I'd love to see Gibson bring back a few of the oldies like these!!!

[onewilyfool]

Why not shake it up a little......

 

 

[Geoffrey Lawton]

+1

[jjulch]

No kidding. I really wonder how they sound. They are hard to find now days, unless you like the old Kay guitars. It would be nice to see one, but I believe they are too outdated for praticial use. I believe the 90's Citation ($20,000) was the last of these models.

[Modac]

Gibson has already done reissues of the L-5 and the L-7c archtops, to mixed reviews. The old L-1 archtops are definitely an acquired taste, and nothing like todays highly resonant flatops.

[jt]

Why not shake it up a little......

 

 

Ah' date=' you've found my 1943 Banner L-50. It's a simple, inexpensive (even today) all carved, 16 in. archtop. I bought this one because it's one of the rarities with the WWII era Banner on the headstock and is important to my Banner Book Project.

 

Even through a cheesy mic placed 10 feet away and mediocre playing, I think that you can tell it's a very nice guitar:

 

[suburude63]

Gibson has already done reissues of the L-5 and the L-7c archtops' date=' to mixed reviews. The old L-1 archtops are definitely an acquired taste, and nothing like todays highly resonant flatops.[/quote']

 

Have you heard Dave Rawlings play his $35 Epi Olympic lately ! I wish I could play an unresonant guitar as well. Oh that sound !

[Modac]

Have you heard Dave Rawlings play his $35 Epi Olympic lately !

 

Yes...and I've owned old Kalamzoos (and Stellas) myself, and they're great and lots of fun. The point is that the old L1 and L2 archtops don't seem to be particularly rare, and neither do guitars like L50s or L48s----and they're not particularly expensive on the vintage market, either. I don't know that Gibson could produce copies today that were better sounding and less expensive. It would seem to be tough for them to succeed reprising vintage models that were more expensive than the originals are on the vintage market.

[onewilyfool]

All I'm saying is that Gibson could up the ante a bit and produce something a little more sophisticated than this Godin model here. It is all lam and made in N. America not Asia....(Canada)....I've played a couple and they have a very interesting sound, just look a little plain. All this for $519? And Gibson could use a bent solid wood top instead of laminate, they have the tradition, the know-how.....they even had a Canadian company.....lol......That sound is really cool....and leads you into many many other directions than your everyday flat top.

 

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Godin-5th-Avenue-Series-Archtop-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=518494&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=179066257

[nodehopper]

I think this says much more about the quality of music and recording these days than it has anything to do with guitar making.

 

You have the acoustic guitar purists who want to tune thier $20,000 custom guitars to DADGAD ad all sound like New Age Laurence Juber or Pierre Bensusan clones. It all sounds very lush and beautiful for about 20 minutes then turns into torture that was even banned at Gitmo. ( nine out of ten detainees preferred waterboarding :-) )

 

Or you have the legions of country / new country / Calif country players who want a good strumming guitar.

 

Or you get the metal head speed death thrashers who tend to practice / show off at the local Guitar Center.

 

Certainly all the DJ's, MC's and rappers don't need guitars.

 

So who is left to buy what REAL guitar players like us would find interesting?? THEN even if you have an artist who writes great material and wants a guitar sound that set them apart from the pack...... you have recording engineers mixing and mastering so the music sounds best on IPods and Desktop Computer speakers ( SEE THIS ROLLING STONE ARTICLE) and that great sounding guitar becomes a marketing liability!

 

Who here really listens to much new music anymore??? I mean Dave Rawlings is the exception these days.

[onewilyfool]

I must say that David Rawlings does have it going on on that cheap old Epi. I know this may stir up things a little, but based on my own experience and seeing other's play these old archtops, you actually have to be a better player to get the good sounds out of these. You have to vary your attack and vibrato and bend, and lift off with your chording hand.....but guys like David Rawlings can do it....amazingly well....not just playing leads.....he also comps in the background.....AND he has a unique sound that a flat top just can't produce.

 

By the way......LOL on your last post Node......lol

[jgwoods]

I had an archtop- Martin R18 for a while and I should have kept it. Now I have to replace it.

The wya they cut through and the short sustain make them great tools.

In the mandolin world I play my oval hole for solo work and my F hole for groups, where it can cut right through.

 

I think we'll see them come back some- Eastman is making a lot of archtops.