat top, so it is horses for courses, I guess.

See :
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  #24  
Old 09-01-2019, 04:24 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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Something like a Scharpach or Ken Parker are if I ever won the lottery...or were a one guitar kind of guy.
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  #25  
Old 09-01-2019, 08:54 AM
WordMan WordMan is offline
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I love the tone of my old, cheap archtop, my ‘30’s Kalamazoo KG-31. When you bang on the strings with archtop force, the strings pop with a strong fundamental and short decay that sounds as round and rich as plucking a nylon string.

I love stacking those little pearls of sound into chords and runs. Makes me wonder why folks want to hide within a cloud of harmonic overtones and sustain
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  #26  
Old 09-01-2019, 10:12 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s2y View Post
Something like a Scharpach or Ken Parker are if I ever won the lottery...or were a one guitar kind of guy.
I could have one of these or a Corvette Z06...

Both haul butt...

One gets better gas/GAS mileage...

https://www.dhrguitarexperience.com/product/mon/
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  #27  
Old 09-13-2019, 09:42 AM
1Charlie 1Charlie is offline
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You can still find '30's and early '40's era fully-carved Gibsons for under $2000 if you look hard enough, and are willing to:

A. Address any issues they have to restore them to full playability.

B. Accept cosmetic imperfections, like professionally-repaired cracks.

C. Accept parts that are not original to the instrument, such as tuners, bridge, tailpiece and pickguard.

As a flatpicker, I have had to "relearn" how to play music on my two archtops (a '32 roundhole L-4, and a '43 L-50). They have more "range" to them than a dreadnought, and can be far more expressive, once you realize how to make that dynamic range work for you.

I have discovered that they make for terrific vocal accompaniment in a performance setting. Plus, they look so cool that audiences are naturally drawn to them.
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  #28  
Old 09-13-2019, 07:27 PM
Richard Mott Richard Mott is offline
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While some of us were emptying out the couch cushions for the $35K Scharpach Vienna, it turns out prices have gone up—it’s now €48,000 or roughly $53,500. Still a bargain and one of the most beautiful stringed instruments anywhere.
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  #29  
Old 09-14-2019, 03:22 AM
Howard Emerson Howard Emerson is offline
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Here's an iPhone recording of me that John made after finishing a pair of Monteleone Eclipse models for Eric Clapton.

The action was a little low for my taste, hence the fret slap, but whatever.



Enjoy!

Howard Emerson
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  #30  
Old 09-14-2019, 10:48 AM
Richard Mott Richard Mott is offline
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Howard—What a terrific sound you get out of that Eclipse, a reminder of how versatile a good archtop can be. John’s recent instruments are among his very best IMHO. —Richard
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