The Loar LH-600 VS

**Mike Anderson** · 04-06-2018, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by Garnoth

Oh, and I played it with a dunlop primetone 1.0mm today and the difference in sound between that pick and the tortex I was using before is astounding! Love these primetone picks!

Ditto on this. Since I got my Godin Fifth Avenue I've tried a LOT of picks including very chunky Wegens, Pearse Fast Tortoise, JB, and the Primetone (far and away the least pricey), and I keep going back to the Primetone. They seem to give me a nice compromise between too clicky and too soft/muted. Well done Dunlop!

**swingtoneman** · 11-01-2020, 01:07 PM

Those of you who play the Loar LH-600-VS acoustic archtop:

a) What gauge strings do you think 'drives' this guitar?--.013 to .053? Or do you find a set to a .056 or even to a .059 gauge string even better? Has anybody tried an even higher gauge, mainly for a great rhythm style.

b) Anybody tried both the Loar 600 v Loar 700? Worth getting the Loar 700? (Never played one).

Look forward to your answers.

**campusfive** · 11-02-2020, 05:33 PM

I've played many LH-600's and LH-700's.

The 700 is just going to be a nicer looking, and possibly with nicer fit and finish.
But I've still used a 600 that was great.

I don't think you need to go higher than 13-56 to make the top resonate properly. I tend to prefer bumping the high E/B up one (so, say a 14 and 18), but I don't think you "need" more than a 56 on the bottom. Frankly, your setup being dialed in for reasonable acoustic volume is probably more important than whether you have 12's or 13's.

A friend of mine has had the same LH-600 for probably 10 years now, and he's solely a swing rhythm player, and his action is pretty cranked, like no quite Freddie Green high, but it's high. It's broken in and really throws sound. He's happier playing his LH-600 than borrowing my 1939 L-5 (which is a superb swing rhythm guitar), because my action is a bit is on the high side of medium since I do a lot of chord melody work.

Loars are Chinese factory-made guitars, and at that price point, they can have some QC issues and less than perfect fit/finish and set up. That said, after a pro setup, a Loar 600 or 700 is easily a professional grade acoustic archtop.