onewilyfool Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Seeing that 1994 J-45 with the floating pickguard got me thinking..... I would love if Gibson came back with those round hole or oval hole arch tops....even if they came back with them with the flat backs!! The sound, vibe, and mojo of a round or oval hole archtop, just has to be played to appreciated..they are really something special...Zombywolf...chime in??? Would you like to see a L-4 round or oval hole re-issue??? http://www.kokomomusic.com/pages/guitars/gib_L4_round_32.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I might agree, except that the prices for the vintage ones are so low I don't think they could compete. I tend to think that making a good sounding archtop as opposed to a mediocre one has everything to do with the quality and care of construction. To get to that certain level takes a lot hours of a skilled hand than say, a flat top or an electric. Vintage ones are selling for such low amounts right now it's crazy what you can get for the level of craftsmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Stein...with CNC machines....I'm thinking the only difference is the thickness of wood you have to start with..but I know what you mean about the low prices, it does put pressure on new stiff...but look at the prices of some of the custom stuff coming out of Bozeman right now....it 's not that much of a stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The closest comparable I see is the L-7c, made in Bozeman. So, new, maybe 4500? Compared to 2500 for a used one. I played a new one, didn't think it was as good. But, I didn't really do much more than that, so different strings or more break in might have made a big difference....but then the 4500 vs 2500 would come into play heavy there. The ES-175 from the other Gibson factory seems nice, and I have liked the ones I have played in the past. But they aren't the same sound as an archtop, not like the carved top ones. Just kinda throwing that out there to say that if Gibson built something in the 2000-3000 dollar class of guitars, it wouldn't be quite the same as what you get with the vintage archtop round-hole types. I don't actually know for sure that round hole archtops are going for less than f-hole, but I think on the whole they are. Some of that might be offset by the fact they are more rare, but if they were available new, it would still be a challenge finding them, and then playing them. Locating a vintage one and having it sent I would think has a far greater chance of sounding great than a new one would. And if the new ones were made to the same quality to be as likely to sound great wouls likely mean a far more expensive guitar. I can see that building new ones would be fun, but mostly a labor of love for Gibson and fans. But prices for the vintage ones are just WAY too good for fans to overlook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Interesting post.... Round/Oval hole archtops are indeed special...perhaps too niche for Gibson to bother with... Eastman have made some superb carved examples of the genre... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Well until I found out how a J45/SJ really can sound I imagined I would get my ideal tone out of a round-hole archtop. I have read that unlike most archtops they are properly fingerpicking friendly. The Eastmans do look nice and are not expensive in absolute terms, but they are quite expensive within the Chinese market, and I really wanted a guitar from a long-proven manufacturer. OK. I wanted a Gibson. Try finding a Gibson round-hole archtop in Europe. In fact, try finding any vintage round-hole archtop in Europe... I would love to try an old L4 though. I have a feeling that the smaller ones are fantastic, but not quite my ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 Look, Martin and Gibson do custom runs of 100 or less, Stores can order custom spec guitars in smaler quantities than that...why not a short run of these archtops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Yeah, I love the things. They have a unique sound and are hard to slap into this category or that. I just don't think we will ever see their return. I may be wrong but I do not think any of the few archtops Gibson still offers like the L7 are even made in Bozeman. I think they are built in the Custom Shop in Nashville (one of the things that Henry J. really did right was to do whatever it took to get Jim Hutchinson over there). So they are already only being built in very small numbers with a fairly high price tag. The kinship between archtops and flattops though seems to have been severed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Yeah, I love the things. They have a unique sound and are hard to slap into this category or that. I just don't think we will ever see their return. I may be wrong but I do not think any of the few archtops Gibson still offers like the L7 are even made in Bozeman. I think they are built in the Custom Shop in Nashville (one of the things that Henry J. really did right was to do whatever it took to get Jim Hutchinson over there). So they are already only being built in very small numbers with a fairly high price tag. The kinship between archtops and flattops though seems to have been severed. I checked the Gibson site, and the L-7 is indeed made in Bozeman...it even mentions Ren on the page. A couple interesting things, one is it mentions the fact it is the first Bozeman archtop. The other thing I noticed was that it is X braced, something I didn't know. (I didn't know or think to consider when I played it...and aren't the most desireable ones paralell braced?) I don't have actual information, but I remember reading somewhere that Gibson is not currently making the L-5 and such. I think it isn't a matter of them being discontinued, but rather a result of the prices and the market having plenty of them. I get the impression they could make some at any time, they just aren't. Makes a guy wonder what a bozeman made L-5 might be like. Bozeman does seem to be really excelling in the accoustic aspects. I think also, regarding the round hole models, is what they are used for and where they 'fit'. It seems they have been replaced on the 'jass' side by larger f-hole types, and on the folk/blues side by flat top types. The other thing that might be interesting to consider is besides the hole, the bracing and what advantages an x-braced archtop has...or what an archtop has over a flat top. And there in that might be some uses for the guitar that might be far better for certain types of music. It would be sweet to see bozeman build some, both because of what they seem to be capable of, and also as a stepping stone into Bozeman getting into making more archtops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-l-4-1928-vintage-sunburst# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 http://www.gbase.com/gear/gibson-l-4-1928-vintage-sunburst# Needs a little work eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Needs a little work eh? But at that price? You guys Stateside really have a cornucopia of choice when it comes to nice vintage Gibsons. If I were nearby and hadn't just bought an expensive Bozeman flattop, I'd be seriously up for giving one of these a go. That's the badger, Wily, but I've no readies. You buy it and the rest of us can enjoy it vicariously! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 http://www.gbase.com...ntage-sunburst# That's pretty tasty... I'd be tempted if it wasn't in the US and laden with import hassles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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