archtop acoutics

[black friday]

i saw maton jazzman45 on the net, a archtop acoustic. jst wondeirng if this is a decent guitar? are archtops normally made of solid woods? is the maton jazzman45 all solid or laminate?

basically any and all of your info on this genre of guitars and this one in particular would be appreciated.

cheers.

[54merk]

Originally posted by Tioga_Man Well, since no one more knowledgable responded, I'll give you my 2 cents...which I acknowledge isn't wort much. I don't have one. I once played one for 10 seconds. I've read about some pretty expensive archtops that have laminated tops. I've also read that there are "carved solid tops". So there must be two "schools of thought" on how to make archtops. Now what surprises me is the carved solid top. Why carve the top - presumably with an arch? I thought the idea was to stress the wood and "bend" it so that it's under tension.

True archtops are actually carved, which is how fine violins and mandolins are made. That is why they cost so much. Sometimes the woods are solid, sometimes they are laminated.

I do not know anything about Maton archtops. Maton is an Australian manufacturer of generally midrange instruments, and their flat tops are well known. They have a good reputation but are not considered in the same league as the best North American guitars.

[dadgad7]

Hi, most of the tops will be laminated,

A real carved arch-top is gonna cost you a fortune, don't sell
the laminates short,

In the mid-eighties, Takamine made a few models wih arched top and backs.

The 391 and 591 series, they are wonderful, I've never run across one that didn't have suberb action and playability,

Don't know why they don't make 'em anymore, you can find nice
examples occasionally on ebay in the $300- $400 range.

For a 20 year old guitar, you can't do better! They sound terrific
amped up too!

[Preacher Will]

For an acoustic archtop you're better off with a carved top for the same reasons that you'd want a solid top over a laminated one in a flat-top guitar. With the widespread availability of CNC machines in the guitar making industry, carved archtops are becoming more readily available at affordable prices.

An electric archtop is a different horse altogether and many will suggest that, in that application, a lam top is superior. Most high-end electric jazz boxes are lam tops because the solid top is too lively and creates ungodly feedback.

[Paul Buerk]

If you haven't played a good archtop acoustic, you really should give it a try. You're missing out. It has a much different sound and feel, with great separation which makes them great for close chord work.

IMO, a laminated top on an archtop acoustic is just wrong. At least for me it is. I suppose you could carve and scrape a recurve around the edges on a laminated top, but I'd hate to see what that looks like. That process does a lot to make the guitar work as a whole unit, especially on bass response. For an electric, though, I'd agree that the laminated top is a better solution for most venues. If you're playing somewhere small enough where the audience can hear both the electric and acoustic sounds of the guitar, the solid top has an advantage.

I did see some interesting new archtop acoustics at the Dallas Guitar Show. It looks like somebody has the D'Aquisto name and is making new guitars that are at least based on his designs, including the wedge adjustable bridge. Didn't get a chance to play any of them, but they looked promising.

[guitarcapo]

My personal favorite is a solid spruce pressed top braced with spruce. You get consistancy of thickness all over the top, and the cost is less. A truly carved spruce top is only as good as the guy doing the "carving" I don't really care if the back is laminate or solid pressed maple, but the top has to be solid wood.

[digitalsnipe]

Curiously coincidental thread here. I just read an article in Forbes (Spring 2005) about guitar collecting and the feature photo is of an early (John) D'Angelico archtop guitar. He was an Italian violin maker who moved to New York and handcrafted 1164 guitars between 1932 and 1964. The guitar in the photo appears to be an Auditorium body style with F-holes and an adjustable height bridge. Strings are retained by a tail-piece. Great photo of a good looking guitar. Don't think plywood is featured in this baby.

[dangerine49]

I've got a '58 Gretsch New Yorker archtop which is made with a solid spruce top with F holes and solid maple back and sides. My Dad bought it for me used to take guitar lessons when I was 13. Great guitar.