Mats Nermark Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 Hi, I would really like to get into jazz and therefore have started researching the electric archtop market. I would appreciate any and all comments and stories about guitars you just love. Most of all I would like to know what gives most bang for the buck as my budget is somewhat limited and I know that archtops cost a lot of $$$$$$. Looking foreward to enlightning and amusing stories. Thanks in advance. Mats Nermark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 Actually you can get a mid fifties Gibson ES125 for about $500. They aren't exactly a jazz guitar. But it's an archtop, with F holes...single coil pickup. You may have to do a little work on them. Also a used Washburn archtop ain't a bad starter....... I had an old Epiphone from the 40's as a kid....but foolishly traded it to get a real rock n roll MELODY MAKER!!!!!!! Still have it....but wish I still had the Epi. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 I hear that John D'Angelico and Jimmy D'Aquisto made some nice archtops. Houses, kids' college educations, retirement savings - who needs 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fet Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 I've had 3 or 4 quality archtops, but could never make them work well for me in performance - I got rid of 'em all. Lotsa feedback at inopportune moments - you gotta play way soft, or stay far away from your amp, which is not always feasible on small stages. P-90 pickups sound great, but are mega-noisy, especially if there are dimmers/neon/fluorescent lights in the room. Nowadays to play jazz I use a LP-style solid-body, for minimum hassle, great sound IMHO. I admit that some guys use archtops successfully - just bear these points in mind before spending mucho dinero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott from MA Posted July 20, 2001 Share Posted July 20, 2001 Tried out an Epiphone "Joe Pass" model Emperor II a few weeks ago. I gotta admit, it's damn nice! Only around $700 too. If that's still too much money for ya... I remember one of the magazines (can't remember which) doing a review of some "budget" archtops recently. They really liked the Jay Turser. I've never tried one of their archtops, but I recommend Turser strat-styles to a lot of students. Turser has figured out how to get the most quality out of the least cost. I would expect that their archtop is a decent guitar for a reasonable price. Worth looking into it. Scott (just another cantankerous bastard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrbreez Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 I really like the George Benson Models made by Ibanez. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZA Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 the DeArmond X155 sounds great - better than the Epiphones IMO - and runs around $600. Thick neck, easy action, and really smooth, clear pickups. --za Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 Originally posted by ZA: the DeArmond X155 sounds great - better than the Epiphones IMO - and runs around $600. Thick neck, easy action, and really smooth, clear pickups. --za great kick ass guitar and i just bought one today at sam ash for $239 dollars! buy one while you still can!!! -d. gauss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAPetrarca Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 Probably get flamed but, I bought an LP copy made by this company and sank another $50 for setup and it's a pretty nice guitar, believe it or not. I'm gonna' replace the tuners (because I want to) nexst and then I'm done with it. Check this out anyway, FYI: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1450119286 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj3 Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 I've had a couple of real expensive ones, but the one I loved the most was an Aria Pro II copy of an L5. It was about $800 back in '76. If you can run into one of those, you might wanna check it out. I felt very comfortable playing on the road with it and the sound was very big and acoustic (like an L5.) The George Benson Ibanez wasn't a bad guitar, the same with the Epi Joe Pass. Neither of them would honk the Aria, however. Any of these would be worth your time to check out. best, dave pybas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mats Nermark Posted August 5, 2001 Author Share Posted August 5, 2001 Thanks for your replies. I haven't yet found anything around where I live (Gothenburg, Sweden) so if you have any more suggestions please keep them coming. Cheers, Mats Nermark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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