Vintage archtops advice.

[tomgiemza]

For some time I'm looking for an affordable, good sounding archtop.
Currently I have an opportunity to buy 60's Airline N-5 (made by Kay or Valco) and Harmony H1215. Both guitar have a straight necks and no major flaws.

Could anyone help with an advice on this guitars?
 

[bonzo]

Pm'd

[tomgiemza]

I found a reasonable priced 50's Grimshaw archtop. I did a quick research and I know it was made by english luthier, Emile Grimshaw. Maybe someone can tell something about his guitars?


allegro.pl/oferta/grimshaw-plectric-lata-50-gitara-jazzowa-sprawna-11908232685

[Michael Messer]

Grimshaw guitars were popular with there dance band guitarists in the UK in the 30s and 40s because it was more difficult than to get American guitars. They have never become collectable, but there are a few collectors and people that enjoy them.

That guitar looks nice and it may be good to play, but I would go carefully if I were you. I think a Hofner arch top would be a better guitar.

I may be wrong, but you don't see them around or talked about.

Shine On
Michael

[tomgiemza]

Thanks, I'm backing out, it's 18 inch and I just don't feel comfortable with anything bigger than 16. There's plenty of Hofners to find.

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Depending how much you want to spend, You might be lucky and find a Gibson L30, L48 or L50.
These are better quality than Harmony’s and Hofners.

I bought my circa 1946 Gibson L50 about 16-18yrs ago, from the London Resonator Centre, just before it closed down.
I paid £1250 over the phone, and Mel Isaacs, the shop co-owner, sent it to me, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Within days he had absconded from the shop with guitar deposits and other shop money apparently, but somehow decided not to cheat me !

I had Dearmond FHC and Rhythm Chief pickups, looking for the ideal archtop guitar to put them on.
It’s still one of my all-time favourite guitars, and has been used in most gigs I’ve done since then (apart from gigs where I only play piano / Hammond).

The Gibson L50 is a “poor man’s” Gibson L5 but nevertheless is a seriously good guitar for the money.

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[tomgiemza]

Thanks, I've seen your videos on YouTube, great guitar. But I don't want to spend that much, I did a quick research and I suppose I would have to spend >€2500 for the models that you've mentioned. Right now I don't want to spend more than €1200.

I'm also considering one of those: www.spruceguitars.nl/gitaar-kopen/vintage-archtops
from a luthier in Netherlands who is restoring a vintage guitars, two years ago I bought from him a 1945 Oahu parlor guitar for a good price and it's flawless. He used to offer much more vintage guitars, I hope he didn't stop restoring them.

And I'm also thinking about a new guitar, Loar Lh-600. Those are made in China, believe it or not, they're hand carved. On the internet, people praise them for their sound (close to Gibson L5), but complain about small issues like finish flaws, sharp fret edges, nut slots and overall setup. But if I can get a hand carved guitar for €1000, I don't mind spending a few hours to fix those issues myself.

[pearsall]

You might find this blog post interesting: www.campusfive.com/swingguitarblog/2019/4/19/what-should-i-buy-modern-gear-for-the-vintage-player-2019-update

It's by Jonathan Stout, an excellent chord melody player from the states. He seems to rate The Loars a lot. I've never played one myself but their v-necks seem to polarise people, so bear that in mind.

[tomgiemza]

Thanks, I was almost convinced to buy a Loar, but there has been a delay and the new ones should be available in the autumn. But it's not like I must have an archtop right now and maybe a nice used one will show up in the meantime.
At some point I was considering raising a budget to get a better one, but I'm not (and won't be) Eddie Lang, so I think Loar Lh-600 would be a good choice for my needs.

My 1945 parlor has a V-neck and I have no problem with it.

[brucer]

I have fantastic pre war Kalamazoo archtop which is not for sale.
The guitar got me into archtop guitars was a relatively cheap Horfne from the 60’s. It had a banana neck but is ok for both slide/picking. What got me into archtops was the unbelievably great sound this cheap guitar made. Having spoken to quite a few guitarist around my age Hofners of this period evoke nothing but praise for the sound.
I have just sold on a Godin 5th Avenue which is also a very good acrophobia guitar and is made to very high specs in North America. Well worth looking at. It had a Gibson P90 pick-up replacing the factory fitted P90 and played just pure nostalgia for the sound that defined when I first started to play - 60’s.
All of the above is about my flirtation with archtops, very enjoyable it was too and I keep one true love from it. I also kept the Hofner.

[tomgiemza]

I was considering Godin, but I've read that Loar has a nicer and louder acoustic tone. That make sense, Loar has a solid top.

Kalamazoo guitars used to be quite cheap. Now, they're still cheaper than Gibson, but became more recognizable and expensive.

[calvoi]

The Rex Aragon (Gretsch budget brand - made by Harmony) I had was really great. I think Harmony guitars can be really good but has much less quality control so can also be really poor. Someone (sorry I can't remember who), once told me that if you look for a high end Harmony (flashier binding and nicer appointments) that is the best way to go.

EDIT: I think Kalamazoo's have got a hell of a lot more expensive but I think they are likely to hold their value and appreciate more than a Harmony guitar if this is a factor for you.

Also, are you looking for one you can add a pickup too? This is likely to narrow your search quite a bit as many of the cheaper made archtops don't have the space.

[snakehips]

By “not the space”, I think he refers to not having enough string clearance between the guitar top and the underside of the strings, for a surface-mounted pickup.
Even my Gibson L50 does not have a “floating” / raised fretboard extension, but is glued to the guitar top. My Dearmond FHC pickup does fit under the strings, but not enough clearance height at the fretboard end, it only fits from the “middle pickup position” to the bridge position

[tomgiemza]

Yes, I got it, pickup would be nice, but it's don't have to right under the fretboard. I was even thinking about getting a floating pickup and experiment with it's placement to achieve more aggressive sound like Memphis Minnie. Junior Barnard was also the player with a nasty (in a good way) guitar sound.