Guild Archtop Noob - Unamplified

sixx

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What I don't know about archtops is pretty much everything. But I'm thinking for a late night (after a trip to the restroom and can't get back to sleep) or some other quiet fingerstyle noodling an archtop might be nice.

Which Guild models should I be on the lookout for? Unamplified, so is it correct to assume a want one without a block? And I'd like a nut with minimum 1 11/16". Any options out there that fit that criteria?

Edit: Yikes...I see there's a similar thread to this from just a couple days ago. Apologies for not searching more. Specifically I'm looking to play bare fingers with a little nail. I'm currently enamored with all things Guild, so looking for Guild specific options. The Gibby's look especially pricey.
 
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AcornHouse

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To get the wider nut width, you'll want to look at Westerly models, not Hoboken. The X-150 is a good one. I don't know how the current importNewark Street A-150 is, but it might be a good inexpensive way to start.
 

walrus

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Price range? I loved the '63 A-50 I had, and a vintage Capri is nice guitar. Of course, a hollowbody with pickups (in case you want them) could work nicely, too.

walrus
 

sixx

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Price range? I loved the '63 A-50 I had, and a vintage Capri is nice guitar. Of course, a hollowbody with pickups (in case you want them) could work nicely, too.

walrus

Under 2 grand. Would the pickups not affect the top movement too much? A floating pickup would be nice too.
 

GAD

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I play my Starfires unplugged all the time. They don't sound like acoustics, but they produce way more acoustic sound than a solid-body. If you're not married to the idea of an "archtop" meaning the super-cool Jazzbox without pickup routes, then I think you'll have a lot more options.
 

adorshki

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Under 2 grand. Would the pickups not affect the top movement too much? A floating pickup would be nice too.
Now we're getting into areas where the "normal rules" associated with flat-tops may not apply.
I'm suspecting in your price range you may be seeing a lot of laminated top guitars, which can actually be desirable for archtops with pickups as a means of suppressing the tendency to feedback. ("The block" was another method of achieving that)
I'd think that'd also render the question of pickups affecting top movement to be less of a "real" question, too.
Another factor is that in flat-tops, at least 90% of the sound is produced from lower bout vibration, ie, the big expanse of surface below the bridge.
I don't know if that's also true of archtops but if it is, that'd also tend to make the pickup question moot.
The most "acoustically alive" archtops were carved from a single piece of (usually) spruce and tap-tuned during carving, that's where the money comes in, all that labor and wood selection, and that was true of the Guild Artist Award model, which I think was their absolute top of the line on either side, acoustic or electric.
And yes AA's used floating pickups to allow as much pure acoustic tone as possible.
For your purposes I'd go with the suggestions offered by members with more experience on that side than myself, except to add some insight:
Guild's founder Al Dronge was a jazz player himself so archtops were his first love and the first guitars Guild built, so "read between those lines".
I read lots of good things about those vintage models from the early '60's which I think will also fit your price range. (I'm thinking Capri as mentioned, and "Stratford" comes to mind too, was that the A50 like Walrus mentions?)
Acorn's comment about nut width could complicate things though.
Hoboken production lasted until '67 for flattops but I think they were still building electrics into '68 and possibly '69? (Can't recall if that was ever specifically clarified)
 
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walrus

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Like GAD, I've played electrics unplugged for years - that's my "quiet" playing strategy. My PRS is hollow, and sounds very acoustic-like unplugged. It's actually pretty loud, since it is fully hollow (and has a spruce top, which I think adds to it). But a Bluesbird (chambered) or Starfire (semi-hollow) are great options, then you can still rock out if you want to.

But for a straight archtop with no pups, I stand by my first post!

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There is a couple nice CA-100 guitars floating around. One here and another on the Jazz Guitar forum. If I were lookin that is where I would look.
Thanks John
 

sixx

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I play my Starfires unplugged all the time. They don't sound like acoustics, but they produce way more acoustic sound than a solid-body. If you're not married to the idea of an "archtop" meaning the super-cool Jazzbox without pickup routes, then I think you'll have a lot more options.

That's a good thought. I'll have to check them out. More to learn. I've been wanting an USA made Hamer too...maybe a Monaco?

Aaargh. I think I have a big case of GAS. lol

"Like GAD, I've played electrics unplugged for years - that's my "quiet" playing strategy. My PRS is hollow, and sounds very acoustic-like unplugged. It's actually pretty loud, since it is fully hollow (and has a spruce top, which I think adds to it). But a Bluesbird (chambered) or Starfire (semi-hollow) are great options, then you can still rock out if you want to."

Thanks man...looks like I definitely need to learn more about the different Guild models.
 

mad dog

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Not 1 11/6", but my '62 X-50 is one of the best sounding (unplugged or plugged in) guitars I've come across. A very clear, balanced sound played acoustic, with more volume than expected.
MD
 

txbumper57

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I have a 1960 Hoboken made X-175 that has the 2 top mount Franz pickups and the nut width is a full 1 11/16". It sounds Awesome unplugged or plugged in but prices on late 50's-early 60's Guild Hollow bodies can get up there pretty quick. If you are looking for the best bang for the buck Archtop that Guild currently offers I would try and find a dealer close to you to try out one of the Korean Made Newark Street A-150's. I played one a few years back that was from the Fender Production Era (2012-2014) and it was superb both acoustically and plugged in. They have a solid spruce top with reproduction Floating Dearmond pickup. Honestly when I started playing it in the store people started poking their heads around the corner to see which guitar it was. Even the owner of the shops wife came down stairs when he was putting it through its paces as well just to see which guitar was making that beautiful tone. You can normally find them used for around $500-$600 in almost new condition on the used market. Like I said though, That was an A150 built under Fender's Ownership so I don't know how it would compare in quality to one built under Cordoba's Ownership as we have seen some issues recently with some of the quality of the Newark Street line and guitars slipping through QA/QC that really shouldn't under Cordoba's watch. The Starfires and others mentioned here like Bluesbirds and such will work for what you are looking for and then still be able to plug in if you want that modern electric tone but for an Archtop, I think the Newark Street A150 is definitely worth the time to check out, especially for the prices they are offered at with the ability to still plug in if you like. Best of luck!

TX
 
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sixx

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"Not 1 11/6", but my '62 X-50 is one of the best sounding (unplugged or plugged in) guitars I've come across. A very clear, balanced sound played acoustic, with more volume than expected.
MD"

That's really great to know, thanks 'Dawg. :)

I have a 1960 Hoboken made X-175 that has the 2 top mount Franz pickups and the nut width is a full 1 11/16". It sounds Awesome unplugged or plugged in but prices on late 50's-early 60's Guild Hollow bodies can get up there pretty quick. If you are looking for the best bang for the buck Archtop that Guild currently offers I would try and find a dealer close to you to try out one of the Korean Made Newark Street A-150's. I played one a few years back that was from the Fender Production Era (2012-2014) and it was superb both acoustically and plugged in. They have a solid spruce top with reproduction Floating Dearmond pickup. Honestly when I started playing it in the store people started poking their heads around the corner to see which guitar it was. Even the owner of the shops wife came down stairs when he was putting it through its paces as well just to see which guitar was making that beautiful tone. You can normally find them used for around $500-$600 in almost new condition on the used market. Like I said though, That was an A150 built under Fender's Ownership so I don't know how it would compare in quality to one built under Cordoba's Ownership as we have seen some issues recently with some of the quality of the Newark Street line and guitars slipping through QA/QC that really shouldn't under Cordoba's watch. The Starfires and others mentioned here like Bluesbirds and such will work for what you are looking for and then still be able to plug in if you want that modern electric tone but for an Archtop, I think the Newark Street A150 is definitely worth the time to check out, especially for the prices they are offered at with the ability to still plug in if you like. Best of luck!

TX

So it seems like I should be asking what nut sizes are despite which facility manufactured the guit. This must go back to what I've read on here a few times already, that each neck was hand-carved so there will be variances in size.

Does anyone know which of the carved tops had solid tops? I gotta get that Hanz book.
 

AcornHouse

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"

Does anyone know which of the carved tops had solid tops? I gotta get that Hanz book.
As far as I recall, the only carved tops were on the X-700, the Artist Awards, and maybe the A-500. Some that are listed as "solid spruce" (like the NS A-150) are pressed spruce tops.
 

GAD

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Sixx - just a tip that if you want to quote multiple posts, click the little "quote+" button on the bottom right of each post you want to quote, then click "Reply with Quote" on the last one to be quoted and you'll get an output like this with each of those posts quoted:

What I don't know about archtops is pretty much everything. But I'm thinking for a late night (after a trip to the restroom and can't get back to sleep) or some other quiet fingerstyle noodling an archtop might be nice.

Which Guild models should I be on the lookout for? Unamplified, so is it correct to assume a want one without a block? And I'd like a nut with minimum 1 11/16". Any options out there that fit that criteria?

Edit: Yikes...I see there's a similar thread to this from just a couple days ago. Apologies for not searching more. Specifically I'm looking to play bare fingers with a little nail. I'm currently enamored with all things Guild, so looking for Guild specific options. The Gibby's look especially pricey.

Under 2 grand. Would the pickups not affect the top movement too much? A floating pickup would be nice too.
 

sixx

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As far as I recall, the only carved tops were on the X-700, the Artist Awards, and maybe the A-500. Some that are listed as "solid spruce" (like the NS A-150) are pressed spruce tops.

Tks much for this. Hmmm...my limited reading made it seem that if one were going for the non-amplified tone, then solid carved tops were the way to go. However, I've seen many say their own guitars (not on the above list) had great acoustic tone, so real-life experience differs.

Sixx - just a tip that if you want to quote multiple posts, click the little "quote+" button on the bottom right of each post you want to quote, then click "Reply with Quote" on the last one to be quoted and you'll get an output like this with each of those posts quoted:

Thanks GAD...lesson learned and much appreciated. This is definitely easier. :)
 

bobouz

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If you are looking for the best bang for the buck Archtop that Guild currently offers I would try and find a dealer close to you to try out one of the Korean Made Newark Street A-150's. I played one a few years back that was from the Fender Production Era (2012-2014) and it was superb both acoustically and plugged in. They have a solid spruce top with reproduction Floating Dearmond pickup. Honestly when I started playing it in the store people started poking their heads around the corner to see which guitar it was. Even the owner of the shops wife came down stairs when he was putting it through its paces as well just to see which guitar was making that beautiful tone.TX

Just to reinforce your comments, my 2014 Savoy A-150b is also from the end of the Fender era, and I find it to be a very satisfying instrument, both acoustically and plugged-in. When this model first came out, my interest was immediately peaked by the fact that the pressed solid top was X-braced rather than parallel-braced. X-bracing is rather rare on an acoustic archtop, and I remembered very fondly a previously-owned 1930's carved solid-top & X-braced Wards archtop made by Gibson.

Big difference between the old Wards guitar and the Savoy is that rather than having the Wards' large V-shaped neck with no truss-rod, the Savoy has a very comfortable neck profile with the shorter 24.75" scale.

In today's market, it's a unique instrument, with an equally unique sound.
 
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sixx

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Which will still be more "alive" than laminated top, just to make sure Sixx catches the distinction.

Thanks Al. It's a safe assumption that I won't catch a meaning unless it's spelled out with respect to archtops. Appreciate everyone's help and patience as I stoke the GAS furnace.
 
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