I recently bought an old archtop from goodwill. No brand name, no serial, nothing. Clearly it used to have a pickguard. Only has one strap button (wooden). From what I have been able to figure out it is likely from sometime between the 30s and 60s. The bridge is fixed in place with a reinforcement inside the body. Looks to be original, as far as I can tell.
Also, as you can probably tell, the top is a bit warped. I could take it to luthier, but I'm pretty sure it isn't worth enough to justify the expense. If I can fix it well enough myself to get it into playable condition, I'd be happy... assuming it isn't worth fixing professionally. Neck seems fine.
https://preview.redd.it/xiikqlohdm081.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70671ebb26babc2a666b05834963786bcece4db6
https://preview.redd.it/fuz30vrgdm081.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e93c8974108ed2d7408dd8ed1607c43bb41dec0e
https://preview.redd.it/n48tq8qfdm081.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4df3fb31cbccd74478cbbd0c8f8bee5df854dff
https://preview.redd.it/ljdtxziedm081.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d34ecf7ce99b2c6625a8624a5edce750db4b5e15
https://preview.redd.it/e8xi40nbdm081.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48c50977c6eea4e258747dcd90242d372a392702
I am looking for a lightweight, portable hard case (or very sturdy gig bag) with back straps to fit archtop guitars. Can anyone suggest any?
My archtop came with a hard case, but carrying it around is heavy and inconvenient. I have a "Kinsman kueg8" case for my telecaster which is a very lightweight hard case with back straps, and it is perfect. It feels sturdy enough for anything except plane travel, which I will not be doing, and the back straps make it convenient and easy to carry. Something similar would be ideal.
I am currently playing an Ibanez LGB30 which is very slim, but I will be upgrading when I find the right guitar. Thanks for your suggestions.
Hello everyone!
It seems to me, that have a nice archtop tenor guitar is a pricey achievement. But, as I need this type of instrument just for some experiments at home and I'm not strict about timing, thus I decided to make my own archtop.
Now for the funny part. I'm not a guitar builder) that's why I googled some instructions on how to build an archtop. Some youtube manuals, of course. But I'm writing here straight to the community of guitar makers to advise some manuals that they trust or even they used to learn how to make a tenor guitar archtop.
And, of course, I will appreciate some advices and tips about making such an amazing instrument.
Thank you for your time!
Recently I acquired a beautiful archtop guitar from a friend of mine, it's a Richwood RE-450. Not the most expensive guitar, but I fell in love the minute I played it and I'm going to pimp it out a little soon.
I'd like to practice and gig with it once that's done with, but since I've never really owned an archtop I'm having some trouble finding the right case for it, hence my question here. It's approximately 15cm in height and 44cm in width, so slightly higher than an average dreadnought, and any cases that would fit are out of my budget (Mono cases being an example). Does anyone know of an alternative I could look into?
If you want to PM me or something. I just want to make sure this one is legit and the price is good! Thank you
https://i.imgur.com/Yq8UDIe.jpg
This would be the first time I buy a new guitar, I have a pre owned Ibanez Gio that I've been using for the last couple of years. I'll be mostly playing Metal on my bedroom
Hi,
Looking at buying my first archtop. Saw a nice used Godin 5th Avenue II CW.
One of the reviews explicitly mentions neck height as an issue with the guitar. I asked the seller for some pics and it looks _ok_ to me but I don't really know how to objectively evaluate it. Would appreciate anyone with a trained eye to have a look.
Seller says the action looks on the lower side but strings slightly buzz if hit hard (I guess all will?)
Thanks a lot!
Review:
"The neck sits quite high over the body, however, even for an archtop of this style, and this means that the strings sit some 25-28mm off the front. The dual dog-ear P-90s are mounted on substantial spacers and the two-piece archtop-style bridge (made by Graph Tech from black Tusq) is adjusted some 6mm off its foot.
This raised feel does take a little adjustment playing-wise - other 5th Avenues we've checked have a flatter neck angle, and therefore lower bridge height, which indicates some production variances. It's not helped by small gauge 'acoustic' fret wire that's a little sharp edged, a sloppy set-up and an absence of dot markers past the 12th fret."
https://preview.redd.it/r6f27ff1o7t61.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5274ce5c9461b58f8783deae54748bb9f8413594
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https://preview.redd.it/s3o5h6f1o7t61.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30c1528e4f23e51de1410edab9d50a41a39ae0e8
https://preview.redd.it/dn3u5hf1o7t61.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f4460e9239363f226dd46bead5630832afbcb6
Looking to buy an Alvarez AD65CE - Sunburst Finish.
There are a number natural finish ones for sale "out there" but I can't find one currently available with a sunburst finish.
She's the 3rd sister I've been looking for to bring back home to join the other two:
If you have a Sunburst finish one or know of one available, let me know.
One big happy family:
This 1956 model TG-50 archtop tenor guitar available from elderly instruments popped up on my tenor radar this morning. Not an option for me ATM but might be just what someone is looking for.
The tenor version of Gibson’s popular L-50 archtop, the TG-50 archtop tenor guitar was first introduced by Gibson in 1934 and ran until 1957.
https://preview.redd.it/5xlc22179jm61.jpg?width=478&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6a54883d16ecae0eca0e0701fa9c72125a337c5
I recently purchased a brand new archtop that I absolutely love. I want to do everything I can to keep it in the best possible shape, avoid finish checking, etc. It is my first fully hollow guitar. Is a humidifier necessary? Taking any and all tips. Thank you very much!
I know that the AR910 is higher end than the AR810, but the website is super vague about why exactly. The specs are almost identical.
Anybody know the difference?
My step father was a jazz guitar virtuoso and collector and recently died due to complications from Covid-19. I was given this guitar and I plan to take lessons so eventually I can do it justice.
https://imgur.com/gallery/1kVjW3c
I'd like to know everything anybody can tell me about it. For example,
The story of its production How rare and valuable is it? What kind of music do people use this kind of guitar for? How should I choose which kinds of strings and pick to use? Which artists used this kind of guitar? Advice for me to take care of this very expensive thing with no experience, should I take it to a guitar shop for maintenance sometimes? Some of your personal experiences and anecdotes about something like this?
And just anything else you can share. I miss my dad a lot and I want to know everything I can about this guitar.
Does anyone happen to know why the classical guitar has a flat top? I know historically it was derived from the baroque guitar, which came from the lute, but from a design standpoint, why not an archtop with angled neck like a violin? To my understanding, this design allows you to have more string break at the bridge which makes the top resonate more, which means more volume and maybe even more tone.
So I’m looking for an Archtop Guitar, mainly for Jazz (I love the Gibson ES-175)I’ve seen lot’s of people talking about less than 1000€ guitars, also there’s this Richie Zellon video where he talks about the same theme, but I think that there are more options, and I would like to know the opinion of this community.
If you had 1500€, which Archtop guitar would you buy?
Also I would like to know if you would buy a guitar and mod it later like adding a Gibson Humb 57 classic or something like that
