Archtop guitars???

BluesBop Harry

I'm interested in getting a $500-800 archtop.
So far I looked at Ibanez artcores and Epiphone Emperor regent, broadway and joe pass models.
Can anyone who has tried those offer some advice?
What to look for?

I'm also being offered a used Eastman 16" with cutaway and floating pickup for around $1300, What do you think??


Thanks!

elias t.

I would definately go for the used eastman , having owned an ibanez af125 nt and an epiphone regent , i would say the eastman is the best deal you get , first of all if i m not mistaken the eastman has solid back and sides (epiphone and ibanez are laminated) and second , acousticaly the eastman has way much better sound although i havnt played this particular model , other eastmans i have played , are all wonderful instruments with great value for money . imho the ibanez electricaly is a bit better than the epiphone regent , the floating pickup of the epiphone doesnt sound very good to my ears but then again , its a matter of taste

Stackabones

I'd go for the Eastman. I know the Ibanez models get a lot of love, but I'm not a big fan of them. I've played the Epi Joe Pass a while ago, and I remember it being a good gig -- but nothing like an Eastman.

I'd guess the biggest problem with the Eastman is that it isn't anywhere near your budget?

MichaelHorowitz

The Eastmans are a great buy...craved top and they're basically copies of Benedettos. Very cool! Hard to get carved top acoustic performance in that price range....they don't sound nearly as good as real Benedettos or other high end carved top guitars. But like the Sagas, they are close enough!

However, you should keep in mind that if you're going to be gigging in loud situations you may actually want to go with a plywood top. Get one with a humbucker bolted in the top....it will be acoustically pretty dead but very feedback resistant. The carved top guitars feedback a lot easier.

If you're doing all string band stuff then a carved top is great. But if you start playing with loud drummers, horns, etc, etc, at high volumes then the carved top can be a bit too live.

Also, the electronics make a big difference. A friend of mine has an Eastman and the factory pickup was totally schwag. He installed a Benedetto floating S6 and now it sounds awesome!

'm

BluesBop Harry

Thanks!
I really appreciate your advice.

Stackabones wrote:

I'd guess the biggest problem with the Eastman is that it isn't anywhere near your budget?

Yep that's the trouble... But if it's really worth it I might consider selling some stuff to get closer.
The eastman is an AR805CE and it's a real carved top with a Ken Armstrong pu. I tried a similar model and was really impressed.

Michael Horowitz wrote:

However, you should keep in mind that if you're going to be gigging in loud situations you may actually want to go with a plywood top. Get one with a humbucker bolted in the top....it will be acoustically pretty dead but very feedback resistant. The carved top guitars feedback a lot easier.

Also, the electronics make a big difference. A friend of mine has an Eastman and the factory pickup was totally schwag. He installed a Benedetto floating S6 and now it sounds awesome!

Yes I'd thought about that... I haven't decided yet.
If I can get the money I'll probably get the Eastman but I might settle for an Epiphone broadway which is around $800 new. We'll see...

Getting a Benedetto pu would be awesome, I love Benedettos but I'm pretty sure I'll never own one, and if I ever do I could never take it out of the house!

Anyone else care to voice their opinion on the Eastman/ Epis?

MichaelHorowitz

BluesBop Harry wrote:

The eastman is an AR805CE and it's a real carved top with a Ken Armstrong pu.

Make sure it's a REAL Kent Armstrong. Most people have the Asian made ones which are not nearly as good The real Armstrongs pus are here:

http://www.archtop.com/ac_access.html#anchor46177042

Also, the Benedetto PUs were designed by Armstrong and are really nice. I use one and love it. See:

https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/ca ... ckups.html

BluesBop Harry

If I go for an Eastman I'm just a bit confused if I should hold out for a 17" lower bout... just like a Benedetto Manhattan... well... close enough!

Or maybe the smaller body would be a little less prone to feedback?

Out of curiosity how long and deep is a typical Selmer??

The scale is 25" so that's close to most 12 fret d-holes, I believe.

MichaelHorowitz

BluesBop Harry wrote:

Or maybe the smaller body would be a little less prone to feedback?

Maybe...but I don't think 1" will make that much of a difference. The top makes a bigger difference with feedback...if it's carved it will sound great acoustic but can feedback more easily.

Out of curiosity how long and deep is a typical Selmer??

15 3/4"...so a 16" would feel more like a Selmer. But archtops tend to lack low end...even more so then Selmer type guitars. That can be offset with a bigger body....the 17" bodies usually have more bottom. The 18" have too much!

The scale is 25" so that's close to most 12 fret d-holes, I believe.

D holes are 25 1/2". However, if you're just going to play the archtop amplified and don't care so much about an acoustic sound, then I think the 25" scale is better then the longer 25 1/2". The reason being that magnetic pickups really like heavy strings...and you can put heavier strings on a shorter scale guitar and still have a lot of playability, and the amplified sound will be super fat. Long scale guitars with thinner strings tend to get a bit twangy....some still sound pretty good. But generally, if I'm looking to go acoustic with an archtop I'd prefer the longer 25 1/2" scale, but for electric the 25" is the way to go.

'm

BluesBop Harry

Thanks Michael!!
That's just what I wanted to know.

MichaelHorowitz

BTW....speaking of scale length. I've always been in awe of the ridiculously long Selmer scale length: 26 1/4" (670mm) - (675mm on Busatos and Favinos). I always figured that these were the only guitars ever built this way. But I've discovered that some Flamenco guitars, and even a few classicals, are built with scale lengths over 660mm. Also, the old Gretch Syncromatics circa 1950 had a 26" scale length.

BluesBop Harry

Yes, I remember you once wrote that after playing Selmer style guitars, archtops almost felt like toy guitars!!
I'm looking forward to that! "Bireli chords time!"
One of the perks of playing these "weird" guitars eh?