Budget acoustic archtop?

[EllenGtrGrl]

Per Woody Sound's post - I bought an Eastman AR610 a couple of weeks ago. I wanted a 17" body acoustic archtop, and anything I could find on Reverb either needed major work, cost more than I could afford, or I was worried about it having a thin neck (which I don't like). I've had good experiences with my Eastman acoustic guitars (and I LOVE the necks on Eastmans), my favorite guitar shop (which happens to be an Eastman dealer) quoted me a great price for an AR610 (though they would have to order it), so I said yes. It's a great guitar, and from what I was told by a longtime acoustic archtop player, the AR610 was patterned after the early 50s Epiphone Devon.

I LOVE the neck - semi-chunky, with the added bonus of having a semi-wide neck (the nut width is 1.720" - like a Gibson J-45), and it's (for me) very comfortable playing-wise. It's also quite loud - it's much louder than the 2, Gibson L-48s I tried out, and definitely louder than the Gretsch G400 I backed out of buying about 14 or 15 years ago due to a money crunch. I think it might even be louder than my 12-fret slope shoulder 2007 Custom Shop Gibson Roy Smeck. It definitely is punchy (which an archtop acoustic should be). It had a surprising amount of low end - not Martin D-28 levels of bass, but not bright like some archtops are. Also, it has significantly more midrange than I expected.

[gvurrdon]

Eventually, an acoustic archtop turned up which was at an affordable price, looks pretty much exactly as I would like and is comfortable to play. It doesn't appear to be particularly loud but I have no experience of acoustic guitars and so nothing with which to compare it. In any case, it's loud enough to play at home and probably at the local acoustic-only night (where everyone listens in silence), and there's a piezo pickup inside. The strings aren't very good but with a proper setup and nice strings it should be decent (I plan to use Galli acoustic flatwounds).
The label inside identifies it as Epiphone "Masterbilt ZENITH V/N".
Does anyone know anything about these? IIRC they were on sale roughly a decade ago.

[garybaldy]

Eventually, an acoustic archtop turned up which was at an affordable price, looks pretty much exactly as I would like and is comfortable to play. It doesn't appear to be particularly loud but I have no experience of acoustic guitars and so nothing with which to compare it. In any case, it's loud enough to play at home and probably at the local acoustic-only night (where everyone listens in silence), and there's a piezo pickup inside. The strings aren't very good but with a proper setup and nice strings it should be decent (I plan to use Galli acoustic flatwounds).
The label inside identifies it as Epiphone "Masterbilt ZENITH V/N".
Does anyone know anything about these? IIRC they were on sale roughly a decade ago.

I tried one or two some years ago and they did seem to lack resonance and volume. I didn't try the piezos. It might be good with a p90 (?) if it would fit.

[John A.]

Yes, they were part of a series of pressed-top archtops sold around 10 years ago. The one you got was the biggest/loudest of the bunch. I tried that one and (IIRC) one smaller model on a couple of different occasions. I found them to be pleasant sounding and nicely made, and they certainly look cool, but (as you note) they're pretty quiet. I never tried one plugged in and can't comment on the piezo. The ones I tried were too quiet to be useful for me (though the one you have came closer than the smaller one). I remember trying a budget model flattop next to these, and the difference in volume was pretty dramatic. There are several threads about them here, and IIRC some people disagreed with what I'm saying and liked them a lot more.

[gvurrdon]

Thanks for the comments.
If I don't like the piezo then I might see about whether a DeArmond Rhythm Chief would fit on it. I've long fancied one of those on an archtop.

[GuyBoden]

Thanks for the comments.
If I don't like the piezo then I might see about whether a DeArmond Rhythm Chief would fit on it. I've long fancied one of those on an archtop.

On my 1959 Hofner, I've been very happy with the sound of a reissue DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000 (the less expensive version, but better sounding to some folks.)

[garybaldy]

On my 1959 Hofner, I've been very happy with the sound of a reissue DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000 (the less expensive version, but better sounding to some folks.)

I don't think it's categoric but some say the cheaper one is unbalanced. It's only what I've read.

[gvurrdon]

Eventually, an acoustic archtop turned up which was at an affordable price, looks pretty much exactly as I would like and is comfortable to play.

The strings on this looked like electric strings with a wound third, perhaps 11s or 12s. I replaced them with Galli flatwound acoustic 12s and adjusted the bridge and truss rod. Strangely, the G string (only) buzzes on frets 5-10 inclusive when hit hard, but there are no buzzes anywhere else. Could anyone suggest why?

Fitting a DeArmond pickup was mentioned earlier. If I can get hold of a "monkey on a stick" setup and get it posted to the UK then that would be great, but if not they are available with the mounting which screws to the neck. In this case, What would normally be done about a volume control and jack?

[garybaldy]

The strings on this looked like electric strings with a wound third, perhaps 11s or 12s. I replaced them with Galli flatwound acoustic 12s and adjusted the bridge and truss rod. Strangely, the G string (only) buzzes on frets 5-10 inclusive when hit hard, but there are no buzzes anywhere else. Could anyone suggest why?

Fitting a DeArmond pickup was mentioned earlier. If I can get hold of a "monkey on a stick" setup and get it posted to the UK then that would be great, but if not they are available with the mounting which screws to the neck. In this case, What would normally be done about a volume control and jack?

I got a MOAS from this guy. He's in Wales, UK. https://www.facebook.com/share/1CvguTn11n/

[2bornot2bop]

[jaymen]

Am glad to see the OP found a great guitar that nobody mentioned, but in fact, I own two of them: The Epi Emperor Regent.
The 17 inch body really helps give this model nice volume and depth. It is fully acoustic, has a cutaway, and a floating pick-up so it can do double duty as an electric/acoustic. I was on the fence about replacing the pick-up until I played this guitar through a Fender 1965 Princeton Reverb...nothing wrong with the pick-up! I bought one for $600 and the other for $475, both in very good condition. One is a Blondie, the other is Sunburst.

Yes, the Epi has a solid top, but it is unclear if it is carved or pressed. I'm not going to take the tops off mine to find out as both of them play and sound exceptional. I did shop around and tried out each one of these Emperor Regents before buying them, as identical guitars can sound completely different, it is the nature of factory, and handmade guitars: Some are great, others OK, and some are duds. So I don't care as much about the construction as I do about tone, and play-ability, which is the most important thing.

I was at GC once and saw a drop dead gorgeous Gibson J-200, the nicest woods, inlays and finish, but it was dead acoustically. They put on new strings and it was still a dog. A few weeks later they dropped the $7000 price to $4900 and it still did not sell. They dropped it again to $3500 and eventually sent it to another store as it would not sell. Was it a quality make/brand? Was it a solid top? Was it well made, Yes, but it was a dog. So each guitar is a different case, and making blanket assumptions based on certain construction features limits your ability to pick a guitar based on how it sounds and plays.
Jay

[Hammertone]

Yes, the Epi has a solid top, but it is unclear if it is carved or pressed. I'm not going to take the tops off mine to find out as both of them play and sound exceptional.

It's very clear. The tops of the 17" Epi Emperor Regent guitars are NOT carved.

I've played a few of the Epiphone "Masterbilt ZENITH V/N" models, as purchased by the OP. They are really nicely appointed guitars that do not sound particularly good, but appear nicely made, and are quite playable in terms of fit, finish and feel. I bet that it will sound great with a floating pickup. IMO, it's a fine budget acoustic archtop.

[coyote-1]

Per Woody Sound's post - I bought an Eastman AR610 a couple of weeks ago. SNIP It definitely is punchy (which an archtop acoustic should be). It had a surprising amount of low end - not Martin D-28 levels of bass, but not bright like some archtops are. Also, it has significantly more midrange than I expected.

The Eastman 6xx series have excellent construction. The top is carved spruce, back and sides are carved/shaped mahogany. It makes for a far more ‘acoustic’ sound than the 8xx and 9xx guitars, which have maple backs and sides.

The old classic archtops were originally made to replace the banjo in a swing band. To be louder and fuller. And they did that. But being acoustic, they needed to ‘cut’ a bit in that context. The maple bodies did that, but at a cost of real fullness.

The 610, by contrast, has a fullness of sound reminiscent of a dreadnought. You can strum it and sing Beatles songs, and it will give you plenty of bass along with the rest of the chords.

[Mick-7]

Eventually, an acoustic archtop turned up which was at an affordable price, looks pretty much exactly as I would like and is comfortable to play. It doesn't appear to be particularly loud but I have no experience of acoustic guitars and so nothing with which to compare it. In any case, it's loud enough to play at home and probably at the local acoustic-only night (where everyone listens in silence), and there's a piezo pickup inside. The strings aren't very good but with a proper setup and nice strings it should be decent (I plan to use Galli acoustic flatwounds).

The label inside identifies it as Epiphone "Masterbilt ZENITH V/N". Does anyone know anything about these? IIRC they were on sale roughly a decade ago.

Funny how the ornamentation stops at the neck: a unique headstock logo and neck inlays but beyond that it's plain jane looking, you'd think they'd put a more decorative tailpiece on it.

You may just want to replace the piezo pickup, piezo pickup technology has advanced since your guitar was released and there are newer models that produce a better acoustic tone.

[entresz]

On my 1959 Hofner, I've been very happy with the sound of a reissue DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000 (the less expensive version, but better sounding to some folks.)

I've ordered another 1000 to replace an existing 1100 as I much prefer the tone of the 1000. Much punchier sound, a lot more microphonic.

For what it's worth, the string balance with the 1100 isn't perfect either and the polepieces don't make a huge difference.

[BillB]

I have the Epiphone Century De Luxe Masterbilt Classic (what a weirdly spelt mouthful) from around 2016.

It’s the biggest and loudest of the three related reissue models they put out. These have really polarized opinion. But I love mine. Very sweet sounding, warm, and balanced. It’s not a cutting instrument and not a ton of overtones. I like it as a solo chord melody guitar and I think it would be nice for backing vocals.

Unlike many, I find the chunky neck satisfying and easy to play.

I’ve had a chance to play two 1930s Epiphone Broadways and have to say this sounded similar but better. Maybe I got lucky.