Elferink Guitar Guidance

**deacon Mark** · 03-21-2021, 03:40 PM

I advised Scott that based on what he needs/wants the Elferink I have really would not fit the bill. I certainly would give him a price break but in the end based on what he is playing now I just did not want him to get the guitar and be disappointed. If he could play it in person that might be a different story. My Elferink is a large 18 inch carved top and really to drive the top properly it needs .12 but an .11 would work fine. Actually .10's but I think the sound would just be thinner as the pickup floats not connected to the top. Frankly an Eastman with one rhythm pickup would I believe fit the bill and not nearly the same cost factor. Another option is a good ES-275 thinner Gibson.

Having light action and fingers that don't respond as one would like all the time is a setting for a guitar that is set up right to the individual player. A set of 10-48 with light action will be less forgiving in setting up initially that say 12-54 with even low action. The key is that once the guitar is set up the light touch playing guitar will simply be easier to chord and less tiring.

I would sell Elferink to anyone but I what to make sure that person really gets what they what and expected. For me selling a guitar has to be a win-win situation. I would feel bad selling a guitar that a person plays a short time and finds it was not what they expected. I been down that path in my guitar buying so don't want anyone to do that.

I do have to say though my Elferink plays and sound great. Plenty of volume and very crisp and even up and down the fingerboard. My only reason for selling is after 15 years I really have other guitars that I need to play and I have sentimental value to them that this Elferink does not. Frans is a wonderful person to work with and builds great guitars.

**charleyrich99** · 06-01-2022, 10:40 AM

Anyone have experience with an Elferink Moderne? There's currently one on Reverb that looks nice but I have no idea what they sound like. The look is modern, but is the voicing also?

**jads57** · 06-01-2022, 09:57 PM

I have an Elferink Tonemaster for over 7 years now. And it’s in the Gibson L-5C acoustic vein tone wise. I asked Frans to make the top and back thicker than the newer Benedetto style Archtop voicing.

You might want to ask the owner what he specified for the thickness of the top and back as well as voicing.Excellent Archtops!

**Swingstring** · 09-08-2022, 03:11 PM

Anyone have a rough idea what the current waiting times are for one of these? They sure look nice, and quite reasonably priced, but I'm guessing the wait is substantial.

**jads57** · 09-08-2022, 11:22 PM

I think I waited around 4 to 5 months for my Tonemaster. But that was 2015 not sure how his current build times are.

**laap45** · 09-10-2022, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Swingstring

Anyone have a rough idea what the current waiting times are for one of these? They sure look nice, and quite reasonably priced, but I'm guessing the wait is substantial.

last time I spoke with Frans he mentioned 2-3 years waiting time. They are worth the wait though.