High-end Archtops

[Carpal55]

For 10 years I treated my Tacoma archtop like it was a collectors item. It wasn't and isn't but I love that thing. As someone described earlier, the phone rang while I was playing in my home office. I turned and whack, nice ding in the lower bout that just barely broke through the inside. Up to this point all gigs were being played on my MIJ Ibanez AS100, which a lot of people love (I have a love/hate thing with it). I discussed with a violin builder I knew and wound up injecting some high end super glue in the outside, treating with some slow cure epoxy inside - this was all just precaution to prevent spreading. Then I filled the ding with filler and started using it for gigs. Wow I'm so much happier playing this guitar and I have no stress about scratches or whatever any more. It was downright liberating! So anyways don't assume keeping it home is the safest option and unless it's a museum piece don't sweat the scratches you're likely to get anyways, it adds character. I grew up lusting after my uncle's old Guild archtop which was used so much the area where a pickguard should have been was worn almost completely through the top. He was a professional musician and it was his tool and he never worried much about it. I didn't understand that when I was in my younger years, but I get it now...

[Klatu]

For 10 years I treated my Tacoma archtop like it was a collectors item. It wasn't and isn't but I love that thing. As someone described earlier, the phone rang while I was playing in my home office. I turned and whack, nice ding in the lower bout that just barely broke through the inside. Up to this point all gigs were being played on my MIJ Ibanez AS100, which a lot of people love (I have a love/hate thing with it). I discussed with a violin builder I knew and wound up injecting some high end super glue in the outside, treating with some slow cure epoxy inside - this was all just precaution to prevent spreading. Then I filled the ding with filler and started using it for gigs. Wow I'm so much happier playing this guitar and I have no stress about scratches or whatever any more. It was downright liberating! So anyways don't assume keeping it home is the safest option and unless it's a museum piece don't sweat the scratches you're likely to get anyways, it adds character. I grew up lusting after my uncle's old Guild archtop which was used so much the area where a pickguard should have been was worn almost completely through the top. He was a professional musician and it was his tool and he never worried much about it. I didn't understand that when I was in my younger years, but I get it now...

Thanks for writing up this great post.

I have an idea as to why so many are meticulously careful with their high dollar archtops, and it doesn't have as much to do with their fear of cosmetic imperferctions as it does with those imperfections' effect on resale value. How many players post new gear on this website on a weekly basis?

[2bornot2bop]

How many players post new gear on this website on a weekly basis?

What, is there more than one?

[oldane]

I think there are two of you.

[docbop]

For 10 years I treated my Tacoma archtop like it was a collectors item. It wasn't and isn't but I love that thing. As someone described earlier, the phone rang while I was playing in my home office. I turned and whack, nice ding in the lower bout that just barely broke through the inside. Up to this point all gigs were being played on my MIJ Ibanez AS100, which a lot of people love (I have a love/hate thing with it). I discussed with a violin builder I knew and wound up injecting some high end super glue in the outside, treating with some slow cure epoxy inside - this was all just precaution to prevent spreading. Then I filled the ding with filler and started using it for gigs. Wow I'm so much happier playing this guitar and I have no stress about scratches or whatever any more. It was downright liberating! So anyways don't assume keeping it home is the safest option and unless it's a museum piece don't sweat the scratches you're likely to get anyways, it adds character. I grew up lusting after my uncle's old Guild archtop which was used so much the area where a pickguard should have been was worn almost completely through the top. He was a professional musician and it was his tool and he never worried much about it. I didn't understand that when I was in my younger years, but I get it now...

For me it's like cars and I almost can't wait to get the first scratch or ding so I can just relax and enjoy.

I just got my first guitar that was "relic'd" wasn't intentional just I like the guitar and got it. The fringe benefit was from day one I was relaxed with it treating it like any of my other guitars. I think it part of why I tend to my used instruments the obvious price savings, but also they usually are working guitars and have battle scars, to me that give a guitar character.