ISO a nice new or used archtop IDEA for installing a vintage correct CC pickup

[tjmicsak]

I purchased a CC pickup from the gentleman in GB who makes them pretty much identical to the originals- more so than the others. My intent is to then grab an archtop to install it in.
Some options I have considered:

• New D'Angelico EXL-1 or Throwback
• New Loar LH-700
• Some random older archtops if in good shape

What I don't want to do is get an old wartime instrument and carve it up, but at the same time I am certainly looking for getting the best end result to begin chasing down some CC technique, sounds, and understandings.

I am not sure if I need parallel bracing or not as this will be a cut out for the pickup and the three mounting screws.

Right now I am leaning towards the Loar option since it is a new instrument and might provide a good solid option.

Any suggestions???

[Doug B]

I purchased a CC pickup from the gentleman in GB who makes them pretty much identical to the originals- more so than the others.

Was that CC from Mojo UK?

[tjmicsak]

This was the source:

CC Pickups - About

[omphalopsychos]

Those are great sounding pickups. Any of those guitars sounds like a fine option. FYI you want x bracing not parallel bracing. With parallel you’d have to cut through the braces to mount the pickup (depending on the spacing). The way Gibson installed the cc pickup was such that the “third” screw went right through the center intersection of the x braces.

Of the options you listed I think the Dangelico exl-1 would look the coolest. I’d get a black or blonde one to do it.

[Cunamara]

Godin? Well-made and very reasonably priced instruments, not at all rare and therefore modifiable IMHO.

I love the CC pickup sound, but of course that is not at all necessary to chase down Charlie Christian's approach, technique, understandings, sounds, etc. I just recently reinstalled an approximation of that pickup (Biltoft humbucker-sized CC pickup) back onto my archtop once I had figured out the grounding problem that the guitar had with all pickups, which has made the noise much more manageable. I like the wide and open sound portrait of those big single coils.

The amp will also be an issue. Charlie was not playing through a Fender or a solid state amp! The amplifiers he used (Gibson EH-150) had octal tubes; you can pretty well approximate that sound with a pedal which emulates that (the Jr. Barnyard).

In addition to Charlie, listen to Lester Young who was a primary influence on CC.

[tjmicsak]

I actually have the JR Barnyard already, trying to get that full "big" sound from my amp.

I would love to find a reasonable 17" cutaway archtop and try for making a Bernie Kessel type build, that either has a floating PU, no PU, or a surface P90, where I could have the CC cut out fit leaving no old holes.

[Cunamara]

The Godin 5th Avenue Jazz with cutaway and floating mini humbucker might be a platform that would work, but I have no idea if parallel or X braced.

[ccroft]

My Godin 5th Ave (non cut) is parallel braced. From what I can find on the XL-1 it's parallel. LH 700 & 600 seem to be parallel too.

LH 650 might've been X. Member 2bornot2bop said in an old post that his was X.

Eastmans (Eastmen?) are typically X.

There's been a few posts over the years about trying to 'make' an ES 150. Apparently it's not quite as simple as it should be. There are tales of disaster. Maybe it's why the hum bucking sized ones came along.

[sgosnell]

The Eastman I had, (T145) was parallel braced, with a set humbucker. FWIW..