Thin (approx 2") Hollowbody 16" archtops 25" scale 1 3/4 nut

[DanielleOM]

Trying to come up with a list that conform to specs in the title line

So far I come up with:

Eastman AR403CE and AR503CE

Benedetto Bravo and 16-B

Any others come to mind?

I have a Bravo and an AR503CE. I really love that scale length. I really love the feel and playability of the Bravo. Not in love in with it's unplugged tone.

[rob taft]

Eastman ElRey 4

[bmw2002]

Those are very close to the specs of the one Mark Campellone made for me last year (I ordered it with an 1 11/16" wide nut).

[monk]

You might want to look at an Eastman T-146.

https://www.eastmanguitars.com/thinline-t146sm-sb

[Jabberwocky]

Roger Borys B120 Deluxe.

Ned Whittemore.

[DanielleOM]

Those are very close to the specs of the one Mark Campellone made for me last year (I ordered it with an 1 11/16" wide nut).

You managed to get a 16" guitar with a 25" scale length? I have seen several Campellone guitars at the shop in Guilford, CT, and I have always liked them. However the 16" guitars always seem to have a shorter scale length. Is that the shop you used to order it?

[DanielleOM]

You might want to look at an Eastman T-146.

Thinline T146SM-SB — Eastman Guitars

I have never seen one of these. However, I am thinking it would probably sound similar to the AR503CE that I already own.

[DanielleOM]

Eastman ElRey 4

I have seen these twice. The first time I could not get excited about it. The 2nd time, I seem to like it better. I understand these are better balanced than the other ER models. I recall one of the other ones was very neck heavy.

[DanielleOM]

Roger Borys B120 Deluxe.

Ned Whittemore.

I looked at the Whittemore site and it seems his standard offering for an archtop is referenced as 16.5" archtop. I just measured the lower bout on my Bravo and also on an Eastman AR805CE and they actually measure close to 15.5 even though they are normally referenced as 16" archtops. So I am thinking the standard Whittemore is close to what most people reference as a 17" archtop. I don't have a 17" archtop here to measure.

[Jazzstdnt]

A 16" Johnny Smith then?

Need to decide on carved vs. laminate. One is always more expensive than the other. Sounds different too.

I would kill for that 16-B with some nice custom options. Hmmmmmmmm.


Buscarino makes a 16" too.

[bmw2002]

You managed to get a 16" guitar with a 25" scale length? I have seen several Campellone guitars at the shop in Guilford, CT, and I have always liked them. However the 16" guitars always seem to have a shorter scale length. Is that the shop you used to order it?

I did get the 25" scale length. I ordered it directly from Mark rather than through a shop. (Candidly, I'm not sure I could detect any difference between the 24 3/4" and 25" scale lengths, but having had a 25" inch scale length guitar before, I went with what I knew.) By the way, Mark is an absolute pleasure to deal with -- very accommodating even on a 'standard' guitar.

[Philco]

Collings CL Jazz....not exactly your criteria but......

Construction	Fully hollow parallel braced, thin line
Body	Honduran mahogany
Top	Solid spruce
Neck	Honduran mahogany
Body Binding	Non-grained ivoroid
Fingerboard Binding	Non-grained ivoroid
Peghead Binding	Non-grained ivoroid
Bridge	Adjustable ebony
Tailpiece	Ebony
Fingerboard	Ebony w/ MOP Parallelograms
Soundhole	S-holes (bound)
Pickups	Single Lollar Johnny Smith (neck)
Pots/Caps	Thumbwheel 500K pots/.047 ceramic capacitor
Knobs	Thumbwheels under pickguard
Pickup Rings	Black
Nut	1 11/16"
Scale Length	25 1/2"
Neck Joint	Extra long mortise & tenon
Frets	Medium 18% nickel-silver
Peghead Veneer	Ebony w/ MOP Collings logo and Parallelograms
Peghead Profile	Deluxe Flared Haircut
Tuners	Nickel Gotoh w/ Collings logo
Wiring	Modern
Fingerboard Radius	12"
Guitar Finish	High gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
Pickguard	Ebony w/ non-grained ivoroid binding
Truss Rod Cover	Ebony
Strings	D'Addario EJ21 (.012" - .052")
Case	Deluxe Hardshell case by Ameritage

Neck Profile

*Actual measurments may vary slightly due to hand-sanding and finishing variables.


Dimensions

Body Length	19 1/2"
Body Depth	1 5/8"
Lower Bout Width	15"
Total Length	40 3/4"

Related Artists

• Zac Brown
• Kazumi Watanabe

[Grez]

16", laminated spruce 25" scale. This one happens to be 2.25" deep could be 2" just as easily, neck, anything you want.

[marcwhy]

What's your budget? The suggestions here are all great, and with varying prices.

[DanielleOM]

What's your budget? The suggestions here are all great, and with varying prices.

I have some flexibility. I don't have enough flexibilty to buy and sell several high end guitars at a loss.

[DanielleOM]

16", laminated spruce 25" scale. This one happens to be 2.25" deep could be 2" just as easily, neck, anything you want.

I cannot listen to this at the moment as I am traveling and sitting in a busy coffee shop.

Can you comment on consistency of tone, attack, and sustain, of notes? Is this something you can address as an laminate archtop builder?

[Grez]

I cannot listen to this at the moment as I am traveling and sitting in a busy coffee shop.

Can you comment on consistency of tone, attack, and sustain, of notes? Is this something you can address as an laminate archtop builder?

I think consistency of tone comes from two components. First, a stiff neck that transfers as much energy to the body as possible. Too much neck resonance causes hot and dead notes. The other is that the body is tuned well so that it supports the sound but no so much that "wolf notes" come to mind. Although it's laminated of 3 layers of grain oriented spruce, the laminates are thick enough to allow for thinning the top as you move to the edges just as you would a carve top, just not as much. That and the fact that you still have to hand carve the tone bars, give control over these things.

In terms of attack and sustain, I would say it's a fast attack and medium sustain. Not super dry (short sustain) and super mid focused, not bright and tight ether (lean low end), it's a little more full range. All viable tonality variants.

[unknownguitarplayer]

The Eastman El Rey 1 might be in the zone you're describing. It's a 25" scale with a 1 3/4" nut, and you can find them used at pretty low prices. If it's a factor for you, it's one of the lightest weight guitars you'll find anywhere. However, it's a quirky instrument...basically a chambered solid body with no f-holes. I've been playing one for a few years, but every now and then I'll play an archtop and realize what an odd beast the El Rey is.

Archtops El Rey ER1 — Eastman Guitars

[M-ster]

You might want to look at an Eastman T-146.

This was my first thought, too. 25" scale and 1.75" nut width are Eastman's specs for a number of their guitars (maybe the majority?).

[DanielleOM]

This was my first thought, too. 25" scale and 1.75" nut width are Eastman's specs for a number of their guitars (maybe the majority?).

I have to admit that's a model that has not really been on my radar lately.

With already owning an AR503CE, I have to wonder what characteristics the T146 would have that would seem better.

[rob taft]

I have seen these twice. The first time I could not get excited about it. The 2nd time, I seem to like it better. I understand these are better balanced than the other ER models. I recall one of the other ones was very neck heavy.

Danielle, I own two ElRey4 guitars. One is stock and the other is custom. The stock guitar isn't neck heavy to me but when I play standing up or sitting down it is with wide strap not because of any neck issues but because it is the only strap I have owned and I rest my forearm on the body. I like my guitar up high almost like a classical seated position. From my discussions with Otto D'Ambrosio when he was working on my custom ElRey, the ElRey4 was created to address the neck dive in the smaller ElRey1,2,and 3.

On my custom (see link), the headstock was tapered and I used ebony tuning knobs. I just played it standing up and it doesn't feel much different than any other thin line smaller bodied guitar. It is a pretty light guitar and for some reason it feels much lighter than my stock ElRey4.

NGD Eastman Custom Shop ElRey4

[sgosnell]

I have a T145, a 15" model no longer made, and I really like it. It's very loud acoustically for a thinline, actually louder than my Gibson and Ovation flattops. It's certainly not in the same league as a fullsize archtop, but it's very good for what it is, and I suspect the 16" model would be even better. I have mine strung with D'Addario nickel bronze strings for acoustic playing at home, and they work just as well for amplified playing. I don't know much about the 503CE, and they might sound very similar, but the T146 is very good. I mostly alternate between my T145 and my Benedetto Bambino. I like the Benedetto neck better, but there is no comparison for acoustic tone, the Eastman wins hands down. No surprise there, though. The T145 is a little neck-heavy, having a very light body, and changing the tuner buttons for ebony helped a little with that. Presumably the T146 would be better balanced, with a larger, thus somewhat heavier, body. I would certainly have no qualms recommending the T146, but I can't say how it sounds compared to your 503CE.

[yebdox]

Sadowsky Jim Hall comes pretty close:

• 
  
  • 16? Body with 2 3/4? Side Depth

• 
  
  • Lightweight 5-ply Premium Flame Maple Construction

• 
  
  • Maple Neck with Ebony Fingerboard

• 
  
  • Dovetail Neck Joint Shaped to Jim Hall’s Specifications

• 
  
  • Custom Designed Sadowsky Ebony Tailpiece with String Ground

• 
  
  • 24 3/4? Scale Length

• 
  
  • 1 3/4? Nut Width

• 
  
  • Custom-Wound Sadowsky Pickup with Gold Cover

• 
  
  • Highest Quality Pots and Switchcraft Jack

• 
  
  • Average Weight: 6.25 lbs