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I’ve often heard people say that the Epis are the real cannons.
Originally Posted by PDeville
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05-13-2023 10:42 AM
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Hate the mid 30s Gibson chunky V.
LOVE the Epiphone soft v.
Every time I pick up a 40s Epiphone my left hand is in heaven. In fact when TK smith and I wrote down neck specs for my custom, I asked for an Epiphone soft v. It’s deep but the rounded v is incredibly comfortable, .92” at 1st fret and 1.05” at 12th. 9.5” radius like a fender. Absolutely perfect. Have never played a better neck.
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I sent Lora my 50% deposit on 1 December last year, the build looks like it started in April. Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
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Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
When I was working w/ MC on duplicating a '30's L-7 and then later a '50's L-7 neck, I basically couldn't measure the L-7's I owned. I had no idea how to accurately measure those necks. Without my neighbor the engineer and his mic or caliper, I forgot which he used, it'd never have been correct. I ended up w/ .084 at the first fret. ( perfect ! ) It still scares me to think what could have happened if that'd been left up to me. : )
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Mine was a very good guitar, needed fret work, and i did the electronics with someone else.
I regret having sell it.
As every luthier (americans too), no one can do everything great, if you want a Gibson style archtop probably you should go to Campellone, and if you want other style go with another luthier.
Mr Wu builds every dream you have, of course he might not be perfect in everything, so in my case: i went for an L-5 style guitar... it sounded better than an L-5 acoustically but when installed a Classic 57 into it the sound lacked the fattnes of a real L-5, why?, because Mr Wu made it more responsive acoustically. Nobody is perfect and there is always a trade off, so we cant ask him to by succesful in styles he is not known for.
I consider my experience with Mr Wu a very good one.
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My experience with Lora and Wu was a positive one. I received my guitar in early spring 2023. I had a very unique guitar in mind (lefty 7 string, smaller with 24.5" scale), and wanted to keep it under 3K (custom in the US would be $7k+ easily). It took the good part of a year (COVID delays), then I added a KA pickup, and paid a local luthier another to finish the job (you should factor this into the total price). I am very happy with my guitar almost a year later, playing it every day. I llke that my guitar is well-made, unique, and exactly what I need it to be, but is not a precious museum piece with any resale value. I would definitely work with Wu-Lora again. There are some helpful discussions over on the Friends of the Archtop Guitar facebook group, so check those out as well.
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Wow. Just on paper, it sounds like a baseball bat with a wedgie. But specs on paper rarely match up with the experience of playing it. I have never found a V-neck that I liked, but maybe I just haven't found the right one. Maybe someday I'll pick one up and it'll be like "this is the neck I've been waiting for all my life." Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
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When you provide all your specs to the builder, how do you know if you're going to like the result?
I've thought about it. But, I just can't figure out how to assure that I'd be happy with the result.
If I had to buy an archtop, I'd probably think about going to New York and shopping around. Maybe LA and Nashville too.
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I've just reread this thread from start to finish and it really sparked some interest. I'm not really interested in a custom guitar but no one makes anything like the guitar I would actually want: a 24" scale length; a 15" body; 3" rim width; 1 13/16" nut width; a large(ish) C to D neck profile; rosewood fingerboard; mahogany back and sides; large frets; 16" radius.
Given a bit of time, I'm sure that I can think of a few more, but that's a pretty good start and I'm pretty sure there's nothing even in that general direction that's available commercially so maybe the Lora/Wu/Yunzei route might have some possibilities.
Do they ship in a case?
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I guess you have to trust the opinion of others if you're just starting out with archtops. By the time I was buying my first archtop, I lived in places where you can't find them to play. Even on visits to Houston I couldn't find guitars to play. So I trusted Big Mike's experience and bought my first Yunzhi. A risk certainly but turned out well. I like the acoustic end of the spectrum much of the time and the Benedetto design suits my taste. I was lucky to buy mine when prices were low and wood selection broad. Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Now.. years later.. I have a couple of Gibson L5's and a 175. I like them too. But they are electric guitars by design and apples/oranges to the Yunzhi and Wu guitars.
Since you have played many archtops you probably know what you like. Eastman's (Wu's are better BTW) and Gibson and in between so the risk would be materials, workmanship, and the difference from guitar to guitar (assuming equivalency in age, construction, et al). IMHO, the latter is overstated but is still a factor. In new guitars I wouldn't hesitate to get a Gibson, Ibanez, Yunzhi, or Wu if I wanted that style guitar. I would also know what issues to expect given the many reviews we've seen on this site.
On the other hand.. for not-new guitars and assuming no damage, aging seems a big variable. Some seem to age really well, others less so. No idea why. Suppose for that one all you can do is play them until you find one you can afford to bond with.
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You don't, unless you've played a guitar with those exact specs before.When you provide all your specs to the builder, how do you know if you're going to like the result?
Yes, Wu guitars ship in a case. It's not a Calton flight case, but it is a decent case. The case is encased in styrofoam, then cardboard, then a couple of rolls of packing tape. It's a bear to get open. The guitar comes strung, but the strings are loose, with padding around them, the bridge in the case pocket, well packed, everything padded. For what you want, a Wu might be a good choice. Also consider the bracing pattern you want. I prefer parallel, but he does X if you specify that.
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Well here's a positive update on response times. I wrote Lora with a complex set of specs yesterday. She responded with detailed answers 13 hours later!
Now I have an important question: what is the difference between Mr Wu and Mr Yunzhi? The price is very different: $1800 US from Mr Wu and $1100 US from Mr Yunzhi, both all in including shipping and a bag. (No electronics in either. I thought I'd just take everyone's advice and get that done here). Is there a big quality difference between the two?
BTW, here are the specs I sent her. The real kicker is the 24" scale length.
Width at lower bout 382 mm (15") body with cutaway
70 mm (2.75") Depth
mahogany back and sides (do you offer this?)
610 mm (24") scale length (this is the most important feature)
46 mm (1 13/16") nut width
C neck shape
Thickness at 1st Fret: .860"
Thickness at 12th Fret: .960"
Rosewood fingerboard
Medium Jumbo frets
12" radius
Rosewood bridge
An endpin jack but no other electronics. I would have that done here.
Is an oval sound hole possible?
What woods do you offer for tops other than spruce and maple? Is a mahogany top available? Or cedar?
Last edited by Jim Soloway; 02-11-2024 at 03:27 PM.
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Wu is an individual luthier. Yunzhi is a factory. Wu has done round and oval soundholes, as has the Yunzhi factory. That shouldn't be a problem. I've ordered a couple of guitars with just the endpin jack and internal wire, because I like using a DeArmond Rhythm Chief, and I prefer to do the installation myself. That doesn't seem to affect the price. I don't know about the size specs you want. The standard lower bout width is about 15.5", although they may offer 15". As you probably know, building a non-standard size hollow archtop is not an easy thing, because it involves making new patterns and jigs. Matching a body size to a non-standard scale length isn't necessarily straightforward, but I think either could do that, perhaps with an upcharge. I can't speak to available woods, because I've never wanted anything other than spruce for a top, and I'm not all that picky about the back and sides.
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I don't think absolutes like 'how do you know?' and 'you don't unless you play the guitar first' are reasonable. I suppose some are so risk averse that applies. However, very few people play their new archtop before purchase. Not like you can walk into the local guitar center to compare that L4 to the L5 to help you decide. And still, it's fine. You do your homework on the reliability of the maker then you can expect more or less the same experience as everyone else. Only in the case of a Wu you get to specify the neck profile to some degree.
As for spec'ing something less standard.. not what I would do. Anything other than a 25" scale and something they typically make might not turn out well. They will try to make anything you ask and it might turn out great. Or not. Might have issues like intonation since this isn't guitar engineering, just guitar building. Kind of risky so you can't complain too much when something unique goes off the rails.
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That's an interesting observation because without the short scale length, I would have no reason to order anything. Originally Posted by Spook410
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I'm pretty either Wu or Yunzhi would accept an order for a 24" scale length guitar. I can't say how it would turn out. I don't know how their fingerboards are slotted. It also requires different geometry for the neck/body. I really can't advise you on whether to move forward on this. I'm happy with the guitars I received, but they're pretty much standard.
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Fortunately, you are an expert on guitar construction including the necessary geometry. Maybe you can provide enough in terms of specifications to allow them to use their standard templates and components to make it work. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Originally Posted by Spook410
I have a Wu archtop and I'm very happy with it.
I toured with this guitar for years, never had a problem.
I wouldn't worry so much asking custom features: I asked for a copy of my 1930 L5 (which I sold many years ago), with short scale, cutaway and X braces.
Yes, basically only the body is similar... but I really love how it sounds.
It is very responsive, and it's currently strung with nylon strings!
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