One Archtop Man

[dconeill]

They're tools. If you can get rid of sentimental attachments to them (hard to do), then look at them from the viewpoint of what sounds you're trying to get, and keep the ones that get those sounds.

The choice to be a "one archtop man" seems capricious and arbitrary, unless you need money for something or are trying to help your widow out before you die.

IMO, based only on my prejudices, and in no particular order:
ES165 probably has the most traditional jazz electric sound.
PM20 is probably similar to the ES165, but somewhat more modern sounding
GB10 will get the George Benson sound
FG100 is, if I understand correctly, the immediate ancestor of the higher-end Pat Metheny guitars, but I've never played one
AG195 I have no particular impression of.

If I wanted to reduce my inventory:
The PM20 and the AG195 are relatively low-dollar instruments - I'd probably sell those.
I'd have to play the FG100 and AG195 to see what I thought, but other things being equal those would go on the "for sale" list too
I'd evaluate the ES165 and GB10 closely, and might keep both - if I had to keep only one I'd think about what sound I'm chasing and keep the one that's closest.

On the other hand, if money is what you're after, I'd keep the PM20 and sell the rest. The ES165 and GB10 will probably raise the most money.

[mr. beaumont]

This is easy, really, you just need to pare down to essentials.

Obviously, you need one electric arch top with rounds and one set up with flats. I mean, you never know what the gig will call for. And an all laminate guitar, for the louder stuff, like a 175. Should probably have one with a P-90 too, because that's a totally different sound.

Then all you need is one set up for rhythm, should be an all acoustic guitar, maybe a floater...maybe. Or you could have another with a floater, y'know, just in case. And then you round it out with an acoustic archtop set up for more intricate stuff, because that sound is so nice, and pretty "in" these days.

So looking at your current collection, all you need to do is...uh...go shopping?

[Stbatz]

Hi Woody,it is only the reflection of the light,they are not ebony knobs
The story behind this nice 1996 175: more than a year ago I decided to leave the great city where I lived and go to a beautiful mountain village, beautiful but expensive, so for buy my new house and avoid fall into the clutches of the financial system I was forced to sacrifice some things, including my
guitar collection, not a "big collection" but a "nice collection" (part of it in this picture)
Now,a little better economically,I buy some guitars again, no I want to start a collection again, so I'm carefully discarding what I want to preserve, the 175 of my avatar was part of the collection I sold
I hope I have not bored you with the story
regards

[Stbatz]

Absolutely agree

[Stbatz]

Why do you think it's important to have only one archtop?

Some of us think it's important to have more.

I do not say that it is "important", I only think it would be convenient perhaps for me, surely for others it is not so

[Stbatz]

Should an artist have only one brush?

Maybe Metheny can answer it!

[rio]

There's nothing wrong with being a one guitar guy and there is nothing wrong with having a bunch. It is the same as so many other things in life where it's important to find what is good for you and not impose that one other people (I'm not saying you are doing that by the way, Stbatz). I posted a thread not too long ago, a few months ago I think, asking a similar thing about the merits of focusing on one guitar, its usefulness and wanted to hear thoughts on it. I wanted to focus on my L5. I was thinking of a lot of guitar heroes who didn't have a bunch of guitars and how their voice was exclusively presented on one kind of instrument, maybe 2 or 3 over their career, and how having a lot of guitars might be a distraction.

I have since found out what works for me, and that is that I want to develop my voice well enough that it doesn't matter what i play. That is a lofty goal and I don't know if I will ever be there but I sure do love guitars and to only focus on one instrument would be a shame since it would take away something that I really like in life - guitars. Looking at them, playing them, trying out different ones and learning about them while comparing them. That's no better or worse than one guitar though, but I think that works for me.

The question of which guitars to sell isn't really something anyone can answer definitively since even the same guitar models will play and sound different, but I wish you the best of luck deciding that. I agree with what was said earlier and that it might be best to not sell any since you are not hurting for money and put them in a closet. If many years do pass and you don't play them then maybe do pass them on, but you never know what kinds of ideological changes you might have and sold guitar regret sucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Stbatz]

They're tools. If you can get rid of sentimental attachments to them (hard to do), then look at them from the viewpoint of what sounds you're trying to get, and keep the ones that get those sounds.

The choice to be a "one archtop man" seems capricious and arbitrary, unless you need money for something or are trying to help your widow out before you die.

IMO, based only on my prejudices, and in no particular order:
ES165 probably has the most traditional jazz electric sound.
PM20 is probably similar to the ES165, but somewhat more modern sounding
GB10 will get the George Benson sound
FG100 is, if I understand correctly, the immediate ancestor of the higher-end Pat Metheny guitars, but I've never played one
AG195 I have no particular impression of.

If I wanted to reduce my inventory:
The PM20 and the AG195 are relatively low-dollar instruments - I'd probably sell those.
I'd have to play the FG100 and AG195 to see what I thought, but other things being equal those would go on the "for sale" list too
I'd evaluate the ES165 and GB10 closely, and might keep both - if I had to keep only one I'd think about what sound I'm chasing and keep the one that's closest.

On the other hand, if money is what you're after, I'd keep the PM20 and sell the rest. The ES165 and GB10 will probably raise the most money.

Agree, if it's more or less what I thought about it

[Stbatz]

There's nothing wrong with being a one guitar guy and there is nothing wrong with having a bunch. It is the same as so many other things in life where it's important to find what is good for you and not impose that one other people (I'm not saying you are doing that by the way, Stbatz). I posted a thread not too long ago, a few months ago I think, asking a similar thing about the merits of focusing on one guitar, its usefulness and wanted to hear thoughts on it. I wanted to focus on my L5. I was thinking of a lot of guitar heroes who didn't have a bunch of guitars and how their voice was exclusively presented on one kind of instrument, maybe 2 or 3 over their career, and how having a lot of guitars might be a distraction.

I have since found out what works for me, and that is that I want to develop my voice well enough that it doesn't matter what i play. That is a lofty goal and I don't know if I will ever be there but I sure do love guitars and to only focus on one instrument would be a shame since it would take away something that I really like in life - guitars. Looking at them, playing them, trying out different ones and learning about them while comparing them. That's no better or worse than one guitar though, but I think that works for me.

The question of which guitars to sell isn't really something anyone can answer definitively since even the same guitar models will play and sound different, but I wish you the best of luck deciding that. I agree with what was said earlier and that it might be best to not sell any since you are not hurting for money and put them in a closet. If many years do pass and you don't play them then maybe do pass them on, but you never know what kinds of ideological changes you might have and sold guitar regret sucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It seems to me a very mature point of view and that I agree in its totality, on the other hand I still does not decide anything
Thank you!

[Stbatz]

This is easy, really, you just need to pare down to essentials.

Obviously, you need one electric arch top with rounds and one set up with flats. I mean, you never know what the gig will call for. And an all laminate guitar, for the louder stuff, like a 175. Should probably have one with a P-90 too, because that's a totally different sound.

Then all you need is one set up for rhythm, should be an all acoustic guitar, maybe a floater...maybe. Or you could have another with a floater, y'know, just in case. And then you round it out with an acoustic archtop set up for more intricate stuff, because that sound is so nice, and pretty "in" these days.

So looking at your current collection, all you need to do is...uh...go shopping?

I'm very agree with you in general, but shopping is something I'm trying to avoid

[Stbatz]

One can play jazz guitar and own zero archtops.

Absolutely agree

[Stbatz]

Put them all up for sale and keep the last one or two, let the buying public make your choice for you.

It's a fun idea

[Greentone]

It would be neat to have one guitar. I can't do it.

I'm only interested in one organ sound (B3), but I can't pull that off. I'm unwilling to gig with my B3, so I have a second option there--a digital sampling synthesizer with dedicated B3 patches (E-Mu B3), as well as a backup for the second option--an E-Mu Vintage Pro digital sampling synthesizer.

The Vintage Pro has great electric piano samples, but no acoustic pianos, so I have a different setup for acoustic keyboards (Yamaha). Right there, you are a four keyboard player. (Yeah, I know...old school, rack stuff.) Five, counting the acoustic piano at home.

Can't get to a one bass existence either. Need an upright for jazz and bluegrass gigs, and an electric for R&B and other gigs. Two bass existence...used to be four.

Withal, I mainly play a Parts-caster Tele and an L-5 copy for gigs, depending upon what kind of music I am playing. I _could_ use the Tele for everything, but I enjoy an archtop for jazz.

Heck, I don't even have one banjo--two tenors and a 5-string. One tenor for Irish/Celtic stuff, one for old-school, Dixieland, and a 5-string for street cred.

When I retire, I will probably sell and/or give away bunches of things and probably just keep one archtop for enjoyment. Until then, however, it's going to be a multi-instrumental existence.

[entresz]

In my opinion there's a lot to be said for the 'less is more' approach, particularly in the case of instruments. My go-to archtop is my Gretsch G400 Synchromatic with a floating Charlie Christian pickup. What I love is how simple it is - one pickup, vol/tone control - sounds good all the time. I tend to aim for a sound along the lines of Johnny Smith's - it has no problem doing that.

I purchased a while ago an early 70's Greco ES175 copy- it's has barely been played. There's nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't get used. I will sell it for that reason, it's a waste to keep and not use. It was a good way for me to get an idea of a 175 style guitar though, I've come the the conclusion that as far as archtops go, I prefer floating pickup, more acoustically minded instruments.

The other day I used my Les Paul Recording - I am pretty sure I spent 20 mins just trying to get a warm sound from the neck pickup. The problem is that the guitar has far to many controls. It wasn't even the fact the sound was bad - it's sounds good with everything on 10 - it was the fact there were so many options and things that I could adjust.

[Stbatz]

It would be neat to have one guitar. I can't do it.

I'm only interested in one organ sound (B3), but I can't pull that off. I'm unwilling to gig with my B3, so I have a second option there--a digital sampling synthesizer with dedicated B3 patches (E-Mu B3), as well as a backup for the second option--an E-Mu Vintage Pro digital sampling synthesizer.

The Vintage Pro has great electric piano samples, but no acoustic pianos, so I have a different setup for acoustic keyboards (Yamaha). Right there, you are a four keyboard player. (Yeah, I know...old school, rack stuff.) Five, counting the acoustic piano at home.

Can't get to a one bass existence either. Need an upright for jazz and bluegrass gigs, and an electric for R&B and other gigs. Two bass existence...used to be four.

Withal, I mainly play a Parts-caster Tele and an L-5 copy for gigs, depending upon what kind of music I am playing. I _could_ use the Tele for everything, but I enjoy an archtop for jazz.

Heck, I don't even have one banjo--two tenors and a 5-string. One tenor for Irish/Celtic stuff, one for old-school, Dixieland, and a 5-string for street cred.

When I retire, I will probably sell and/or give away bunches of things and probably just keep one archtop for enjoyment. Until then, however, it's going to be a multi-instrumental existence.

You are very lucky!

[rpguitar]

Are those ivory buttons, or is it just the lighting?

Hi Woody, those are 1920s Gibson (Waverly) buttons, but not the originals unfortunately. Lord knows when they were replaced - could have been 80 years ago. Here's the guitar in a bit more detail. Here's a pic of the buttons (not my guitar).

(Sorry for the brief hijack; now back to discussion about owning one archtop)

[nopedals]

I played for 20 years before I owned a second guitar. I think that was normal in those days. You traded yours in when you bought a new one, like buying a car. Then someone showed me a copy of vintage guitar magazine, and after that the Internet happened, and I had a room full of them.

[mr. beaumont]

I played for 20 years before I owned a second guitar. I think that was normal in those days. You traded yours in when you bought a new one, like buying a car. Then someone showed me a copy of vintage guitar magazine, and after that the Internet happened, and I had a room full of them.

Yep. Had 2 guitars, an electric, and a flat top. Then I joined an Internet forum.

[grahambop]

Sell the lot and buy a banjo.

[pingu]

Maybe Metheny can answer it!

He's got more than one hair brush .......

[Papawooly]

Re-hijacking for a brief moment... Roger, that guitar sounds fantastic, great X-Y mic technique!!

Hi Woody, those are 1920s Gibson (Waverly) buttons, but not the originals unfortunately. Lord knows when they were replaced - could have been 80 years ago. Here's the guitar in a bit more detail. Here's a pic of the buttons (not my guitar).

(Sorry for the brief hijack; now back to discussion about owning one archtop)