Favorite Big Box Archtop (17-18") Under $6000 USD?

[helios]

$6000 USD is an arbitrary glass ceiling, but these come to my mind:

Used L5



New Triggs St Croix



New Triggs St Croix Floater



New Heritage Super Eagle



Used X-700 Stuart Bennedetto



Used Campellone Deluxe



AJL Mahogany Series ($5376 USD)

[SierraTango]

If you are OK with a floater you can get one of these for much less than 6K. This is a 92 Westerly build and it was a fab instrument. Only reason I let it go was to help fund my 90 Benedetto Cremona.

[helios]

If you are OK with a floater you can get one of these for much less than 6K. This is a 92 Westerly build and it was a fab instrument. Only reason I let it go was to help fund my 90 Benedetto Cremona.

I've been ok with a floater since I heard this guy:

[SierraTango]

Just wondered as only one of the six you posted photos of had a floater. I personally think the Guild Artist Award is a VERY overlooked guitar.

[hot ford coupe]

I've been ok with a floater since I heard this guy:

I've been o.k. with a floater for a very long time and this guy only confirms that for me.

[helios]

Just wondered as only one of the six you posted photos of had a floater. I personally think the Guild Artist Award is a VERY overlooked guitar.

I couldn't agree more!

[hot ford coupe]

I've been ok with a floater since I heard this guy:

This guy only confirms my love for floaters. Everything I have now has a floater.

[Cunamara]

The L-5 is of course just one of the primary standards of jazz guitar tone in the past 50 years (the other being the ES-175). hard to go wrong there and the resale value, if that is a concern for you, will be much better than almost any of the other guitars on your list.

I have owned a 17" carved top with floater made by forum member Matt Cushman since 2006. It is a very Benedetto influenced instrument as versus a Gibson type instrument. It is a wonderfully playable and excellent-sounding instrument. I went through a number of iterations of pickups (looking for a Gibsonish sound, but there is no way to make a guitar like this sound like an ES-175) and have settled on a Charlie Christian neck-mounted floater by Pete Biltoft. It sounds wonderful electrically as well as acoustically- not Gibsonish but it sounds like me, whatever that means. Matt's base price is $3600, according to his website. He recently posted a photo indicating a facility with MOP inlays that I did not know he had, if you want something a bit blingier.

[rio]

Funny to see him here - I just found him last night playing with Jimmy Cobb on YouTube last night playing 4 on 6 and really dug him. Glad to see more of him.


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[NSJ]

I just paid a fraction of that price for a custom 18" archtop that was spec-ed exactly how I want it--and even if you factor in $500 additional funds for (1) aftermarket pickup; (2) installation of aftermarket pickup and tone/volume knobs and connection of electronics; (3) creation of custom pick guard and (4) a fret dressing and leveling job--STILL a bargain.

Everything under $2k, for all that work and a lot of bells and whistles.

[BigMikeinNJ]

Ok if we're gonna talk Fat Bottom Girls you gotta include the older Heritage 17 and 18 inchers with floating pickups... Like this blonde reclining on my living room run in the sun...

[helios]

Ok if we're gonna talk Fat Bottom Girls you gotta include the older Heritage 17 and 18 inchers with floating pickups... Like this blonde reclining on my living room run in the sun...

Nice! Is that a Super KB?

[BigMikeinNJ]

Nope custom ordered Super Eagle, some bad ass wood used on it. This one has the oddball headstock shape remember (around August threads were running about it) cloud inlays and a single floating pickup. It's a beast. Bought it over the phone on Labor Day and not half an hour later Mark contacts me offering me the 18 inch Unity which I went for. Had to take a Xanax to calm down after all that blonde lust...

[lawson-stone]

I've been ok with a floater since I heard this guy:

Is that a Super V?


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[helios]

Is that a Super V?


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It's a Johnny Smith-beautiful sound!

[Bluedawg]

I just paid a fraction of that price for a custom 18" archtop that was spec-ed exactly how I want it--and even if you factor in $500 additional funds for (1) aftermarket pickup; (2) installation of aftermarket pickup and tone/volume knobs and connection of electronics; (3) creation of custom pick guard and (4) a fret dressing and leveling job--STILL a bargain.

Everything under $2k, for all that work and a lot of bells and whistles.

I figure someday that Mr Wu will woo me into buying one of his guitars


As for the OP ... I picked up this lovely 18" used Campellone for $3300





Of course I have to include the all important Westie inspection picture




I would love to give this 19 inch Moll a try

Moll 19" Custom Express 2007 Natural Flametop | Reverb

But it's not under $6K ... although I did see one in Greece for sale around $3K ... but I wasn't too comfortable dealing with an over seas purchase