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OK, a decent Levin carved archtop, sure.
Last edited by Hammertone; 04-05-2019 at 03:22 PM.
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04-05-2019 06:37 AM
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There are some really nice OM or OOO size guitars out there. Stay away from lower end Martins and Taylors (Mexican ones) I've had to try to repair more than anyone's share of those this past winter. Guild Westerly made some really nice guitars. Eastmans are nice. A good Taylor with a solid cedar top and cutaway is worth checking out. Some people like Gibson flat tops. They have less of the high end "sparkle" that's so appealing in many high end flat tops so it's a different sound, worth trying for sure and maybe really good when looking for that elusive bridge between archtop and flattop.
I built myself an OM sized guitar with a cutaway, and I used a double X bracing on it. With a full humbucker duncan 59 suspended in the soundhole, it's really perfect for jazz chord soloing and anything else that I play through it. I do prefer the sound of a magnetic humbucker over an internal piezo when I'm doing duo work; it's jazzy and manages to convey the woody sound of the guitar really effectively. I use LaBella rolled wounds and have also used and liked D'Addario ground wound strings. They're quiet yet they have the energy and attack that's versatile for a really nice pairing with a flat top.
Just some ideas.
Good luck with your search!
David
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Wow, that’s a lot to digest! ;-)
Based on your advices and suggestions I would first like to try out my nylon and my Furch archtop without the soundpost and louder strings. I fear the Furch lacks enough bass for what I want, but it’s worth a try since I have it already.
After that I can always decide if I want to invest in a better acoustic, be it steelstring, archtop or gypsy guitar.
Mind you, it is solely for the pure acoustic unamplified applications, that don’t occur that much, so I am reluctant to invest a lot of money. As soon as I can bring a small amp I would take my ES-125 anyway, because I love it’s tone and it works wonderfully well in the duo setting (we’ve done a few of those gigs already and the ES-125 fully satisfied!). The ES-125 can sound remarkably like a nice dark acoustic steelstring!
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Here's a Hoyer Special:
Hoyer Special, Archtop, original 1950er Jahre, Top Jazzinstrument | eBay
Here's a Roger Junior, made for the UK market. Solid, pressed top, laminated back. These can be remarkably loud and sound great:
Roger Junior CA Blonde acoustic - late fifties - made in Germany - all original | eBay
More typical listings for decent German archtops:
Alte Gitarre Hoyer 1950-1956 Lindberg | eBay
Alte Gitarre Hoyer 1950-1952 | eBay
-Neujahrsangebot- ARNOLD HOYER MEISTERKLASSE -Weihnachtsangebot- | eBay
Hofner 463 Vintage Jazzgitarre Archtop Gitarre Hofner Selmer inkl. Koffer | eBay
Jazzgitarre Archetop Vollholz - Gitarrenbaumeister "RL" um 1920 | eBay
https://www.ebay.de/itm/HOFNER-Hofne...gAAOSwxrJcMh9fLast edited by Hammertone; 04-05-2019 at 09:15 PM.
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My personal preference for playing jazz on a flat-top is something that has a mahogany back and sides which brings out a stronger bass and mid range response to my ears. Martin's D18 or (my own preference the discontinued JM road series jumbo) work fine for me. For strings I agree that Martin Marquis hit the spot. YMMV. Your ears are the best deciding tool.
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Maybe your Es125 and a GSS Jazzcat would be a solution.
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Thanks, yes that’s an interesting little amp I wouldn’t mind owning;-). But I was actually considering the situation where I can’t bring any amplification at all.... which is pretty rare, I admit. For this particular gig it was policy of the venue (very small diner/coffee house) to allow only unamplified acoustic music. (Might also be a legislation/permit thing, I don’t know).
Originally Posted by golfus
I have an AER Alpha that is small enough to take in the metro, bus, tram or even by bike and sounds very good with the ES-125 imho (especially with a reverb pedal), and from there up a have plenty of small amps that are still portable enough (my Session BluesBaby 22 is a favorite) for bigger noisier places.
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You are giving me G.A.S.! If you go any further, my therapist will probably forbid me to read your posts! ;-) Originally Posted by Hammertone
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Talking about strings, the Thomastik Plectrum are flatwounds that are perfect for acoustic flat top guitars if you‘re concerned about string squeaks.
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Thanks! Worth a try! Originally Posted by docsteve
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I think you sound GREAT! As an aside I am looking for a girl who can sing stuff like that for a duo. Our combo has a lady singer but she’s too operatic for my taste. Playing with and “auditioning” a gal tomorrow...
As far as strings, D’Addario Flattops are PB that have been ground. Very little string noise, while retaining the volume and brightness. They’re a must for slide playing as well.
Personally if I were worried about volume I’d amplify the 125 or a similar guitar. Here’s a tip—the Pignose 7-100 can give a very clean tone if not turned up to max. Most people think of it as a distortion machine—true if your push the volume to the point of overdrive. But, it has a non-linear volume/tone knob—at 50% the tone is clean but volume is about 80-90%. Then turn the guitar volume down a bit to 6-7.
I played not too long ago with some acoustic players who had Martins, and I knew my little Godin 5th Ave with floater couldn’t keep up volume-wise if unamped, so I brought the Pignose, which I had installed in an old radio cabinet. Worked like a charm. Weighs only 5 lbs, cheap and looks cool in tweed.
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@Jeff: thanks for the tips on the strings, I will try those as well. And thanks for the heads up!
As for amps: as said, yes we usually gig amplified and then I amp the ES-125, sounds wonderful!
It’s just for that rare occasion where we are not allowed to bring any amps....
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Really happy with it: big, balanced sound. Not as bright as in the video (PF plays with steel fingerpicks), but VERY nice guitar. Doesn't break the bank, either: got mine for 850€.
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Re the classical guitar idea- check out Kenny Rankin, if you’re not familiar with him.
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Roland Microcube. Tell'em it's a humidfier. Or strap it to you head and tell 'em it's a hat. They'll never know ... Originally Posted by Little Jay
John
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Thanks, I had never heard of Kenny Rankin before. He makes good use of the classical indeed!
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I think you both sound just fine, and it doesn't sound like you're needing an amp anyway.
As other have said, martin Monel strings are a good choice. They aren't as "folkie" sounding, though a bit bright until they break in.
I use them on my D-35, it is plenty loud in an acoustic setting. That's probably more guitar than you need for occasional use, but it has a deeper voice than most dreadnaughts.
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Originally Posted by Hammertone
Give my regards to Savonarola!
Last edited by Hammertone; 05-11-2019 at 09:35 PM.
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Better strings will not make up for a guitar that is simply not up to the task. Originally Posted by Little Jay
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No I understand that, but I know have TI flatwounds on the guitar and they have substantially less volume than the acoustic strings that were on before. Looking for strings that still give off decent volume but without the finger noise (several of you already made suggestions that I will try!). Originally Posted by EZduzit
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