Hello! Starting with a long link about Isana Archtops with Jazz Master Bruce Forman

[WordMan]

Hello!

I spend most of my Online Guitar Nerd Time(tm) over at The Gear Page, under this same username.

I have recently gone down the rabbit hole on Isana archtops - I found your thread on vintage German Archtops overall here:

But it doesn't speak to Isanas much.

Well, that's about to change!!

Post-WW2 German Archtops: Isana Insanity! *Long*, with delightful Bruce Forman Jazzcat content! | The Gear Page

That link is to a post that maxes out TGP's character limit!! But at least it attempts to gather the info I could on Isanas and how they fit into the Post-WW2 Golden Age.

And it shares how I took the three Isanas I have gotten over to Jazz Master Bruce Forman to put them through their paces! So fun.

Please take a look - there's a lot conflicting info out there. If you have more / better info on Isanas/JSANAs, please post it here!!

[Hammertone]

Welcome!
There are a few threads about vintage European archtops on this forum. Not much reference to Isana, but I'll post something on this thread for you later. For some light reading, here are a few threads with a variety of information about German archtop guitars:

Vintage German Archtops

Artur Lang Archtop

Klira Archtop

Hopf Craftsman.

Roger Guitars

In an old Soviet ad... I spy a.... Roger?

Tauscher & Co , Taco guitars

A Hoyer Bridge problem

Hofner Chancellor

Where are the Hofner full body, (single) florentine cutaway specimens?

Hofner Committee

[WordMan]

Wonderful! Thank you so much! I will start digging in!

[Christian Miller]

I think they are drop dead gorgeous

Sound great too (when Bruce is playing them)

The no truss rod thing freaks me out a little bit

[WordMan]

I think they are drop dead gorgeous

Sound great too (when Bruce is playing them)

The no truss rod thing freaks me out a little bit

I have owned a lot of guitars with no truss rods. I have a few now: a 1930 Martin 2-17; a '42 Martin 0-15 with an ebony strip; a '42 Kalamazoo KG-14.

My rule of thumb is that if the guitar's neck is straight after 50+ years, it likely isn't going anywhere.

The Elvis Black Pearl has a D-shaped neck the size of a Banner Gibson. It hasn't moved!!

Also - after living with so many guitars with and without rods, I would say that - IMHO, In General - guitars with no rods sound a bit better? Like there is no metal to clash with as the vibrations move through the chunky neck.

[entresz]

My '58 Hofner Senator has a neck with no truss rod... dead straight. But it's a big chunky neck!

[Georgeakageorge]

But I'm new to this forum and can't seem to create a new post, but everyone in this thread seems to be so knowledgeable. I have long been obsessed with rarer guitars and have been wanting to buy a carved top German guitar. on reverb I have found a 1950s Roger guitar (looks like maybe pre adjustable truss rod) and a really 1950 Fasan (the one with the small sound hole). Unfortunately, I cannot post a photo for some reason, but was wondering if anyone knew anything about those two guitars, and which one they felt was a better quality of the two. I will continue to figure how to start a new thread or post photos in the meantime, but would love any advice, even if it's not one of those two guitars. Looking for something in the 1,500 range, that is a good little player, but not something everyone has.