Solid Tops

[Ibaneezer_Scrooge]

<<< IMHO you need both guitars. >>>


Only if you have unlimited funds 

[seattledan]

    I've played some of the Eastman Chinese solid tops, and they sounded great.  But they also have a very bright sound that I didn't really like.  Maybe this was from the body shape, but even unplugged they sounded too bright.  Is this inherent to the carved archtops? I really prefer a smoky dark rich tone.---(did that sound like I was describing coffee or chocolate?)

[jazzgeetar]

Which Eastmans did you play? I have an 805ce and an El Rey, both with solid tops. I think they can be brighter than laminates, but with flats on them and tone down a little, I get a dark tone from both.

[Ibaneezer_Scrooge]

The original purpose of carved top archtops was to play in big bands...no pickup...and they were built to project volume wise.

I have never played an Eastman, although the pricing on used ones is VERY attractive on Ebay.

The string gauges and type of string used will also determine the brightness of a guitar.

I use .14 on the high E and .56 on the low E...usually round wound nickel plated...so yeah...mine all sound bright for a few days until that luster wears off.

If you use flat wounds or flat grounds also known as half rounds,  The guitar will sound darker...with flat wounds much darker.

Also the type of bridge...wood or tunamatic will influence the sound...but not straight across the board.

I will try both types on an archtop to see which gives the best sound.   On some a tunamatic will sound better.   

The woods used in the bridge will also influence brightness...Ebony the brightest and rosewood the least bright. 

And with Tunamatics it gets even more complicated....most are made of @!## pot metal....zinc alloy.   I have heard that if you can get a machined tunamatic...either stainless steel, brass, or aluminum...you will get better tone.   As the sound more directly goes into the top.   Pot Metal tunamatics...read Gibson, Ibanez, Gotoh here...tend to absorb the string vibrations...and if the casting is uneven...very common, you may get even crappy tone.   

And the inserts/seats for the strings also make a difference.   Nylon will sound darker than Metal.   Metal is preferred by most players...but in the 1960's Gibson routinely used Nylon saddles.   For rock it sucks....but for jazz the tone is quite nice...dark and smoky...ala Wes Montgomery.

So, the only way to get a definitive answer is to try it on your guitar...bridge types and saddle types.

Other thing adding to the brightness is Ebony fingerboards vs Rosewood.

Many things influence tone...only by trying different things will you change that tone and determine just what works for you.

My FA100 has a Gotoh bridge with nylon saddles...and it sounds great.

I also have a Schaller bridge with metal saddles that sounds killer.   Schaller (Germany) IMO makes the best tunamatics but are hard to find and expensive.   Gotoh Japan is good....but not like Schaller.

[Ibaneezer_Scrooge]

seatledan,

Another thing that will influence tone...bright or dark...is how long your arms are.

Yeah that sounds funny...but if you pick like a traditional player...rest your upper arm on the upper bout, and float your lower arm across the strings...longer arms will have the pick closer to the fingerboard....darker tone...shorter arms will have it closer to the bridge...brighter tone.

Sounds absurd but I have played with guys that have short arms, and their tone is brighter than when I play their guitars.

Finally....if your over 40 you will get high frequency rolloff in your hearing especially if you played a lot of loud music in your earlier days.

That rolloff will make even a bright guitar sound somewhat darker 

[Ibaneezer_Scrooge]

jazzgeetar...

I almost bought a 2 pup El Rey...Ebay...They were used and cheaply priced. 

Then I read somewhere that the truss rod could not accomodate heavy strings without modification...read Luthier work here.

Question...what string guages do you use on yours?


The other problem I had was the body size...the ad stated it was only 14 inches lower bout.   I prefer a 15 to 16 lower bout...so passed on it.

They do look really cool though...avant garde...and get good reviews on the sound.

[jazzgeetar]

jazzgeetar...

I almost bought a 2 pup El Rey...Ebay...They were used and cheaply priced. 

Then I read somewhere that the truss rod could not accomodate heavy strings without modification...read Luthier work here.

Question...what string guages do you use on yours?


The other problem I had was the body size...the ad stated it was only 14 inches lower bout.   I prefer a 15 to 16 lower bout...so passed on it.

They do look really cool though...avant garde...and get good reviews on the sound.

Hi Ibaneezer...

I have the El Rey II, which has two humbuckers. Right now I have flatwound 12s on there. I've had D'addarrio flatwound 11s and 12s on it, though right now they're Thomastik-Infeld 12s. I've never gone greater than 12s and might actually go back down to 11s to make it more versatile for other playing styles. I've had the pleasure of visiting the shop of the designer of the El Rey since his shop is less than an hour from my house.

That's correct about the 14" bout...and only about 2" thick. I dig the small body. Big bodies (16-17") are uncomfortable for me. I think that's one reason I like the Artcores...because they're 15.75" and 2.75" depth at the edges as opposed to the 3.25" depth and 16" bout of the Eastman 805ce. Actually, I just sold the 805ce, since I wasn't using it enough because it didn't suit my needs really...went with the AK105 as I mentioned in another thread.

[Ibaneezer_Scrooge]

My problem with small body sizes is that my long arms will interfere with the neck pickup...so to avoid that I have to move my arm back to a ackward position...which then creates a playing problem.

Too big for me would the 17-18 inch body sizes...especially if the body is deeper than 3 inches.   

So, I have found that 15-16 is the way to go.

And Eastman makes archtops in both sizes.   



I saw your post on the Artcore thread...so will be watching for that review of your new AK105.

From the pics....it is a NICE looking guitar.