Travel sized archtop...

[Steve Z]

There seems to be two travel sized archtops, perhaps more, available for under $2500. One is vintage and meant as a guitar for children/students, the other is build by new guitar built by a top archtop builder...

What are your thoughts...

vintage Gibson ES-140 (not thin line 140T)

or

Benedetto Andy?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

My thought on the Benedetto Andy: $2400 and a 23" scale? For that kind of money I'd want them to invent a telescoping neck.

Seriously, you need to state your specific requirements. For me, if I couldn't carry a full-sized guitar as is, I'd take a Telecaster, with the neck unbolted. Problem, solved.

[Steve Z]

... Seriously, you need to state your specific requirements...

Really more of a conversation than a need to buy, although I could some how reason that my 3 year old daughter "needs: a guitar . I guess the question is more vintage vs new design for value, etc.

... For me, if I couldn't carry a full-sized guitar as is, I'd take a Telecaster, with the neck unbolted. Problem, solved.

Now that is a great idea!

[Bertrand tB]

Perhabs you should go for the Benedetto. But if you take a look around then you'll find other archtop builders who can make you such an instrument. Here in the Netherlands I know some, like Heeres or Slaman here in Den Haag.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

I just googled ES-140 -- never heard of it before. $1500 to $2500, 22 3/4" scale, P-90. I wonder how readily available these models are.

I think you have to throw this out there. I really like 25 1/2" scale. For that reason I'm not crazy about these guitars. And the price: they would be just another guitar for me, and their price is too high for that. Maybe someone who likes shorter scales and has deeper pockets would like to weigh in. (It's all relative: my pockets are just deeper than my arms!)

[Doctor Jeff]

Here is a whole bunch of travel guitars:

Travel guitars, Apple Creek, Blackbird, Cort Earth Mini, Palm Guitar, Maton, Soloette

The Rees Rambler looks and sounds cool; not sure if they ship to the states though.

This is my current travel "guitar":



My Lanikai tenor uke has a low G tuning. I realize that a 4-string uke might not fit your needs, but a 6-string uke can be tuned exactly like a guitar. On the other hand, uke playing is a world unto itself...

[Tom Karol]

The Anderson Little Archie (Andersen Stringed Instruments) is only $7K. I'm sure your daughter would love it! Bill Frisell has one (he helped design it).

[Steve Z]

The Anderson Little Archie (Andersen Stringed Instruments) is only $7K. I'm sure your daughter would love it! Bill Frisell has one (he helped design it).

Only $7... Who needs a college fund anyway?

[Eddie Lang]

You don't mention if you only want an electric archtop. If it is the case, the ES-140 is the way to go IMHO and they do come up here and there and you can find one under $2500 if you are lucky or patient.

If the guitar can also be an acoustic archtop (you can always add a transducer pup like a K&K or other), you have a few more options in the vintage market. They're not quite as small as the ES-140 (3/4 size, 12-3/4" wide!) but almost.

Vintage Epiphone:
*Beverly: 13" wide
*Olympic: 1931: 13"; 1933: 13-5/8"; 1937: 15-1/4"
*Zenith: 1931: 13-5/8"; 1934: 14-3/4"
*Blackstone: 1931-33: 14-3/4"

These midget archtops all have arched top and back and you can find them under $1000, except maybe the Olympic because David Rawlings (w/ Gillian Welch) plays one.

Vintage Gibson:
* L-30, L-37, L-47: 14-3/4" wide, flat back, under $1200 - $1500 in good condition
* L-50: same specs as above until 1935 when it switched to 16". You can find one under or a little above $1500

[derek]

I just googled ES-140 -- never heard of it before. $1500 to $2500, 22 3/4" scale, P-90. I wonder how readily available these models are.

I see'em pop up on archtop.com a handful of times. More out there than I thought.

[Eddie Lang]

I see'em pop up on archtop.com a handful of times. More out there than I thought.

Lowell at Players Vintage Instruments often has them. Incidently, he has two right now, one full depth, the other a thin body. (No affiliation)

There isn't any at the moment, but there has been about five or six of them on eBay in the last two months, so they do come up.

[X-500]

One is vintage and meant as a guitar for children/students,

Hi Steve,

There's the vintage Guild M-65 freshman that is 3/4 scale and meant to be a entry level archtop. Here's an example I got from Justgreatguitars.com (it depicts a great comparison to the Guild X-170 and show just how small it is)




Here's one in Ebay:

1962 guild m-65 acoustic electric 3/4 scale - eBay (item 270526966426 end time Feb-10-10 16:09:37 PST)

There are others for sale on Ebay, but they're asking too much for this model (as "rare" as they claim it to be).

Here's another in Guitarsandeffects.com selling through Gbase.com (looks like a walnut finish?):

1961 Guild M-65 ¾ Freshman Guild M-65 ¾ Freshman > Guitars : Hollow Body | Gbase.com

[randyc]

As I recall, bkdavidson has a nice travel guitar - the details escape me but I hope that he will see this thread and comment -

[Little Jay]

To make some promotion for my fellow countryman: Dutch builder Daniel Slaman builds a model called the Jazz Junior featuring a 14,5" body, 24,75" scale. It fits in a classical guitar-case. That's about as far as a travel-archtop I would go without sacrificing on tone, feel, etc.

Daniel builts real nice guitars and is a nice fellow on top of that!

(and no, he doesn't pay me for this )

Daniel Slaman guitars
Naamloos document

[Little Jay]

Come to think of it: for holidays I use my Aria Sinsonido as my travelguitar. Small and light and virtually indestructible. (It's a cheaper copy of the SoloEtte). The "body" is detachable. Taking it on a plane as handluggage is no problem.

I strung it with 012 flatwounds and it even sounds good like that. Through an amp it does actually sound hollow/archtop-ish, because of the strange pickup: a tube with two tiny condenser mics in it.

I never realy played a jamsession or gig with it, but I suppose it would even hold it's ground.

For quiet practise with headphones it's ideal, especially if you run it through some fx/preamp-box like a Line6 (pocket)Pod of Korg Pandora.

[Steve Z]

Great info. I had never heard of the Guild M-65. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.