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She does beautiful work and Metheny loves her guitars .... but her prices are almost up there with Monteleone's. And she probably has a waiting list that will outlast her. Which probably rules me out.
Originally Posted by fws6
Solomon has some models that I really like the looks of. I could see myself scraping together the cash and ordering an Abraxas someday.
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10-31-2018 11:34 AM
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Yep, we can see the whole range from $35,000 all the way down to... Originally Posted by citizenk74
Thanks for posting these pictures. It is good to be reminded that, for all that the archtop guitar market is small compared to other types of guitars, we are still spoiled for choice at all levels. And shows like this are an opportunity for makers to see and hear what others are doing and to learn from these experiments to the benefit of all.
$20,000
Absolutely spoiled! ;-)
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Oh no, I feel a rant brewing...
Using some of the above logic, Since the Ford Model T was nearly ubiquitous (as far as cars go)
with 16.5 million sold it stands eighth on the top ten list of most sold cars of all time as of 2012.
Bummer that new cars are so sleek and aerodynamic, they should all look like the Model T.
Oh, and any of you folks working in oil on canvas, should only make copies of the Mona Lisa...
nobody wants to see any surrealistic crap.
However, that being said, those Dale Unger guitars look so freaking good I almost can't stand it
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Interesting, so you think all violins having pretty much the same appearance since the 16th century logically the same phenomena as making every car look like Model T would be, since it was very popular at some point? Originally Posted by Papawooly
People can have any shape and form guitar they want if that's their taste. Some people are going to be more attached to the traditional looks of their instruments. Well that's probably pretty much every musician outside of the guitar world (excluding classical guitar perhaps). Some people just don't find the traditional look boring. It's what they learn to do with the instrument that is gonna keep their interest (or not) in the long run no matter what it looks like.
I think it's fun to see alternative designs. Not my cup of tea though. Also I would rather see more luthiers use their creativity and experimentation towards finding more sustainable ways of producing quality, good sounding instruments rather than "improving" the cosmetics.Last edited by Tal_175; 10-31-2018 at 03:18 PM.
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Tal_175...
Sorry.. was being facetious...
Was trying (and obviously failing) to poke fun at posters who were having
issues with some of the more "adventurous" designs...
Playability and acoustic properties are my sole considerations for purchase.
I bought a Purple guitar for Pete's sake!!
but...it plays like a dream and has great tone all day.
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Enjoy playing it. I'm sure it's a fantastic guitar. Originally Posted by Papawooly
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Love the eye candy and would be lying if I said I didn't;t lust after another guitar, but my Sadowsky Jim Hall and Gibson Blonde L-4 are good for now. (the Nash Tele is getting some playing times as well)
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I know how they sound. I've logged a few hours playing Solomons at various shows, and have the good fortune to own two of his instruments - a long-scale Phidelity (strung w/phospor-bronze strings) and a short-scale Imperial (w/KA floating pickup & cutaway, strung with nickel roundwounds). Both of which were originally built for members of this very forum. The guitars are, first and foremost, acoustic archtops. They are simply as good as it gets. And they are relatively inexpensive compared to most other hand-built archtops. unless one goes over-the-top with custom options. Erich posts his prices right on his webpage. Originally Posted by neatomic
Last edited by Hammertone; 11-03-2018 at 01:48 AM.
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Originally Posted by Hammertone
I know how they sound. I've logged a few hours playing Solomons at various shows, and have the good fortune to own two of his instruments - a long-scale Phidelity (strung w/phospor-bronze strings) and a short-scale Imperial (w/KA floating pickup & cutaway, strung with nickel roundwounds). Both of which eere originally built for members of this very forum. The guitars are, first and foremost, acoustic archtops. They are simply as good as it gets. And they are relatively inexpensive compared to most other hand-built archtops. unless one goes over-the-top with custom options. Erich posts his prices right on his webpage.
Sweet!!
Solomon is on my list of candidates for that one big guitar purchase before I retire and can't afford anything nice anymore.
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Here are some studio shots of a 16” acoustic archtop exhibited by Bill Cominsat the show:
This guitar was a custom commission for a client who picked up the guitar at the show. While I understand some folks prefer more traditional aesthetics, this guitar was truly stunning in person and was about the finest acoustic archtop that I have played bar none (I have played a few). Look carefully at the top recurve and back carve. Also the tru oil satin finish added to its beauty.
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Interesting.
I am hoping and trying to influence Builders to make 2" to 3" deep semi hollows which get closer to Archtops but with more sustain , versatility etc.
People who want exactly Archtop Tones probably need an Archtop - but Semi Hollow [ and 7/8ths hollows with stoptails ] can get much deeper than they are- it's somewhat unexplored by Luthiers.
They may not have the acoustic volume ( actually an advantage for 3 AM playing ) but I think can get the depth warmth etc. with more innovative designs .
When I was younger I played mostly Acoustic for about 6 to 8 years and I actually play electric more like an Acoustic piano -ish fashion for rhythm and composition..but in this Post am referring more to electric Archtops than the 'Acoustic ' ones....
I saw a demo online somewhere of a Carbon Fiber Acoustic that sounded good ( in a Taylor vein) which was about $2500...Last edited by Robertkoa; 11-03-2018 at 11:53 AM.
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Take a look at a Buscarino The Corey Archtop or Tom Ribbecke’s Testadura Model.
Originally Posted by Robertkoa
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The modern archtops fit the bill for the demand for instruments that look like archtops, but have more sustain, and something resembling a dreadnought tone signature.
If you really want to sell archtops to millennials, they should be 15" across the lower bout, 2-3/4" deep, and sound like a D-18. SOLD.
I am a traditional archtop guy, but there are plenty of instruments built to a Gibson/DA/Epiphone recipe out there for older tastes like mine.
The instruments shown help to bridge the taste gap I describe.
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I have more confidence in the future of millennials than that. Originally Posted by Greentone
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I have worked on a university campus for decades and have watched young people's aspirations, goals,and tastes evolve. The guitarists are perplexed by the great size and quick decay of the note envelope of acoustic archtops of the 20s-60s era, IME. Jazz, to them, means a semi-acoustic guitar...and those seem big.
Most see an acoustic guitar and expect a ringing, bluegrass tone...at least in Virginia.
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Virginia may certainly be part of the reason. Outside of guitars like The Loar line, the cost of a decent archtop is pretty prohibitive for most millennials anyway, I suppose. I think they’ve likely had very little exposure.
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[QUOTE=Greentone;909250]
If you really want to sell archtops to millennials, they should be 15" across the lower bout, 2-3/4" deep, and sound like a D-18. SOLD. [QUOTE]
I'm in my late 60's and that is the perfect unamplified archtop guitar for me at this point in my life.
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Well...I am not a Millenial but did not grow up on Standards but I think many of the skills of Jazz Guitarists can overlap into other types of Music and even expand them . Originally Posted by Greentone
I do like the sound of a 175 - notice that Jon Kriesberg plays 'Electric 175 ' vibrato sometimes, delay , reverb etc. and generally more sustain than is usually associated with that Model .
I would rather , if possible [ and it is ] decide myself when the note decays rather than have the Guitar do so on it's own [ although if the Guitar gives me better voicings and ending notes on it's own I would accept that ...lol ].
So I think we can head into greater sustain with bigger semis or more resonant semis like the Marchione and other builders creating resonance with sustain.
You don't really need rapid decay for Bebop or Jazz - piano players and Sax Players do quite well without it and there's lots of ways to mute strings.
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I make guitars that I hope borrow some of the purity of tone and richness of a classical guitar, and make no apologies about it. I think it should be ok to push the instrument past the 1950’s. Recreations are available and take commendable skills. But I don’t think we all have to be locked into making them.
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Turn out that Semi-Hollows can be pushed closer to Archtops but with more sustain
but not many are doing this.
But the results are really promising .
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Well, I've been asked to make a semi with my CF soundboard and back. Seems like a waste to me, and I'm not sure I'll take it on. But I'll post the results here if I do. Originally Posted by Robertkoa
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Great guitars are timeless. Each generation has to come into it's own.
Do you think that L5s and Super 400's were "affordable" to baby boomers when they were punks?
Who cares what millennials - or any generation - wants of the adult world when they're in their teens and early twenties? Mountain Dew?
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While I understand the sentiment of your post, no archtop that I have ever played (vintage or current) comes close to sounding at like a Dreadnought in terms of the magnitude of its bass response, length of its decay, level of overtones on top of the fundamentals. Modern archtops can indeed have more of bass response, sustain and overtone than traditional, vintage archtops, but they still fundamentally sound like archtops.
I think this is likely by design. Early acoustic archops were originally banjo replacements designed to cut through a fairly loud band mix. Later, as music became routinely amplified, they became primarily electric guitars with some retaining the design appearance of their acoustic predecessors. Some modern luthier made archtops attempt to recreate vintage archtops. Others, in many cases are designed for lower volume acoustic or amplified solo play or smaller amplified duo/trio situations. They still target balance, a fast attack and string-to-string clarity but with a bit more richness to their timbre.
Originally Posted by Greentone
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My observations were about the impressionsame of young people when they play my archtops. They want a dreadnought sound.
Me, I am a confirmed archtops guy.
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Gotcha... Originally Posted by Greentone
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