Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: FernandoDuarte on July 29, 2008, 01:20:53 AM
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Hello guys!
I've just seen the Godin 5th Avenue (in pics, not sure if arrived here on Brazil yet) and got interested in it... But I have no experience in Archtop guitars... As it doesn't has pickups, I'm thinking in get one and use as "acoustic guitar", upgrading it with those Fishman bridges...
Anybody here have playad this particular guitar?? Or know if I can get what I want or not? My main doubts are about the volume of it acoustically and the tone... My idea is: it has a nice visual, would match well to blues/southern rock...
Thank you all for attention! :D
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That's a very nice looking guitar Fernando (found pictures of a black one - my favourite - a natural, and some sort of sunburst which seemd a bit too "pretty" for my tastes).
- I'll blame you if I end up getting one and my wife needs an "explanation" :lol:
I was surprised at how affordable they are (in the UK)... I always thought Godin = more expensive.
Looks to me like it could be a killer "blues on the back porch" instrument - so I'm also interested to know if anyone's tried one (preferably before our back porch falls down!! :roll:)
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That's lovely, but the pick guard would have to go in the bin.
I'm looking for a new acoustic (although as I'm also looking for a new house, it may be a while before I can afford one) and I'd certainly give that a bash.
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that black one is damn sexy... i hope they play like cr@p or i might want one
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i hope they play like cr@p or i might want one
My thoughts entirely!!
I even had to order some BKPs I wanted, just to make sure I have no cash for "further investigation"
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I'm not going to help again, one acoustic and one to mess putting a P90 in the bridge (don't like the Kingpin with single P90 in neck)...
Don't know there in UK, in USA it's about $510... here in Brazil is going in the only seller I found it for about US$1450 and it's """"cheap"""" becouse it's a virtual import company, in the stores would go higher, so planning get somebody to bring it to me from there, people travelling abroad can buy US$500 and don't pay tax... above it you pay...
It's a good idea use it as acoustic???
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I even had to order some BKPs I wanted, just to make sure I have no cash for "further investigation"
:lol:
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that cherry they have used for the pressed tops looks quite nice under the sunburst... in a slightly non-conventional way. the only thing i dont like is the headstock, they should really be impractically large on an archtop
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that cherry they have used for the pressed tops looks quite nice under the sunburst... in a slightly non-conventional way. the only thing i dont like is the headstock, they should really be impractically large on an archtop
Well, I really like the headstock, but even in this shape they could make it look more "vintage"...
The woods: in a video on Youtube Mr Godin said he changed the woods because the old archtop sounded "bad", so he changed woods for "more projection & volume in the low/mids than traditional archtop acoustic guitars"... But I believe Wild Cherry should be way less expensive than a traditional Spruce and Maple, and it's a molded instead of carved top, don't know if the molded afect the tone, but the woods isn't only for "change the tone"
Do you agree?
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molded definately affects the tone... and cherry is definately cheaper... thats why the guitar is the price it is rather than an archtop hand carved from solid maple and spruce
till doesnt mean it will be bad though, i would certainly give it a go - cherry can sound quite nice as an alternative 'tonewood'
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Didn't like this tone...
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=4BouRYdDKjA
Not exactly what I'm searching for, but in this other (Mr Robin introducing the guitar, just on1:25 have a small sound of it) sounded way cooler...
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=6-xpmjgZFSY
Was thinking in something like this:
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=r8yL1ufcZhY&feature=related
Should be something like strings or may I save much money and buy a vintage one?? :D
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you dont need to much money for a vintage one from harmony or silvertone but you usually need to reset the neck!!
That first clip definately sounded unrefined but it might develop nicely - its got the warmth you would expect and i wouldnt be unhappy at that price.. but for you its costing more
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but for you its costing more
The traditional english way of politeness :D
Could not say the same without swearing :lol:
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Fernando - I saw one of these on my travels today.
It was the natural finish, which didn't look too inspiring to me. They're a bit smaller than I was expecting, and looking from the side, the fretboard and scratchplate are a lot higher off the body than I would have thought (never concentrated too closely on archtops before though).
I wanted to try it, but it was up on a wall looking important, and the shop was full of people bashing things out. So I stood by it and strummed the strings gently. Now the strings looked a bit old, but it didn't sound very resonant. If anything it seemed a bit boxy. It also didn't seem very loud - but I am used to playing a big flat-top!
I feel a bit guilty now that I didn't get them to take it down and give me a seat - if it had been the black one I might have tried to find someone to ask.
EDIT: I've only just watched your clips - I think the one I saw would have sounded like the first clip.
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Good to hear it, bloke!
I was like 99% off it, now seems that I will search another road, as it isn't looking like what I'm searching...
As I've said in the "what are you GASing" threat, I'm planning to go to Totnes school of guitarmaking, will try to do one there... as usual, I could not think in it 100% traditional, planning change de back/side woods for Rosewood, for a more flat top sound, but as I don't know anything about archtop, going to try to chat with people that know about!
PS: Thank you for get the time to look at it :D
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your a bugger fernando!! you got my archtop GAS going and i ended up winning this on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110276812786&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=001
as far as i can tell its a 50's framus tango
http://www.framus-vintage.de/modules/modells/instruments.php?katID=4628&instrumentID=2782&modellID=386&cl=EN
obviously its in need of some work but thats always fun - i'm expecting to have to do a neck reset and whilst i am at it i might remove the fretboard and put some kind of reinforcement in there... we will see - bit of a gamble
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Hehehehehehehe C'mon wasn't that expensive! And you will get more experience in repair Archtop guitars :D
Thinking in ask for a friend who is going to USA bring something alike, if I bid on eBay, but I'm completely out of money... Have used all my "credit" on bank on the last months :cry:
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Nice one Wez. I have a couple of Silvertones and they sound great for the price, though they are getting more expensive over here.
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Hehehehehehehe C'mon wasn't that expensive! And you will get more experience in repair Archtop guitars :D
i have been after an archtop to repair for ages and they normally go for more even with the neck pulling right away from the body. i am glad the seller didnt take two minutes to find out its name as he would have probably doubled his money just with a more detailed description
i was a bit worried by the fact these dont have a truss rod but removing fretboards is easy and it will let me put some graphite in there and sort out any neck angle isssues i expect at the same time... i still wish i could get one with a solid spruce top rather than laminates but this will do for now
i am a sucker for cheap old guitars - mainly because i cant afford the not cheap ones!
i also have a hofner thinline body in the workshop that was never made into a guitar, it was still stuffed with 60's german newspapers when i got it - been thinking about putting a neck on it for ages but havnt gotten around to it yet... i might do it soon and spray it red to match the guitar recently tattooed on my leg
the thing i missed out on today was this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280252991762&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38%26_nkw%3D280252991762%26_fvi%3D1
the westones are usully good workhorses in their own right but i was watching it for the pickups
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the westones are usully good workhorses in their own right but i was watching it for the pickups
You should make your own called the Wez-tone
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i did think that might be why i have always been drawn to them... but really i think it comes down to the body laminations i am used to seeing in the thunders. they are a nice simple design i have always liked
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this is the other thing i was drawn to:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220264841080&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38%26_nkw%3D220264841080%26_fvi%3D1
gone a bit more than i can afford though
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Well, if you're going to take off the fingerboard and put graphite why not put a double-truss rod on it? No more warping neck :D
I think you should try make one, someday... a solid top, etc kinda tough work, but surely would be amazing when finish the thing!!
That old guitar you post in the last one is a little bit weird, but in a charmy way, like those girls that aren't beautifull, but has a actrative way of sight, walk and talk, if you understand me :D
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i couldnt put a two way truss rod in it - seems kinds wrong. the graphite would be a sensitive repair because no one needs to know its in there!! i might not even have to do anything yet - you never know.
i will do a full size jazz archtop from scratch at some point but i am working up to it....slowly
i really like the stauffer designs as its when things really start to get recognisable as modern guitars - basically its the birth of martin which leads very directly to the birth of the modern X braced, steel string acoustic. the headstocks interesting too - i wonder if leo fender was familiar with it. it certainly has to be one of the first 6 in line headstocks, with perfectly straight string travel to boot!!
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=380056546669
What's about it? Looks like would need a heavy repair session :?
For that price could be ok, but higher I don't really know...
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you will not get a bargain on that one, most of the work is purely cosmetic other than the obvious need for a neck reset, which they all need sooner or later. For a skilled repair person that really doesnt need much work and could be quite valuable.. thats a seriously nice guitar behind all that mess
harmonys and kays tend to go relatively cheap in the US, we see more german names like my framus or hofner in the UK
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1950s-KAY-ARCHTOP-JAZZ-BOX-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-K37_W0QQitemZ110279884547QQihZ001QQcategoryZ118979QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
thats pretty typical of what you find... unplayable at the moment but the neck so badly needs a reset that you probably wouldnt need any steam - that thing looks like it would come out if you gave it a bit of a wiggle, which is great when you need to remove it anyway!!