American Archtop - owners?

spiral · #1 08-05-2011, 08:44 PM

I'm a big fan of Dale Unger's guitars. I owned a CF-1 which i foolishly sold, and played his upper-end instruments. I love the way they play and sound (the three i have played). I just talked to him and found out he uses different lacquers on the neck and the body--impressive attention to detail.

I'm thinking about buying a custom non-cutaway (American Legend) from him and wondered if anyone here has ordred from him. If so, did you end up keeping it? How was the acoustic sound day 1? Any other insight is appreciated.

oldane · #2 08-06-2011, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiral

.... he uses different lacquers on the neck and the body--impressive attention to detail.

Indeed - though I doubt how much difference the laquer on the neck will make to the sound. Sometimes guitar manufacturers - and manufacturers of parts for partscasters - offer glossy laquer for the body and matte laquer for the neck. A matte finish on the neck makes it feel less "sticky", though it will eventually be polished glossy by the hands in use.

Dale Unger has a good reputation for making fine Benedetto inspired guitars (he was an apprentice with Bob Benedetto in the mid 1990s - he might even have worked on the Benedetto Fratello I had delivered in 1997).

marcwhy · #3 08-06-2011, 07:23 AM

Well, you've owned one and played several -- what else do you need to know in order to decide?

spiral · #4 08-06-2011, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marcwhy

Well, you've owned one and played several -- what else do you need to know in order to decide?

For starters the two questions i asked above. I owned the Martin which was designed by Dale, not built by him. The other two i played briefly two years ago. While i had a favorable opinion about them, i'm looking for real user feedback of people who have ordered one, lived with it for a few months, and have some thoughts about how it plays, and sounds acoustically.

Here are some responses i just invented:
"It played great but for the money i wish i had bought a ______."
"Best guitar i've ever owned."
"Dale was very accommodating with my custom requests."

Is that more clear?