Carved Tops w/ Floating Pickup

[Cunamara]

Any relation?
Attachment 115122

How the hell am I supposed to un-see that?

[tomv713]

Yup this fits everything, thank you!

[Hammertone]

OP’s requirements:
-carved spruce top, easy to instal or already installed floating pickup;
-$1,500 or less;
-scale length 25” or under:
-nut width under 1 3/4”;
-ebony fretboard.

Hoyer Solist fits the bill. Easy to find. Easy to confirm nut width. Cheap. Superior quality pro-level guitars from the late 1950s / early 1960s. @16 1/2” wide. @24 3/4” scale length. Probably the best value in fully carved archtops on the market. Swap in a nice ebony bridge. They do have pickguards, but here are a couple of quick grabs of examples without guards.

[Woody Sound]

OP’s requirements:
-carved spruce top, easy to instal or already installed floating pickup;
-$1,500 or less;
-scale length 25” or under:
-nut width under 1 3/4”;
-ebony fretboard.

Hoyer Solist fits the bill. Easy to find. Easy to confirm nut width. Cheap. Superior quality pro-level guitars from the late 1950s / early 1960s. @16 1/2” wide. @24 3/4” scale length. Probably the best value in fully carved archtops on the market. Swap in a nice ebony bridge. They do have pickguards, but here are a couple of quick grabs of examples without guards.

Beautiful! But is that a spruce or maple top? I see curl. Or flame. Or silk... ()

[coyote-1]

You will occasionally see an Eastman AR605ce or 610ce with floating pickup from before 2022 appear on the market with the ebony fretboard. Fully carved, spruce top. They tend to come in around $1500. I think it fits your specs. With their carved mahogany back and sides these sound excellent acoustically, fuller and richer than the more expensive 8xx and 9xx series with maple back and sides. And they sound just as good thru an amp.

[Woody Sound]

Just a moment...

I believe that's a solid pressed top. The OP wants carved.

[Mick-7]

Only a few of the Eastman archtop models feature a 1.75" nut width. The majority are 1.72" according to their website.

Is a 3mm difference in neck width really going to be noticeable? (I'm addressing this question to everyone here).

[deacon Mark]

Is a 3mm difference in neck width really going to be noticeable? (I'm addressing this question to everyone here).

Generally, no it would not be at least to myself. I can usually get used to most guitar necks over yime some playing with the exception of the late 60's skinny Gibson that got to 1 9/16. Those are like try to put on a suit and tie and shoes in a phone booth with door closed.

There though is a thing with necks, that you almost have to take the whole neck into consideration. This is because the depth, radius, and profile all come into play in how the neck feels. It is possible for a 1 11/16 neck to not feel any different and some 1 3/4 widths but it is a crap shoot in figuring it out. You also have to consider the string spacing formula to me this is really important. You can have a 1 3/4 width but space it together like a 1 11/16 width. It is sometimes possible to do the reverse. Radius in my opinion is as critical of a factor.

If all guitars had the same exact neck profile and like, then it would be easier. That is not true as we know and even guitars that are supposed to be made the same are not. One thing is for sure if you get a neck you like in the kind of guitar you want, you better buy before someone else does. It is like looking for wife, if you find a winner and not claimed you better move fast.