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I think there is no one perfect guitar in the archtop arena. I try to think of it as having different guitars for different purposes.
1.)Solid carved top,back and sides either floater X braced or parallel braced for small/lower level ensembles
2.) Solid Carved w/ inset p/up(s) for small to medium level ensembles
3.) Laminate w/ inset p/ups for medium/louder ensembles
4.) Semi Hollow laminate or carved for loud ensemble settings
The acoustic tone of a guitar gets not only harder to control, but also have it's limits when things get louder.
I've found if you go w/ just one all purpose guitar a 335 type or Tele type of guitar seem to be the default choices of most players.
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12-30-2014 10:32 PM
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Roger, is that the A400 pickup on your Forshage? My jazz guitar teacher in college had one of those (ca. 1980) on a 40s L-7 and it really sounded very convincingly acoustic on that guitar. It mounted to the neck on a spring steel U shaped mount as I recall. Sounds great on your guitar!
The A400 may still be made by Bill Lawrence USA but that's a design that Bill & Becky don't seem to have continued with on their own recognizance. The history of Bill Lawrence pickups is contentious and somewhat confusing. I don't know if Bill even had anything to do with the A400.
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Hi, yes - yes it is. It's a modern one, which differs a bit from the original ones, but the same basic deal. You have it right that the current Lawrence line has two competing parties working at it. This pickup came from the non-Bill faction.
It really is the only floater I've tried that sounds pretty much acoustic with bronze strings, I believe due to its very low impedance (~3K).
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Best acoustic archtop electric sound I've heard for a magnetic pickup, RP. Like it!
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Supercool discussion. I learn a new word today, so I have to ask, Jeff, how do you define onomonopoeic?
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Dear Roger,
Originally Posted by rpguitar
that was beautiful - thanks for sharing! I really liked the sound you got from that supercool guitar. I wanted to make sure that I understand your recording correctly - we only hear the sound of the pickup? (Recorded how?) i was just wondering because of all the microphones that you had placed in front of the guitar.
just to make sure: it is the A400 pickup from here? Acoustic Pickups
and it is well balanced with phosphor bronze strings without further adjustments, right?
what would be the difference to, say a Ken Armstrong 12 pole floater with the polepieces adjusted to achieve string balance (if that is possible) or the KA floating single (said to model a dearmond). Are these options significantly more electric sounding?
Sorry for all the silly questions.
happy 2015!
Frank
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Ok, i finally read the youtube explanations ... So, is the sound we hear on the recording more the sound the mics pick up or more the sound of the floater or anout equal? How would ghe pickup sound on its own?
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The pickup is more prominent in the recording than the live mic sound. The reverb you hear is in my amped signal chain.
A KA 12 pole makes this guitar sound like an L-5CES. That pickup was formerly on it. Search my youtube channel for Forshage ergo archtop and you'll find a few examples of its sound, particularly one called "quick take" or something similar from when I first got the axe.Last edited by rpguitar; 01-01-2015 at 01:57 PM.
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floatingpickup who posts here regularly has produced some really valuable video-clips for anyone interested in the way different types of archtop work/sound.
he plays great and he has a wide range of very expertly chosen instruments. of particular interest to me is the contrast between these two instruments. (first is a modern L5 ces, second is a 89' benedetto fratello)
for me, the first one sounds lovely - but risks being a bit too sweet and sickly, or over-produced or something; the second sounds even better - more engaging - lighter and more 'organic'.
it may be the case that you just can't amplify the more acoustic sounding instrument without making it sound less acoustic - and you can't play the more electric sounding instrument at living room-quiet volume.Last edited by Groyniad; 01-01-2015 at 07:29 PM.
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That L5 sound in the first clip is about as close to "perfect" for my taste that I've ever heard.
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The playing isn't too shabby either.
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The L5CES sounds . . . like an L5CES .. just great. Some really fat bottom end. I wonder what kind of an amp floatingpickup he's using with that.?.?
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Nice comparison! My archtop with the KA floater sounded very like the second example, which since the sound I hear in my head is more on the Jim Hall-Ed Bickert end of the spectrum was not what I wanted. Once I heard Peter Bernstein, though, I found a whole new spectrum of the floater sound that I really liked. Originally Posted by Groyniad
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Reading through here, I decided to try an experiment with my Little Archie and it's floating Kent Armstrong 12-pole humbucker. I made a video an started a new thread, as it's more about the outboard gear than the guitar itself.
I will qualify by saying that I am NOT a jazz guitarist - at least not a traditional one - so I am not really here to show off my chops or anything. Just to try and demonstrate some tonal variations that can really change the shape of the sound...
Here's a link to the new thread, which explains all the gear I used.
https://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...ng-pickup.html
And here's a direct shot to the video I made attempting to add different tone shaping with a few outboard boxes:
Last edited by uburoibob; 01-03-2015 at 01:13 AM.
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Not sure if you're serious about this question...an onomonopieia (sp. ?) is a word that sounds like the sound it is describing...."SPLAT" or maybe even "be-bop" or "fizz....." or even "thwack"---the sound of a guitarist trying to play too fast and picking the string before the fretting finger depresses the string cleanly
Last edited by goldenwave77; 01-06-2015 at 01:42 PM. Reason: IN response to post #55
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Man o man...that L5 sounds great....the Gibson L5-typish sound is like a Lincoln Town Car...big luxurious, smooth...maybe not as "nimble" as a sports car (the acoustic-y archies with the floaters)...but if I'm taking a long drive that smooth, rich sound goes down real easy....like aged spirits Originally Posted by Patrick2
another metaphor/comparison: the Gibson-y amplified archtop is like a grand piano whereas the acoustic-y guitars are more like harpsichords....they each have a sound of their own, but the grand piano, I think, was developed for large concert halls and works well there, whereas the harpsichord sounds forced and stiff, and not quite convincing in the large venue but works well in a parlor-type situation...
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Threadjack !!!!
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Originally Posted by goldenwave77
love the aged spirits comparison
but i think i prefer them to the L5 sound- just too smooth for me
no-one really dig the incredible fratello sound mr murch is making?
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