Acoustic-only Archtops...

Jagermeister · Post by **Jagermeister** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:14 am

Alright, I just sort of want a taste of archtop acoustic, as I want a bit of variety aside from the typical flattop tone... Archtops supposedly sound a bit rounder, thicker, quieter? No clue if that'll appeal to me, which is why I want a cheap way in, and I don't know if just sampling the tone of electrified archtops will give an accurate representation in terms of liking it or not... Pure acoustic archtops seem to be rather difficult to come by.

Vintage Harmony/Kay things go on ebay for fairly ridiculous(ly low) prices, but they almost always seem to have nearly fallen apart, by virtue of someone's stupidity, or the fact that they were built to disintegrate, apparently. Are these generally good at all, provided I haven't found one that's cracked like an egg?

And what about the new market... MF has two for new:

Gretsch (cool cool).

...and Godin (mediocre-er looks, but cheaper).

Both are a bit more than I'd like to spend, but hey, I'm probably selling my Mustang to finance this venture anyway, it just doesn't get played enough...

Does anyone else even make a purely acoustic archtop any more? Are there reasons why which I should be aware of?

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:42 am

what wrong with neck mount pickups? i'm sure alot of archtops have those and they're no gonna impeach on the tone of the thing.

i think it's more common to get an archtop with a neck mount pickup than with none at all but i might be wrong, i'm sure james will be along shortly to bring the science.

Jagermeister · Post by **Jagermeister** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:47 am

Zaphod wrote:what wrong with neck mount pickups? i'm sure alot of archtops have those and they're no gonna impeach on the tone of the thing.

Probably, but truth be told I wouldn't need it, as I only want the acoustic tone from it anyway, and won't be using it in a band context or whatever much...

Though I suppose including those would widen my options, still, a hard proposition to find at the local GC or whatever.

deadonkey · Post by **deadonkey** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:59 pm

old kays/harmonys etc are cheap for a reason

stay away.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:23 pm

This thing is pure seeeexy. It looks waaaaaaaaaay better than the Gretsch.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:08 pm

I like the Gretsch, but yeah, what Zaphod said. You'll find more guitars with neck mounted pickups than not. Also, as far as I know, cheap archtops aren't a good idea.

James · Post by **James** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:16 pm

If you haven't done so, have a read over that archtop shopping thread I made but apply the info to what you're after. It's geared towards stuff with pickups but you'll find a lot of the companies mentioned have acoustic only models and there's talk about solid wood and the like too.

Will · Post by **Will** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:15 pm

The Godin in black or the darker burst is really sexy. I played one a while back and was very impressed - loud, easy to play, light. It feels like an idealized version of the old Harmonys.

wanderingjew · Post by **wanderingjew** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:18 am

Want a pup? Problem solved, Godin 5th ave. Kingpin.

About $50 more than without the P90

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:39 am

I'm with DuoSonicBoy on the sexy dark Godins. Definitely not a Maccaferri/Selmer, but for Sloanjazz and other needs, you can't beat a...

Django Fett Goth

And for that matter, have you considered a Gitane copy of the old Selmers? They're not archtops, but really have the old mojo, can really project if needed, and have plenty of cool on tap. Price bracket higher though a few gems might abound.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:49 am

my friend's dad has an original one of those selmers, it's unbelievable.

Jagermeister · Post by **Jagermeister** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:27 pm

...I would want a P90 in the thing in the same way that I would want a P90 in a flattop, which is to say, not at all.

I tend to use my acoustics for serenading on a small scale, prefering a clean solidbody tone for more sensitive/loud moments in larger venues, so I'd be looking for the acoustic tone primarily.

Actually played a newer Selmer of that sort, damn decent

The Godin still looks boring to me, compared to the Gretsch.

wanderingjew · Post by **wanderingjew** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:06 am

^ did you decide yet?

Also looking for an acoustic archtop.