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Nothing too exotic or expensive. Thought I'd like to have a decent acoustic around the house and then got to thinking about an archtop.
< $1000.
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10-06-2015 09:47 PM
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For around the house playing the Godin 5th Avenues aren't bad. A well made guitar, cheap too- I have floating pickup fitted on mine and it's a great guitar to gig with. Not all that loud, it's a small laminated guitar, but not bad for what it is.
There's The Loar guitars... proper carved tops, but build quality is pretty inconsistant, you would have to be sure to try before you buy I think with those. A used Eastman would be a safer bet I think.Last edited by entresz; 10-07-2015 at 12:06 AM.
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Old Epiphone, from before Gibson owned them. Great acoustic archtops.
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Loar. Loar. Loar.
Sure, if you can find an Eastman under $1000, that'd be even better. But, you really can't go wrong with a Loar LH-600.
Anything else under $1000 just isn't going to have a carved, solid top. Sure laminate top archtops can sound great with a pickup, mounted or floating, but they have a limited acoustic voice. A Godin 5th Avenue or a Gretsch New Yorker just aren't real viable acoustic guitars. A Loar LH-600 has a real acoustic voice - and I doubt the QC on one is any worse than either the Godin or the Gretsch.
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I lucked out and got a show-room display model Loar LH-650 for $750 on eBay. I'm loving this guitar. Yes, it has some set-up issues. I've had to work on a buzzing fret, but this guitar has been a lot of fun. It's a 16", really has the ES175 body shape, but with a floating pickup attached to the end of the fingerboard. To be precise, it's a copy of the Gibson L-4C. If you can find it below list, and are ready to fiddle with it a bit to get it just right, it's nice.
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Actually, even the Loar LH-350 could be a nice guitar just to play around with at home. It's the LH-650 but with laminate back/sides, but still has a carved spruce top. It's also about half the price of the LH-650.
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Vintage & Used Guitars For Sale | Archtop & Thinline Electric Guitars | 12fret.com
You will notice 2 "Cromwell" guitars for sale on this page selling for $630.
No truss rod, Gibson-made, claimed carved top. Old and probably very light
and possibly interestingly sonorous.
Sink another few hundred $ in and string with the lighter strings it may need
'cause it lacks a truss rod. This is a risk but may be rewarding.
I did this with a 1930's small-bodied Vega pressed-top, got lucky, and am extremely happy.
Probably not for you but I couldn't help myself from suggesting it.
I'd do it again if I weren't absolutely tapped-out.
+1 for the Godin Fifth Ave. acoustic; I own one & they're great for the dough. Best of luck!
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I've got a used Eastman 805 nc that I might sell for $1000....but there is checking in the form of two lacquer cracks by the neck joint. I've kept it because it plays and sounds great and cant stand the idea of someone giving me a discounted price because of the two lacquer cracks that many other Eastmans have. I'll post a pic tomorrow if you are interested.
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If you are interested:
FS - Yunzhi carved archtop w/ Benedetto pickup - D'Aquisto "Solo" style | The Gear Page
FS - Yunzhi Oval hole Archtop w/ K&K pickup & Loar LO-216 parlor / small body flattop | The Gear Page
Barring those, the only acoustic archtop I'd buy under $1k is a Loar lh-700 or lh-600. Any other brand will be laminate or pressed and won't sound as as good unless you find a cheap Eastman like 10course is offering (that's if).Last edited by spiral; 11-05-2015 at 03:17 AM.
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So, I'm not obsessed lol...once I compared Eastman "Non cutaway" models to the original 30s and 40s Gibson L-7, Epi Triumph, Gibson Supper 400, Epi Broadway and 1 post war L-5, and they equaled or beat them in volume and sound refinement, I bought every Eastman non cutaway that I could find. I am a convinced believer in Eastman archtop NC acoustics vs vintage. Especially when they discontinued some of the models! I now have 4 Eastman and 1 Loar LH600.
The front 805 would be the one I sell. It has:
-A Bi-pod ebony bridge (all Eastman acoustics should have bi-pod because it really opens up the sound)
-Frequensator Tailpiece (again, all Eastman need that heavy bass-killing ebony tailpiece removed) However, the original is included.
- Custom post-war Gibson"style" 5 ply pickguard ( I'll install it with Gibson style bracket if you want) Currently there are no holes for bracket.
-action , neck and frets are all good. I probably set the action higher than most for bigband comping.
The last two pics are the areas where lacquer checking can be seen under raking light.
Why am I wiling to sell this one? Because right behind it in the first pic is a blonde 805, so 2 of the same model is redundant.Last edited by 10course; 11-05-2015 at 05:08 PM.
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That's a nice guitar--just don't hurt yourself on that cutaway. ;-)
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10course, I had no idea you'd collected such a bevy a modified Eastmans. I thought I was the only one who thought to slap a tortoise-style guard on! Plus, I have to say, I'm definitely inspired to get a trapeze tailpiece for mine. Since going on the "Great Guitar Binge of 2015", I lent my 805 non cut to a friend, but I still might swap the tailpiece out for him. Also, I'm pretty sure mine has a single-footed bridge, so I'm gonna have to look into that too!
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lol...I'm on a similar "Great Guitar Quest 2015" myself! After buying a 17" 810, you inspired me to explore the 16" world more in one of your posts. Now, I've got it down to 16" for when there is a piano or overlapping frequencies, and 17" for accompanying violin Gypsy style for a bigger bottom.
Trapezes: what I noticed is that consistently, a trapeze increased volume in the low end. It did shorten sustain as well (less mass=more transfer of vibration, but to softer more absorbing materials) . But, sustain is not a requirement for what I play. I used a DB meter for volume, but my spectators could hear the difference especially in tone.
Single foot vs vs bi-pod bridge: the comments from my spectators (the family) were that the two foot bridge had " a less metallic sound", "less nasally", and "more open". The truth is that there is a competing theory that a single foot bridge properly fit to the top would do the same. ---I can't test that at this point because they were all converted, but it is possible that I just did a better job fitting the bi-pod bridge than Eastman did fitting the single.....
I have not found the Holy Grail yet. ----just some really satisfying substitutes.
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Hi, I'm new to this forum; I play (as a hobbyist) mostly rhythm on an acoustic, non-cut 805 from 2004 or 2005. After 10 years I switched from the original tailpiece to a trapeze one, and will not go back for the reasons you mentioned. Same experience here. Just wondering: Is there an audible difference in trapeze tailpieces in the 20$ range compared to those costing 60$ or more?
Now I'm wondering if I should also try a bi-pod bridge. Did you always modify the original one? I plan to buy one new, in order to be able to reverse the operation. Looks like available replacement bridges have much less radius at the base than my guitar. So I would have to sand it down guitar a bit. If there is on available that fits a bit better from the beginning, I would be happy to get to know.
Thanks for any suggestions
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Originally Posted by 10course
I was going to jump in and say Eastman, glad someone else did. They're really very well made and on the used market quite reasonable.
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For just around the house Godin 5th Ave's are pretty cool.
I have a Loar. It's a lot louder. I've even played gigs with it unplugged. But try before you buy.
Also, yay Eastmans. Even the cheapo laminate ones have a full acoustic voice.
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BTW this is how the LH600 sounds acoustic (the pickup is mine)
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The Eastman guitars are fine, but for short bucks I like The Loar. Sound is really good for the money spent.
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Sorry, zombie thread
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I'm a huge Eastman fan, actively gigging with my 05 Pisano 880 (when my Benedetto Cremona doesn't fit the application). I've owned a 805 7 string in the past and auditioned other models. Some are better than others. Just like any instrument.
I've been a avid fan of vintage Epiphone archtops also, and owned a 1949 Epi Triumph Cutaway (that's what the label said-I think the Regent moniker came later). I loved that guitar and wish I still had it.
I ran across this video of the Epiphone Deluxe re-issue that was introduced at the Summer NAMM. The gentleman doing the demo is strumming some first position chords, and there is a lot of background noise. The specs look good, solid top, built in pickup, natural or SB finish for around 899 list. I wondered if any forum members had a chance to get close with one. I'm thinking great option for beach guitar, travel, etc. Especially considering a vintage Epi Deluxe is not only rare but also expensive.
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My Eastman AR810CE has a lovely acoustic voice and a vey comfortable neck shape. I played an 805 non-cut years ago and thought it's acoustic voice was even richer, but I wanted the cutaway. I would have been happy with either. $1000 for an 805 would be a great value if it's in excellent playing condition. Originally Posted by 10course
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I noticed most of your other Eastmans have Gibson-style tailpieces. What tailpiece(s) would you recommend I consider for my 810CE? Originally Posted by 10course
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I have an Eastman AR503CE and would like to switch to a trapeze tailpiece. Which one would you recommend, and how do the scews align with those of the original tailpiece? Thank you.
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Eastman surprised the daylights out of me. I tried one just for the heck of it one day and couldn't believe how well it sounded and played. I also got a chance to play a couple of Ibanez guitars that really had a nice sound but they weren't totally acoustic, just hollow with two inset pickups. Still, the price was right.
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I am NOT a fan of the acoustic tone of many of the Eastmans. Very nasal. But I think that's popular with folks, that how Benedettos sound to me too...
The Loars are something, but they're just not as consistent in quality as Eastman. The Loar 600 I owned for a while was one of the loudest archtops I've ever played. And it was only a 16" body!!!
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