Looking to be educated on Archtops

bobouz

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So, I decided to go with the one at GC. I like 45 days to decide, and I spoke with a guy at the GC that had it. He told me it looks like it has barely been played, and the paper is still in place under the bridge. That seems odd, since it is a 2014.
My A-150b is also a 2014, and the build quality is very high. I particularly like the neck profile, which I find to be super comfy overall. Just make sure there are no signs of a body crack at the volume-pot after they ship it. If GC puts any padding between the box & the top of the case, it should be fine.

Hope this turns out to be a winner for you!
 

bobouz

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If you want to hear what the guitar is truly capable of acoustically, the start with whatever set of strings you most typically put on your flattops. This will give you a direct basis of comparison to a flattop tone you are familiar with - and use that as a baseline reference point as you experiment with other strings options.

Flat-wound strings will be good for a darker jazz tone with the pickup, but will sound rather muted acoustically.
 

PittPastor

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If you want to hear what the guitar is truly capable of acoustically, the start with whatever set of strings you most typically put on your flattops. This will give you a direct basis of comparison to a flattop tone you are familiar with - and use that as a baseline reference point as you experiment with other strings options.

That's really good advice. Thanks!
 

JohnW63

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Flat-wound strings will be good for a darker jazz tone with the pickup, but will sound rather muted acoustically.

Probably so. I've just found some of the blues strings or standard electric strings to sound too bright, on the high strings. Maybe because they are normally so thin. I don't need the screaming high stuff , in what I play, so dialing down the brightness gives me the cooler tones. And they feel nicer on the finger tips. ;)
 

matsickma

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Now I'm curious! If acoustic strings are used would the pickup "pick up" the sound of the brass winding on the lower strings or only "pick up" the sound from the center steel part of the string the brass is wrapped around?
Looks like a engineering problem on Faraday's law, magnetic flux and induction. 😲
 

Nuuska

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Now I'm curious! If acoustic strings are used would the pickup "pick up" the sound of the brass winding on the lower strings or only "pick up" the sound from the center steel part of the string the brass is wrapped around?
Looks like a engineering problem on Faraday's law, magnetic flux and induction. 


Hello

I have been using both bridge-pietzo and soundhole humbuckers - wired stereo into separate preamps. With acoustic guitar strings there was nearly never any problems as long you could adjust the polepieces on pickup. Wound G-string tended to be weak due to thinner core.

Once I had a Gibson pickup on Artist Award - that pickup did not have separate polepieces, but two bar magnets. Bare wire B & E strings were screaming loud against the flatwounds. So I ended opening the pickup, pulling the magnet out, putting it in a vice with about 10mm sticking up. Finally I introduced the hammer. Then I put the shorter bar back into pickup under wound strings. After that all was fine.

Pickup was very similar to Floating Mini Humbucker found on Gibson Citation.
 

bobouz

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Now I'm curious! If acoustic strings are used would the pickup "pick up" the sound of the brass winding on the lower strings or only "pick up" the sound from the center steel part of the string the brass is wrapped around?
Looks like a engineering problem on Faraday's law, magnetic flux and induction. ��
I have my A-150b strung with D'Addario acoustic PB extra-lights (EJ15), which is what I use on many of my acoustics. Was very surprised to be getting a pleasant & well balanced acoustic-oriented tone out of the stock D'Armond pickup. I'm also going to be experimenting with Martin Retros in the future.

I think the end result of using acoustic strings with magnetic pickups can be all over the map, from set to set. If you want to be able to play one of these beasts like a full-on acoustic & periodically plug in, then stringing up with acoustic strings is quite likely a good way to go.

But if you're going to be plugged-in the majority of the time, then initially seeking out the optimal amplified tone would be the obvious priority.
 

matsickma

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Well that sure sounds like an endorsement of acoustic strings for the A150! I have a few new sets around that I try. The A150 is the only guitar I have with flat wound strings at the moment. But I have to check out its acoustic performance with the acoustic strings.
M
 
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