The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
Reply to Thread Bookmark Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Posts 1 to 25 of 31
  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Hi all,

    Does anyone know of any players that use acoustic archtops for music other than jazz? I'm interested to hear them in other styles/settings - blues, folk, country etc. I know of a few early blues players that used them such as Mississippi Fred McDowell, and of course Maybelle Carter's L-5 in a more folky country style. Any suggestions on players or links to YT videos I could check out?

    Thanks

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

    User Info Menu

    I am always interested and impressed at the musicality and inventiveness of David Rawlings:

  4. #3
    Ah yes of course, how could I forget Dave Rawlings, great player!

  5. #4

    User Info Menu

    Howard Emerson uses a 20s L5 (among several other guitars)



    If you skip ahead to 3:40, you can see it in action. Some other later Mike Bloomfield acoustic stuff is supposedly archtops, but I don't think there's anything definitive as to which songs.

    John.

  6. #5

    User Info Menu

    I heard a young country/folk singer who was sporting a non-cutaway full arch top recently. She was playing with Molly Tuttle, but wasn't Molly Tuttle. Hopefully that gives you a sense of the kind of music. Wish I could remember her name. She was very good.

  7. #6

    User Info Menu

    Dave Rawlings is a monster. Watch what he does with the capo about halfway through this song.



    Devil Makes Three—met them at a concert a few years ago at the merch table. They were extremely nice, and we chatted about guitars for a good 15 minutes. I think both the guys have vintage Epis.


  8. #7

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by rlrhett
    I heard a young country/folk singer who was sporting a non-cutaway full arch top recently. She was playing with Molly Tuttle, but wasn't Molly Tuttle. Hopefully that gives you a sense of the kind of music. Wish I could remember her name. She was very good.
    Possibly Courtney Hartman?


  9. #8

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by rabbit
    Possibly Courtney Hartman?

    Yes. That was her.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  10. #9

    User Info Menu


  11. #10

    User Info Menu

    Pretty sure Buddy Guy played a cheap archtop for Muddy Waters on the all-acoustic 60's album 'Muddy Waters Folk Singer.'

    Lost my copy and I can't find the cover art to prove it. Great album, with Willie Dixon, too.

  12. #11
    Thanks for all the replies, will check all these out - great stuff

  13. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by rabbit
    Pretty sure Buddy Guy played a cheap archtop for Muddy Waters on the all-acoustic 60's album 'Muddy Waters Folk Singer.'

    Lost my copy and I can't find the cover art to prove it. Great album, with Willie Dixon, too.
    ah yes I have that album, one of my favourite acoustic blues albums of all time. Buddy also played a Harmomy (I think) Archtop on his own acoustic album Blues Singer. It was this album that first got me into Archtops as I love his sound on it. Here’s a video from the recordings:


  14. #13

    User Info Menu

    Bluesbreaker,

    Thanks for the wonderful video of Buddy Guy. I'll look into the Guy album you mention.

    There's a wealth of stuff on that youtube channel.

  15. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by rabbit
    Bluesbreaker,

    Thanks for the wonderful video of Buddy Guy. I'll look into the Guy album you mention.

    There's a wealth of stuff on that youtube channel.
    No problem rabbit, yes it's a great channel with some really interesting content.

    The Blues Singer album is fantastic. I remember reading an article about it where it explained about why the producer wanted the archtop on the album and how he made Buddy play without a pick for a different and more intimate sound. He hated doing it at first as his fingers were so sore but when he heard it back he loved it.

    This isn't the one I read but it's similar:

    Buddy Guy Conjures Intimacy On Acoustic Set | Billboard

  16. #15

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by rabbit
    Pretty sure Buddy Guy played a cheap archtop for Muddy Waters on the all-acoustic 60's album 'Muddy Waters Folk Singer.'

    Lost my copy and I can't find the cover art to prove it. Great album, with Willie Dixon, too.
    This one...

    + Muddy for good measure...

    Only saw Buddy Guy / Jnr Wells once, the crowd was getting restless because of the delay in setting up the gear & they came out and did an acoustic set which didn't go down well (?) - Buddy won 'em over by tearing them a new *hole in two verses (double ?).

    Jnr Wells blew the back of it on a solo version of 'Help Me'..that helped too.
    Attached Images Attached Images Acoustic archtops used in genres other than jazz?-front-jpg Acoustic archtops used in genres other than jazz?-muddy-waters-newport-jpg 

  17. #16

    User Info Menu

    Here's John Mayer using an L5


    Looks like Mark Whitfield is in the band for this performance as well.

  18. #17

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by dot75

    + Muddy for good measure...

    The guitar on the Muddy at Newport is most probably John Lee Hooker's instrument.

    Acoustic archtops used in genres other than jazz?-mqdefault-jpg


    Acoustic archtops used in genres other than jazz?-hqdefault-jpg



  19. #18

    User Info Menu

    Jerry Miller plays (and still plays) a customized L5 in Moby Grape back in the 60's.
    Steve Howe (Yes, Asia, et al) plays an ES-175.
    Scooty Moore played an ES-295 with Elvis.
    I played a Vega E40D in a Soul Band in college!

    Oh wait, you said acoustic. In the words of Emily Latela, "Never mind!"
    (I do seem to recall seeing some archtops being played in old time bluegrass bands, however.)
    Last edited by Tom Karol; 08-10-2020 at 02:55 PM. Reason: Clarification

  20. #19

    User Info Menu

    This joker used to play ragtime on an old Gibson archtop.


  21. #20

    User Info Menu

    Then there's Ranger Doug strumming that Stromberg...


  22. #21

    User Info Menu

    not his standard instrument, but this is an interesting take:



  23. #22

    User Info Menu


  24. #23

    User Info Menu


  25. #24

    User Info Menu

    I am surprised that nobody has mentioned this. 50s 60s country bands had a guy strumming an acoustic archtop, often super 400s. The one that comes to mind is the guy in Porter Wagoner's band.

  26. #25

    User Info Menu

    And George Gobel indeed!