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So from Top to bottom we have a
Gibson Tal Farlow. (The sweetest sounding and playing one I have ever put my hands on) Exactly what you would want from a guitar of this construction by this company. The second best thing to a 'good' L5
Tokai UFA-180 VNT (Gibson ES-175 'vintage' copy) High quality Japanese made guitar with flawless production. Very nice thin maple top and like most Japanese guitars, super fast to play. Didn't have the 'most' soul but over time it will gain it's mojo.
Epiphone Elite Chet Atkins 'Country Gent'. The pics don't do this one justice. It had the thinnest maple top with lovely book match tiger stripe front and back and the thickest and nicest piece of ebony for a fretboard, I've seen to date. It was light and resonant, very responsive and a sheer joy to play. IMO way better than the Gibson original.
Gibson Tal Farlow. This was very stunning to loo at but a real disappointment to play. Just couldn't get on with it at all. Had rattles, ringing overtones and just felt stiff. Unfortunately something that I have encountered with a few Gibson archtops in the past (especially their 'heavy on the maple' designs). It's just so hit and miss with them (unlike the Japanese cough cough ;-))
Greco FA-95 Domestic Market Only Es-175. A little smaller in the shoulders and thinner in the body, than a Gibson but this thing could play. It didn't sound special unplugged, but plugged in, it had everything you could want for serious bob/benson/martino playing. Think of this as sounding and playing like a GB-10 but with a little more depth to the overall sound. It barley fed back at all and you really had to push it to do so. So this is IMO one of the best all round live jazz boxes made (yes better than the GB-10). On the down side, it felt almost like a toy guitar or can I say a little plastic, but it definitely made up for it, in the playability. It also looks great too :-)
Washburn J-10 The rarest of the rare Japanese Es-175 copies and this was by far the most extravagant copy I have ever seen. made for one year only in 1989 and with an 7 piece neck!! It had a laminate spruce top which was a bit of a let down, and a very dark tone. Not as nice to play, as the Greco FA-95 but truly a guitar that cannot be surpassed for build, collectablility and sheer outrageous looks (from japan that is). The flamed maple was sick and you can see the small details they put into this, are way beyond what one would normally expect. Note the gold nut against the silver cast in the pick up selector. Just pure attention to detail. Wish I had more pics of the maple sides.
Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III: Ok so I have no idea what this has to do with Jazz or Howard Roberts (yes I know the links, I'm just being a little silly). Don't get me wrong, its probably one of Gibson's finest Semi's. To me much more versatile than a 335, a definitive cut above the 135 etc but again I'm comparing it in those terms. It's a lot of gibson for the money. Good weight, great tone, plays like butter (which is IMO is not always common for Gibson), so it has a lot of plusses. A great guitar but not what I would call a jazz guitar. If I had to take a guitar to a jazz/blues/rock gig, this would be my first choice but only because of its feed back resistance (and the fact that my Greco would have flat wounds on :-)).
Epiphone Les Paul Elitist. What can I say, immaculate fit and finish stunning solid top. For half the price of the entry level Gibson, the elitist is worth its weight in gold (unfortunately not literally) lol.
Gibson Es-350T: Surprisingly resonant for a thinline. I was expecting it to be a little dull sounding (maple top etc) and boxy (shallow body depth) but was more than happy. It didn't sound too far off the full bodied Tal, which I consider this, to be a thin line version of. Has nice sustain too and is purely breathtaking to look at. Pickups are typical Gibson paf type replicas, and it sounds warm and fat plugged in. Are their better pic-ups out there? Yeh sure, but this baby is staying 100% original. It is in essentially unplayed condition. I plugged her in to see if she works but thats it. This is one is going under the bed for a rainy day fund. Yes I will always miss her when she goes :-(
Guild X-700: Love it! Love it! Love it!. Always loved the way guilds play, with their peerless feel. I always say you buy American archtops because you want something that feels 'real' and 'classy'. However you do not buy them because they will all play well, or not make you want to go to the factory and punch someone (yes I'm talking about Gibson). Guild's however make up for this IMO. Their guitars are buttery smooth to play and I've never come across a dog (I'm sure there are many). Even their laminate x175 and 500 sounds IMO just as good as a great l5.
Always going over board with the binding and details. I just love the fact that this guitar plays like the best l5's I've always seen for £10,000 in a shop pin london.
The only downside I would say is, the top is a little thicker than I was expecting, so it looses a little of that solid carved sound, but its definitely still there. On the plus side, it makes it more practical in live situations. If you want a silky fast, stylish looking and gorgeous nutty/woody warm round tone, this is all you need.
Ibanez 2455: IMO more beautiful than the 70's Gibson's it replicates because the Japanese always do wonderful finishes (kinda sparkles under the paint, very deep colour too). But thats were it ends. The tops on these are laminate spruce and are very thick. Acoustically its pretty much dead, and when plugged in, it doesn't get that much better. Very bass happy, with very thin trebles that actually hurt my ears. I think the pick-ups had something to do with this. They were Super 70's and like all things IMO over hyped now to the point of getting a little sycophantic. I tired many different string combinations etc but in the end, when the Greco came along, it quickly got placed in the guitar stand (which IMO was the best place because it looked so beautiful and just reeked mojo, which you can't buy).
In its fairness, I did play it through a modded amp once, and the pic-ups really came alive and as this was the guy buying it's amp, I was suddenly sad to see it go. I almost wanted to change my mind and I suppose Ironically, that on the day of its sale, It finally sounded like I'de always wanted it too.
Please bare in mind that all of this is just my opinion. Of course I am talking from experience and yes no two guitars play/sound the same. Do do not be offended by anything I have said and I in no way meant to single out a company and try to rubbish them. Yes Gibson make truly remarkable and outstanding guitars but I am also reporting my experiences with them. My experience may not be similar in any way to someone else's and I hope you appreciate the tongue and cheek reviews and opinions I have given, along with the pictures. I hope you will enjoy of my current and previous Archtops, I alway love taking pictures of guitars and I am not in any way trained. I have thought about taking a course, just so I can improve my photographic skills and bring people even better pictures.
It would be my passion to travel the world meeting collectors and taking pictures of their guitars.
Also to have a little play too ;-)
There are many guitars I would love to try and photograph. A Gibson Citaiton, Johnny smith, a 'real' D'angelico, a 'Real' Benedetto, A Byrdland, A super 400, A 'Real' Stromberg, A great Epiphone (pre Gibson) A, campellone and a Ribekke Halfling, to name a few.
I like my shots to be moody and darkish, with a somewhat vintage feel. I like th moody backgrounds against the vibrant colours, really makes the guitars stand out. I have many years to perfect my art, so I will keep buying, selling and collecting along the way, to do so.
Last edited by GoergeBenson; 02-28-2014 at 10:06 AM.
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I will try and find a way to reduce the picture size somewhat, as that would make it easier to view, instead of the current 'Face Melting' setting :-)
If anyone knows an easy way to do this, please let me know.
Last edited by GoergeBenson; 02-28-2014 at 10:13 AM.
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Ooooo
that 350T !!!
It looks like the sun setting over the Ocean
One piece of Maple front and back , looks like
Whats that worth I wonder ?
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She's got her own thread 'Most beautiful & stunning Gibson Archtop I've Ever Seen' (or something like that).
I theres more pics there too.
And yes, I like your description very much. I hand't thought of it like that :-)
She needs a name!
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i'll get my popcorn ready, but that's as far as i'll go.
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GB, this is not mean't to critisize, but that saddle on the 1st Tal Farlow looks like it is awfully high. Is the action on that guitar that high?
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You obviously have a great passion for your guitars GB.. that is truly a good thing.
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Changed pants after second Tal Farlow.
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Yeah - but I'll bet they all sound the same - right? 
Seriously - to be able to have the experience of playing all those beauties - that's a life time worth living.
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No not at all EDH (criticism that is).
Actually if you look at the picture of the fretboard from straight on (I think 3 rd pic), you will see that the action is incredibly low.
I think what happened (and I have seen it all, I hope), is that the previous owner for whatever reason, had sanded down the wooden base of the bridge, so to get the string hight right, the top mount of the bridge, had to be jacked up pretty high.
So yes, It does look high, but in reality the action was very low.
It also happened to be the finest sounding and playing Tal Farlow I have ever played. Sure I've nay played about 5 or 6 but it was by far the best. The tone was sweet as a nut (not sure what type of nut mind you ;-).
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wow, that's a lot of bandwidth, thought this thread would never bottom out.
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Just did some research on the Tal Farlow. Nice guitar design, too bad its a laminate though. That same shape with a carved spruce top and carved maple back would be killer.
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I guess that would be an L5 then :-). Well if you include the slightly shallower body, it would be some sort of L5 le Grand or Lee routiner (Or something like that). I know there is an L5 model floating about with a slightly shallower body (not the CT).
You say too bad about the laminate top, but in reality, thats the whole point of them. They were designed to be an electric (practical) version of the L5. Less prone to feedback. They still retain a very pleasing warm and round tone. Don't forget, spruce can sound quite bright and crisp. If you wanted that 'Wes' tone, your more likely and easily able to get one, with a laminate maple top, than a solid spruce, especially if you use a pic (obviously a thick one).
So don't be too disappointed. They sound bang on, when done properly :-)
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the wine-red Tal Farlow is absolutely s.t.u.n.n.i.n.g..... ! :-)
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Beautiful collection! Never seen a 350T in this color..is it a one off or is it just me? looks pretty new too..
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Well thats the thing.
I've never seen one like this either. I don't think its a one off, or custom shop order, but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't another tone like it.
Its a 1997 but mint and I mean mint!
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