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Hello, I am in the market to buy an acoustic arhctop and I am wondering if there are any other brands (or maybe luthiers) that make acoustic archtops at the moment besides Eastman, or Godin with still a decent price (under 3000USD). Is there such a thing? Any help would be much appreciated!
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11-01-2020 01:36 PM
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I would look for used. Heritage comes to mind.
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Acoustic ?
Originally Posted by DRS
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Eastmans have a strong acoustic voice.
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Oh besides Eastman.
Loar can be cool but expect to expend some work getting it playing right. My nut needed attention, for example.
Vintage budget Gibsons don’t have a huge acoustic voice but are vibey.
If you want to try the acoustic early jazz thing, maybe just Loar... but if you want something nice to play at home or that records and/or mics well an L-48 or a Godin might be just the thing.
Vintage Ephiphones can be had for that much and are cannons if you like that sort of thing.
lastly, I quite like the Ephiphone Century guitars they put out recently. They are cheap as chips, but sound pretty good to me. Everyone seems to turn their nose up at them here, but I know a few pro players in London who like them.
I also liked the new Gretsch New Yorkers which were frankly better than the originals, which are dogshit.
But those guitars are well below 1k
But presuming you want something nearer the 3k mark and non vintage, that’s harder. There seems to me a gulf in the market between something like the Eastman 800 series and the American and European luthiers who build guitars like that (more expensive than 3k for sure.)
Maybe DuPont Lloyd for an early L5 vibe? I think a little above your budget IIRC.
Anything I missed?
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Jazz Archtop guitars Maurice DUPONT
4.5K or 6K depending on whether or not you have solid sides.
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Borrow $300 and buy Marty’s Guild x700 in the for sale section. You won’t need to upgrade and will own a real American Jazz giant guitar. Your done other than making music.
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All the new Acoustic Archtop options have been mentioned here, however there are several Forum members that have had good experiences ordering from Mr. Wu. There are lots of threads on this subject.
It really depends on your objective here. If you dont care about a cutaway, its difficult to beat a good Epiphone Triumph or Gibson L-7, and they can be had for your budget. I'm in the Epi camp and gig out with my 53 Regent in small venues. I just mic it off and it has plenty of punch.
Happy Hunting!
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my mistake acoustic but still this might be the best way to go. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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I would say L7 might be just a touch too expensive, but they are very popular with acoustic swing style players.
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OTOH the pricing on Reverb I don't think actually reflects what these instruments are changing hands for.
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Your thread title did state 'new'. However, if I were looking for a quality archtop for acoustic playing, I'd check the used market for one of the brands already mentioned. Also, a possible consideration is a Heritage Eagle Classic. It is a great sounding acoustic archtop that happens to have a floating pickup. Originally Posted by GiantSteps
There's one currently listed on Reverb by Archtop.com in your price range.
1993 Heritage Eagle: Rare Model, All Carved 17" Body, | Reverb
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If you want a real (i.e. carved top) acoustic archtop made new, your ONLY options for under $3k will be Eastman and Loar. None of these have carved tops: modern Epiphone, Godin, Gretsch, D'Angelico....
I would second the suggestion that there's a big difference between the "professional" level (my terminology) vintage Gibsons (i.e. L-7, L-5, L-4, L-10, L-12) and the lower level ones (L-50, L-48, etc.). A 1935-1941 (or so) L-50 can be pretty darn good, but it's still not the same thing as an L-7.
I would also second that vintage Epiphones are a value compared to a similar Gibson. I find that I happened to prefer the Gibson tone slightly, but a solid 30's/40's Epi Triumph is a great guitar for the money.
Lastly, I've never heard a Heritage that was made to be solely acoustic, and I gather that they do exist, but I think the vast majority of the carved top Heritages are really voiced to be plugged-in (and sound great, for that....). But even then, I don't think you could order one for under $3k anyway.
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I just spend a long time buying an L-12 (L-7 with better make-up) and I didn't seen any under 4K. Originally Posted by christianm77
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Here's Epi's version of an L-7......Maybe a little higher than it should be but if it's clean ?? ( no affiliation , etc ) Originally Posted by doc w
1950 Epiphone Triumph Regent
And here's an L-7 ..again no affiliation......with a p/u.....
Gibson L-7C 1951 Sunburst | Hyperbog Guitars | Reverb think this one is closer to 'the money' for either model.....
Just MHO and good luck !
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If you don't care for an Eastman you likely would not like a Wu or Yunzhi. While I prefer them to the Eastman's I've played, they are all Benedetto designs.
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Save your nickels and get a Campellone.
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I mean it really depends what you want as well? Fingerstyle v heavy strumming, chord melody v rhythm, modern v swing.
Acoustic implies you want it to have a big projecting voice, but that’s not the only way to build an archtop.
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I can confirm, your Loar sounds great. (I am considering to buy one, the only thing which keeps me back, that I must convert it lefty, as there are no native left handed models by Loar) Originally Posted by christianm77
Regarding Epi Centuries 1-2 years ago (or more?) when they came out, I spent hours during a few month to view YouTube videos with headphones to evaluate them as an option. Being lefty, and having no big stock guitar store nearby I have some experience using this method, despite its limitations. I concluded, that Epi Centuries are way disappointing.
Interestingly after a half year or year they came out, Reverb was flooded with used ones, two/third or less price, probably because they promise way more with their look, than they feel and sound, so many owner get the rid of them
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Go for a Loar or Eastman if you insist for new.
However I would give up the new prerequisite to widen the options, (and would go for a Loar or Eastman :-))
Luthier work is always mandatory after buying, so count with $100 - $200 over the price.
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Well get the Loar and get a new left handed bone nut and bridge.... you’d need to sort the nut anyway in my experience. Take it to a luthier and get it sorted.
The guitar is really a diamond in the rough. But I tried before I bought it. The shop was desperate to get rid of it so I payed 350gbp. Now I regularly see them up for sale nearer 1k.
Also remember - archtops are hard to sell, niche items, particularly acoustic archtops. Don’t imagine you can’t negotiate on price.
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FYI: I have a Loar LH700 I converted to a lefty. Wasn't hard to do (with help of a luthier): new nut, new saddle for the bridge, side markers and a pickguard. In my opinion, worth doing. Luckily the LH700 is a noncutaway so you can do this and maintain the appearance integrity of the guitar. Originally Posted by christianm77
Also, on another note I now use Martin Monel strings on it and definitely prefer the sound to phosphor bronze strings. Cuts down on the high-end brightness.
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oh man, this Gibson looks so good. I bet it sounds much more expensive than it costs Originally Posted by Dennis D
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It still does, Christian! Originally Posted by christianm77
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