Members CranachTheElder Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 What if any is the advantage to the arch top electric on a solid body as found in the Gibson Les Paul or certain PRS models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 They're purty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Buttcrust Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 No advantage, to me, unless you like a guitar that doesn't or possibly doesn't weigh quite as much as a solid body guitar of similar proportions/dimensions. Also, a semi and full hollow body electric will feedback, in most instances, at a lower amplified volume than a solid body electric guitar, which may, or may not be a good thing, under varying circumstances. Dig it. And as previously stated ^^, they, to me, in most instances look pleasing, with a subtle "flaming" in the "figuring" of finely applied stained and protective coating on the natural, stained or painted on finish, of the top, side, back and possibly neck and head stock, as well as, they sound cool as all get out too, to me too. imho... blah blah blah olo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 It's more of an artistic statement and one of comfort. Does it play into the tone of the guitar? It does, if you believe in the theory of tonewoods. Which I do wholeheartedly. The extra little bit of the maple cap on a Paul, adds to the brightness of the guitar. And to the sustain it could be argued.On a semi hollow, or a full hollow, it adds that much more space inside. I have an '73 Ibanez 2398 Paul clone, that has a floating top. Technically, it's a semi hollow, and that little arch on the top, adds a bit of a semi hollow tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 I like that my wrist comes up off the edge and top a little bit. Play a LP jr (flattop) then play a LP Custom. It's more than just cosmetics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 Actually the whole reason it happened in the first place is that when Gibson was developing the LP in the '40's (approximately the same time as Leo was doing his first work) they didn't want their guitars to look too different from what people had been used to - the L and then ES archtops that preceded them. They did, of course, also make some flat top ("drop top") electrics over the years but the lovely carving of the top speaks to their tradition. The second reason is that there are basically two ways to set the height of the string plane above the body - you can either make it flat and stand proud like Fender does or you can angle the neck. If you angle the neck there are two ways to deal with that - you can either make the fretboard extension stand slightly proud and put a little wedge under it (as is done on some arch tops) or you can slope the body. If you slope the body then it makes sense to gracefully carve the rest of it. (This of course segues directly back to the set vs bolt on neck discussion) PRS and others who use beautiful flamed wood for the tops continue to carve them to bring out the figure. Back in the day it added a huge amount of work and cost to building the guitar - today on a duplicarver or a cnc its relatively easy. I still do it by hand and love the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 23, 2014 Members Share Posted December 23, 2014 The OP specifically asked about an "arch top . . . on a solid body as found in the Gibson Les Paul". Since a LP is a solidbody, the feedback found with hollows and semi-hollows isn't an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted December 24, 2014 Members Share Posted December 24, 2014 What if any is the advantage to the arch top electric on a solid body as found in the Gibson Les Paul or certain PRS models? Oops. Sorry. I didn't read your post carefully enough. Enjoy a little Wes anyway. dqn3PF_DcSg BTW, I have a KA mini-humbucker floating pick-up on my arch-top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members David Earl Pfeiffer Posted December 24, 2014 Members Share Posted December 24, 2014 - - - - Any Jazzers Out There??? - - - - - I'm pretty new here so I hope you'll excuse me if I'm posting in the wrong category. I've got a couple Eastman acoustic/electric archtops that say they were made in Clarksburg, Maryland. An '04 805CE Uptown and an '02 800E. As both have very low serial numbers, I was kinda hoping that they were really made here in the USA (yeah I know, wishful thinking). I suspect the labels reflect where the American distribution office was located, but can't find any info on it. All the later models I've seen say "made in Bejing China" and have different characteristics/specs (width at nut, neck carve, etc). As I'm currently considering selling these two, I'd like to provide potential buyers with as much accurate information as possible. ANY input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, dp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members David Earl Pfeiffer Posted December 24, 2014 Members Share Posted December 24, 2014 What if any is the advantage to the arch top electric on a solid body as found in the Gibson Les Paul or certain PRS models? As far as this player goes, tone and sound quality aside, there's a definate degree of comfort and ergonomic benefit to be obtained with a carved top. I prefer my old PRS archtops (hollow bodies) and McCartys (solid bodies) The difference of only a fraction of an inch between the edge of the lower bout and the bridge area makes a surprising amount of difference when it comes to us old geezers. Combine the scalloped cutaway (again, of a PRS), and back contouring, and you have a very comfortable "players guitar". Remember Paul Reed Smith is not just a designer, but a pretty good player as well. He designed them the way he did because, while there were plenty of archtops being made by outstanding makers, they didn't have what HE was looking for in a guitar. I had the amazing good fortune to meet and talk to him about this when he was still "pre-factory" in southern Maryland. And if that's not enough to convince you, well, . . just look at how many of your favorite pros are using them. . . . . . . . . . . . I rest my case. dp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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