Considering an Archtop Upgrade in the EU

[Sigmund451]

Ive been playing my Eastman but I guess I have GAS.

There are loads of threads about Elferink guitars and being in the EU offers an opportunity.

There are other options from builders as well. Some far out of my price range. However, on the used market there are occasional used archtops by Defurne.

Any experience with Defurne or would you go with an Elferink?

[jads57]

Frans Elferink builds really wonderful Archtops. I’ve owned a Tonemaster for 10 years.
Defurne seems to build very attractive guitars as well. Can’t comment on tone or playability.

[nyc chaz]

I have a Elferink Excalibur and it's all you could want in an archtop,sounds great, looks beautiful and it's 25 and a half inch neck is very comfortable to play even with my aging fingers.

[johaneugen]

I'm looking for something similiar myself. Elferink has a good price but his guitars sound very bright to me...maybe im wrong.

[Rob MacKillop]

There’s a great archtop maker in Spain:

Jaen – Archtop Guitars Since 1992

[j.l]

There’s a great archtop maker in Spain:

Jaen – Archtop Guitars Since 1992

Have you played one or more Jaén guitars, Rob? Their Siracusa has always struck me as one of the more beautiful modern archtop designs (in there with Cranmer, D'Ambrosio, a few others), but I've never so much as laid eyes on one. Would love to hear more about your experience.

[Rob MacKillop]

No, sadly, I haven’t played one, but clearly his work is first rate. He’s not as well known as Elferink, but I imagine the quality is similar, and maybe a little less expensive?

[j.l]

Agreed on the evident quality—all kinds of variables here, of course, but the US price on this new Jaén suggests to me that their prices are likely comparable, and the Jaéns may end up being a bit more expensive on balance: Fernando Jaen Siracusa 17R+ Archtop — Essential Guitars

[Cunamara]

Daniel Slaman, perhaps?

[lesyeuxnoirs]

Frans Elferink makes incredible archtops, and his prices are very very reasonable

I understand that they can seem bright in some of the online videos, but that may be down to amp etc. I wouldn’t say that they are unduly bright but it depends on the model. They are certainly are not as bright as Benedetto, Eastman etc.

Talk to Frans and he’ll be able to advise

I don’t think that Daniel Slaman is taking new commissions, but he is another great Dutch luthier (more expensive than Frans Elferink)

[gitman]

Are you looking for an electrified archtop to play through an amp or do you plan to play it un-plugged ? ANY decent acoustic archtop is on the bright side when it's built with solid woods and has a proper neck angle (> the correct string pressure on the bridge to drive the top) . There are ways to tame a bright guitar. It may involve adapting to a new picking technique - which doesn't happen over night - but it can make a BIG difference in sound and volume. An archtop with a pickup can be dialed in as dark as you want it without much effort.
I string my un-amplified Elferink with D'Addario half-round bronze strings and use various plectrums (size/material/shape) to vary the tone and certainly play it with a different attack than my electrified archtops.
Have you seen this :

Elferink Jesse Van Ruller

[Sigmund451]

I agree it is tough to get a good read off Elferink videos. A lot of them are demo shots and the recording quality is not optimal. If you dig through his facebook page there are some posts by guys who have done a good job recording. For a carved archtop with a floater they dont sound especially bright to my old ears. Some do have setin pickups and they still sound really acoustic. On the other hand I dont think one hunts down his guitars if they are searching for that dark Wes vibe. He can probably make one but I dont think that is his thing. Aside from recording quality most of those guitars have new roundwound strings.

I play TI Bebobs which I guess are a lot like half rounds. Im looking for something resonant, clean and well tempered through the whole scale. Im not a good player but my ears hear tones and tiny thunks. They are tuned from critically makeing woodwind instrument accessories...I Ive got meat and potato skills (on a good day) and caviar ears

[jads57]

When I ordered my Elferink Tonemaster,I asked him to carve the top and back plates thicker. In the style of Gibson,D’Angeliico,etc.
I thought my Eastman 810 CE was a good guitar, but lacked midrange.
And since Eastmans are based on Bob Benedetto’s book specs. They are quite bright,and more flat top sounding. Meaning they accentuate the lows and highs, and scoop the midrange imo.

[Pierrot]

I confirm what Rob said. Fernando (the maker of Jaen guitars) makes high quality instruments, with a level of craftsmanship way beyond their price point.

[eblydian]

For what is worth, here is video of a Jaén guitar (Torvik model).