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I came across these guitars and thought someone might be interested. They look great, are reasonably priced and if they're made to the typical high standards of Japanese lutherie then they might be worth checking out. The 15 inch archtop (AR201) could be a contender...great antique violin finish.
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04-02-2012 09:24 AM
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They certainly look great. Can't say I am moved by the sound from the few videos currently available. Since they seem to be done by the same player, I'm not sure that the sound quality does the guitar justice.
Pricing seems odd. The yen to US dollar conversion (on the Landscape website) comes out to $4400. But the euro to dollar (as reflected on Rockpalace) comes out to $2200.
But the really odd thing for me is that both the top and bottom plates appear to extend beyond the sides as in the look of a violin. I think my leg would object to being asked to support two narrow hard edges for any period of time. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has played one of these guitars. As I said, they are very good lookers.
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For $4500 I'd get two Eastmans, I think.
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I think the price is probably closer to $2000, judging from the fact that they sell for 1699 euros in Europe. That would be very reasonable and in the Eastman price range, however they'll need to prove themselves...could be worth checking out though, Japanese craftsmanship is definitely up there and I like the design...
The videos are admittedly not the best quality but there is a nice acoustic zing to the notes
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Nice sounding guitar.
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Looks like the Landscape folks tried NAMM in 2009 and came away with the impression that the US economy was too depressed to launch a hand built guitar from Japan. They went home and rethought things and came out with a pressed top and a different line of middle of the road guitars.
I called the Canadian distributor and he filled in a bit more than I was able to glean from the Landscape site. I will call him tomorrow and get a price and transaction detail (they only supply dealers) to get one in the US. Not saying that I will jump on this (still wondering about the violin binding), but it will be interesting to see what a 17" would cost here.
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Came across another Landscape archtop (the 17'' one) sold in France for 1700 euros so that seems to be the ballpark price in Europe.
Great info above-definitely keep us posted....
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Hey guys!
I actually have the Landscape ar 101, the 17" one, so I thought I'd share something about it.
Saw it hanging in Rock Palace in the Hague (Holland) and fell in love with it. I tried a lot of Eastmans but didn't really like them, didn't have the 'woody' tone and weren't built as solid. The sound is very gentle, woody, warm and articulate. Beautifully crafted guitar, everything on this guitar has a very reliable feel. The hardware/knobs/nut/tuners, everything is high quality and I like the fact that the cable input goes in the lower strap button.
Only thing is that it's low-output, so there's no 'Gibson bite' to it, not really suitable for funky stuff, also a bit of feedback. But for pretty chords, fat octaves and overall low-volume jazz it's great.
The case is a fucker though.. very heavy!
Actually I'm trying to sell it now, cause it's a very big guitar ( 3 1/4 "depth!) and I have short arms, so in the end I couldn't get comfortable with it.
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I bought one of these there in Canada a couple of months ago. It was originally selling for around $2800 but was reduced greatly. It is a beautiful guitar to look at and play. I was hesitant because it is pretty 'unknown' and this forum was one of the best sources of info. It is certainly heavy. I have a Godin 5th avenue which is much lighter and a brighter sound and fun to play as well. The Landscape has an amazing jazz tone with a touch of an acoustic sound that makes it wonderful for finger picking (which is what I love to do). I think the Thompson pickup is remarkable as well. With a pick and at a louder volume you can get a very fine 'oomph' with a George Benson kind of tone. It currently has flat-wounds which I like.
It does feed back but you cannot have everything. When you play this unplugged, it has a great full sound as well.
At our local 'boutique' guitar store I've played a $4,000 Collings Eastside (amazing!) and a $14,000 Oskar Graf (a work of art). I would say the Landscape sounds and plays as well as either of them. It has an ebony bridge and the look is and feel is luxurious. So the overall build reminds me more of the Graf (but it is heavier than either of those).
On the other hand I cannot give up my Godin which has lighter strings, is easier to finger pick with, and has a brighter sounds with the p90s.
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367,500 Japanese yen translates to £2141, but maybe I'm missing something. Looks interesting, though.
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I think there is one on the market at archtop.com. or was recently. Looks very nice, kind of reminds me of my Pisano 880. He also had/has a Kiso I've played one and they are super fine.
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Good call. The guitar looks pretty standard except for its rolled cello style edges. Very nice.
Originally Posted by SierraTango
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I have one,the big fat one!got her secondhand though mint,love at first sight,still thrills me every time i see her,i will die with my hand on her.she was made for me.when you play a guitar the whole instrument vibrates in varying degrees,how much and to what intensity depend on a multitude of factors.we all have a unique inner vibration.when your instrument and your own inner note harmonize and vibrate as one ,a beautiful feeling swells in your chest heart and soul,like warm golden honey being poured over a troubled soul.... When this happens between you and your beloved instrument you become one,the barrier between your deepest yearnings aspirations emotions, your mind,your heart and hands are gone!....beyond thought your feelings magically appear in space for a moment and can be heard,seen and felt by others.to paint the stories of your heart from an infinite palet of subtly colored glorious sound almost by itself, is worth more than gold.(no,no drugs here haha)ok im in love,but am not blind.but i am delighted to play within her limitations.she has rewarded me beyond measure.
I have a limited edition gibson es 335,the best guitar in all respects, faultless,sound, playability response.look,smell,workmanship,wood,finish,appoin tments pickups,all perfect...almost plays herself literally,i cant bear to part with her,but have not touched her since i got the chunk of wood.i know in my heart i never will.i cant speak for other landscape guitars,but this one has a soul,a rare thing.
The sum is more than the parts.
Now if only i could remember something...anything...... A..b...c... Ahhh just play...
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Glad to hear your story. I love mine as well. Don't get to play it so much because I have other archtops I really like as well. But I have been playing it lately and it is really great. Nice big fat sound. Oooooo! Originally Posted by RICKEE
Ted
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I get a 404 error on that link. Originally Posted by IbanezAS100
Two images at this site though:
Landscape AR-201 CST image (#49493) - Audiofanzine
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One big difference between this guitar and others is the lack of any binding on the body. That's like a car with no bumpers. Binding is more than just a decoration as it seals the end grain of the wood and protects the edges from damage. Binding a guitar isn't necessary but it does help it to hold up against daily wear and tear.
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Couple years ago I looked seriously at the Landscape that archtop.com sold, but along came my Super Eagle.
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I owned one about 8-10 years ago! It was the larger 17" one with the violin egdes... it was beautiful.
FWIW, I bought it from a Canadian dealer on ebay who expressed that he was stuck with it (no one knew Landscape). I got it for $850 and was astonished; easily the best guitar I'd ever held to that point. Then I found a Heritage Millennium (hollow LP) that I lusted over... and way led onto way. I ended up selling the Landscape to Lauren Passarelli at Berklee for what I paid and she promptly posted it on CL for $2000.
The Landscape feels like one of the latter day handmade highend MIJ guitars -- a lot like my former Seventy-Seven Stork Jazz in terms of quality and handmade attention to detail.
I still look periodically -- grab one if you can find one!
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The one at archtop.com was 17". IIRC, it was called the AR-371. Gorgeous.
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AR-1... that was the model I had!
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I have the AR-1 (serial 05147) and as far as I'm aware it's the only one of that model in the UK at the moment. I got hooked after seeing a gypsy guitarist playing one at Samois in '07.
When I got home I asked the guitar dept. in the music shop I was working in (Forsyths in Manchester) if they'd seen one and they remembered one being demo'ed by a rep who was thinking of taking on distribution (can't remember which company it was). The first time round they turned it down because the market for high end archtops was affected, along with everything else, in '08 meaning that it was a risky proposition. It turns out that all the other shops agreed and the UK distribution was never taken on. That meant I got a good deal on the AR-1 that had previously been the demonstration model, which is not something that happens often for a dream guitar...
It's a really beautiful instrument in every respect. Huge lower bout, deep body and parallel braced for a reasonably punchy sound (which is why the gypsy guitarists I spoke to liked it). I get the impression that a good luthier could make it sing even more by fitting a better bridge but I don't know anyone near me that I'd trust with the job at the moment.
On the downsides I've had a bit of trouble getting the pickup balance right at times which might be down to the Kent Armstrong it has installed. The floating pickguard is an interesting design too - attached via a couple of screws into the neck and resting on some hard black foam underneath - unfortunately this did pop off once but a local luthier managed to repair the glue joint without too much trouble.
I remember seeing the AR-2 (effectively this one's "sister") hanging in the window of a shop in Denmark street (Macaris) for several years, which has since been snapped up. Anyway, a bit of guitar history for anyone who's interested!
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Rickee - did you buy that from Richie at the Music Machine in Napier? To the best of my knowledge that one I sold through him was the only one in NZ. I loved that Landscape.... I had spent all day playing archtops in a boutique store in Kobe. Before I handed over NZ$3500.00 I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I happened to pass upon a guitar store that had the Landscape in the window and I stopped to ask to play it. I bought it after 10 minutes - Guy thought that I was crazy.
I traded it for a 335. End of the day the 335 has the versatility that an archtop can never really get. If I ever bought a mid-price archtop again it would be one of those original landscapes for sure.
Originally Posted by RICKEE
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Seeing how Rickee made his last and only post over 3 years ago, I wouldn't expect a quick response.
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fair point -
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Interesting reading on the Landscape website: The owner/maker of Landscape- and MD instruments is the former R&D manager of the Matsomoku plant, which closed in 1987 and is/was known for making some of the finest MIJ instruments. They have build for most major US-brands as well. No wonder if the Landscape guitars are of high quality.
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