Picked up an interesting archtop - Barrington bgw-700

[jzucker]

It's approximately the quality of the higher end Ibanez guitars. This one has a maple body, laminated (i assume) spruce top, oak/mahogany neck, ebony board. Sounds a bit like a GB10 but a little fatter due to the full size humbuckers. The humbuckers are super loud and bright so I'm guessing they are ceramic since they measure out at 7.5k.

[kris]

Nice!

[Jim Soloway]

I had one when they first came out. Really good guitars. I put one of the early Benedetto pickups in the neck position and it sounded great. Good score.

[Franz 1997]

The pickups could well be ceramic, but 7.5k is about average resistance for most Gibson HBs 1961 onwards, and all the derivatives and improved versions...
Not too hard to swap out, or even put a different magnet in.

Looks like a find. That laminated neck is slightly reminiscent of some early european archtops

[raal]

7 piece neck is unusual. Must be super stable.

[jzucker]

The pickups could well be ceramic, but 7.5k is about average resistance for most Gibson HBs 1961 onwards, and all the derivatives and improved versions...
Not too hard to swap out, or even put a different magnet in.

Looks like a find. That laminated neck is slightly reminiscent of some early european archtops

a standard PAF is between 7k and 7.5k, my 1970 175 reads 7.65k on the neck pickup

[jzucker]

7 piece neck is unusual. Must be super stable.

and with oak and mahogany!

[jazzimprov]

what a beauty!

[Franz 1997]

a standard PAF is between 7k and 7.5k, my 1970 175 reads 7.65k on the neck pickup

Yes, "about" 7.5k. Are you saying your 175 doesn't have a standard pat number T top? The dc reistance has nothing to do with what magnets are in it BTW.

[jzucker]

Yes, "about" 7.5k. Are you saying your 175 doesn't have a standard pat number T top? The dc reistance has nothing to do with what magnets are in it BTW.

I have no idea if they are T-topped. I just know the dc resistance measurement. According to archtops.com the pickups are stock. We were talking about dc resistance in the previous conversation, not magnets but yes, I do understand the dc resistance is strictly a function of wire thickness and length

[Jim Soloway]

I have no idea if they are T-topped. I just know the dc resistance measurement. According to archtops.com the pickups are stock. We were talking about dc resistance in the previous conversation, not magnets but yes, I do understand the dc resistance is strictly a function of wire thickness and length

I thought the pickups were the weakest part of the guitar. Not awful but not especially great. But the guitar was steady as a rock and really took off when I put in the Benedetto. Mine was blonde but otherwise pretty much the same guitar.

[jzucker]

thanks Jim. I have a set of burstbuckers that I'm going to put in there. The burstbucker pros I like a little better but these should be improvements.

[John A.]

We eagerly await the thunk report.

John

[jzucker]

We eagerly await the thunk report.

John

zero thunk. the only spruce top guitar I've heard with thunk was the kessel

[DRS]

Reminds me of a Aria FA71 I had.

[John A.]

zero thunk. the only spruce top guitar I've heard with thunk was the kessel

So does that mean you're sending it back, are you looking to add some un-thunk to your stable?

John

[jzucker]

So does that mean you're sending it back, are you looking to add some un-thunk to your stable?

John

Not sending back. I love it. Best cheap archtop ever! Gets sort of a bensonesque sound and is the quality of a gb10 at a 3rd of the cost.