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.