Archtops

[Tatercaster]

How does an archtop compare to a flat top in terms of volume and frequency response? Let's say the flat top is a dreadnaught with a spruce top and rosewood back and sides, the archtop is all maple.

 

[Mart the Hat]

I haven't played a whole load of them, but the archtops I've played have seemed quiet and underwhelming if lightly fingerpicked but come alive when played firmly with a heavy pick, with strident mids but relatively restrained bass compared to a large flat-top and plenty of volume in a pokey, midrangey way. Though really they're as varied as flat-tops are...

 

[bullitt]

Archtops are more midrange oriented and have less sustain than a flattop,they also have different way of transferring string vibration to the body than a flatop,a lot of it is transferred through the block under the fret board than through the bridge like a flatop.I have an old archtop I enjoy playing as much as my dred.

 

[Warm Gums]

Archtops are excellent ensemble guitars, like many fine violins, they often don't sound particularly good to the player, but do sit well in a small group, and can have a fine sound in the house.
They are also still very tied to price, while ther are some nice sub 1k archtops available that are fun to play, a truly fine archtop is a pricy proposition, which has diminished its use in areas outside of chamber jazz.

 

[toomuchfun]

Like bullitt said most have more midrange, especially with a maple body. I have a mahogany body Martin R-18 and it sounds different than my maple Gibson L-50, a little more bark. With F holes you don't get the volume while playing, but if you are in front of one I think you get pretty good volume. Playing one in a live room you can sometimes hear a phasing effect due to the sound coming out of both F holes. And I feel medium gauge strings on a good archtop feel more like lights. Fun guitars.

 

[chezdeluxe]

It is not possible to generalise.

X braced archtops made by experienced luthiers sound very different from tone bar braced archtops which can often sound as musical as a washboard.

 

[bullitt]

Unfotunately Ive never heard a real good archtop such as a Benedeto or such in person.Ive listened to a lot of them on you tube and sound good to me,heres mine

 

[Bongocaster]

Sometimes you have to put some strings on 'em. True with any acoustic guitar really. Heavier strings, higher tension to create enough energy to drive the top. Dependant on the individual guitar and what sound you are trying to achieve of course.

 

[boredguy6060]

I have a thing for archtops, my first guitar was a archtop. My dad owned a neiborhood bar and occasionally he would take things on pawn. A guy pawned a beautiful archtop, the name I can't remember , but for an 8 year old kid, it looked like the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. That was 55 years ago and I'm still playing, and still have a thing for archtops.
There are archtops that are built to be played by themselves, some are built to be amplified.
Hand carved, quarter sawn spruce is a sound board, its meant to have great sound without being amped, but most are amped, if that makes sense.
Tops that are machine carved maple or other hardwoods are built to be amped and sound like a brick without it.
The hand carved, quarter sawn archtops are very expensive, 4k to 50k for new guitars and over 100k on vintage pieces.

 

[J. Hayes]

I get a lot of varied use out of my.........

Epiphone Zephyr Blues Deluxe. It's meant to be played "plugged in" as you can tell by the three P-90s but a few years back in a studio setting I used it through a mike for some acoustic rhythm tracks and it worked amazingly well. I wish Epi would put out one of these without the electronics, I'd buy one in a minute. The body is very large and when you play it closer to the neck it gets a nice sweet round sound. Here's an action shot of the ZBD at a gig last summer. The other guitarist has one also.....JH in Va.

 

[Boyd]

Never played one but I'm kind of curious. Looking through used gear on the GC website recently, there were several vintage Gibson archtops at local store. And I mean really old ones, like from the 60's or older. But the prices seemed very low, much less than a vintage flat top.

Why do these guitars get so little love?:?:

 

[aikiguy]

I love my Archtop

My favorite instrument in my group is my Archtop. I made it back in the early 90's.

One of the things though that is different is that the sound is louder for the audience than it is for the player. That take a little getting used to.

I would say it has more mid range than a flattop. But the bass response isn't lacking in my opinion.

Flame Maple back and sides, Ebony fingerboard, Ebony Tail Piece, Ebony bridge.

The only things I didn't make on this one are the tuners and the screws for the bridge.

 

[Warm Gums]

Never played one but I'm kind of curious. Looking through used gear on the GC website recently, there were several vintage Gibson archtops at local store. And I mean really old ones, like from the 60's or older. But the prices seemed very low, much less than a vintage flat top.

Why do these guitars get so little love?:?:

Vintage Gibson arch tops run the gamut from guitars that were relatively inexpensive when new to very pricey limited production items. Their comparative value is low due to various factors including Archtops not being in fashion, most current serious archtop players seeking out more modern designs, and/or commissioning a one off from a "bespoke" luthier, and the fact that arch tops seem to weather the years less well that their flat top brethren.

Even in the day,Gibson while well regarded was seen as a mass producer of arch tops, with Stromberg, D'Angelico, and even Epiphone (at times) seen as a more desirable instrument especially amongst east cost players, who drove sound & fashion at the time. This is still the situation today when it comes to collecting high end vintage arch tops.
Having said that, a well set up Gibson can be fun to play, and many have a sound that is well worth hearing. The lower end of the L series are great blues guitars, and the better L series work well for jazz and instrumental transcriptions of a wide range of music. Outside the L's things can get pricy for the average Joe, but still some comparative bargains to be had..

 

[J. Hayes]

I'm not sure which brand or model it is, but...

I'd like to have one of those smaller archtop acoustics like the one David Rawlings plays with Gillian Welch..... I love the tone of it and the way it projects. I saw them live about 5 years ago but didn't get to speak to him about it..... Anyone know what guitar that was/is?.....JH in Va.

 

[unezrider]

It's an Epiphone Olympic. (Pretty sure) & I believe it's from the late 30's.

 

[Warm Gums]

It's an Epiphone Olympic. (Pretty sure) & I believe it's from the late 30's.

Ummhuum.
Pretty unique sound, supposedly Doc Watson once asked "what instrument is that boy playing..?!?"
Weird story about it's acquisition too, it had sat in a shop, in pieces perhaps painted black IIRC, for a number of years, and finally the guy was willing to let it go in trade for a older Fender amp. Rawings is like "now where am I gonna' find one of those", and a few weeks later came across one in a shop, amp bought/ trade done, and there ya are