So I have lusted after a nice sounding archtop for a while, even more so for an old 60's archtop. There's always a slew of old archtops and hollowbody guitars on the 2nd hand market (I regret not picking up a 60's Harmony Rocket back when you could get them for £200-£300).
Pickups arent essential as I could just pop a floating pup on but I would like the option to be able to plug it in.
Amongst the listings are always the usual suspects - Hofner, Framus, Ibanez, Teisco, Yamaha etc...all 60's and 70's stuff. Now I know Hofner guitars are generally well made and you can't go wrong with one as long as they're not rusty rotten old buckets of junk. There's a few listed now that I have my eye on, but I don't know what it is about them that appeals to me?
I have a Gretsch G3140, which is like an ES-275 except it has dearmond pickups and it's a centre block and acoustically it's not great - plus it's heavy.
I also have a Crafter FEG 780 which is a nicely made Korean archtop but again, acoustically, it leaves a lot to be desired. I have here, sitting in the corner of my room, some kind of old hofner but the neck is a bit buggered and the action is higher than a kite and the tuners are rusted but the body sounds deep and rich - it would probably cost about £500 to get it fixed up if the neck is salvageable at all.
Now, back to those old archtops and a few questions
Are they worth it? Granted, as with all vintage instruments, maintenance might be an issue going forward I guess but correct me if I am wrong.
Why are there always so many on the 2nd hand market - how do you know the junkers from the gems? Even if they're set-up and intonated with nice action?
Is it safe to put steel strings on some of these archtops from the early to mid 60's? I have read that some have tops that lack bracing which will eventually cause the wood to fold in and break.
What's a good price? The prices are all over the place - is there a definitive guide for today?
If I decide to go with an old archtop, which models are the ones to look out for and which guitar maker besides Hofner is worth trying?
What are the brands/guitar makers to steer clear of?
If I decide to forego then what are my options when buying 2nd hand - mid 2000's Korean made Epiphones? Gretsch?
I am keen on the Godin 5th Avenue thinline with the lollar gold foils - but it is £2K and I don't know if I want to spend that much purely as a hobbyist.
Comments
They are often not cost effective to restore, beyond a labour of love.
I love them for what they are, but that definitely isn't practicality or quality
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Okay, I did the odd one if I was in the mood for it.
They’re much better as electrics so you can put lighter strings on and ignore the acoustic tone, frankly - and even then have the same issues plus other ones with the pickups and pots.
But they do look really cool.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
But an old customer, going back to the days when my grandad owned/ran the shop - So late 50's - Purchased a Golden Hofner - Top of the range model - He gigged 2/3 nights a week in a dance band - This was his pride and joy - I heard so much about this guitar but never actually saw it in the flesh - For him and the band, the Carpenters Good Bye To Love, was the hi-light of the night and he could rip it up - For over 50 years this was his gigging guitar
About 3/4 years ago he told me he had an issue with the jack socket so would I have a look at it - Of course I was glad to do so - Easy fix as just a bit tarnished - But boy was I surprised or not - This guitar was an absolute dog to play - As I said take into account how many hours and gigs he'd played on it in a competent dance band - It was that bad IMO that I could not even play 'whistle while you work' on it - It was a pure bitch to play - Valuable yes but totally pointless and useless as a commodity IMO
Some of the electronical gubbins is extremely primitive. Care must be taken when unscrewing the control panel. Otherwise, the ply flakes away, leaving nothing for the tiny fastening screws to bite.
My only experience of "fixing" a Höfner was as a favour for a friend who also happened to be my work supervisor. He had inherited a wreck from a recently deceased uncle. For sentimental reasons, he wanted the guitar to work properly again.
It's not too difficult to glue new bits of ply under the top at the ends of the hole, and use longer screws. I have done a lot of those...
There are also the other ones with four controls in a diamond pattern, where the panel is held on by the pot mounting plate being inserted at an angle, rotated, then the outer plate fitted over the top and the pot nuts hold it all together with no visible means of support! Actually quite clever and secure once in place, but a real challenge if you've never seen how it's done before.
Again?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
https://eastwoodguitars.com/products/sidejack-20th-ltd
My first hollow body was a 1965/66 Hofner President Florentine which I bought (with defective pickups when I was 19 ... it had a beefy but quite comfortable neck and a truss rod
Pretty much exactly like this
My oldest mate who I sold it to still has it ... and gigs it regularly.
Unlike earlier models the truss rod equipped ones are still very playable if the neck joints have stood up to the test of time.
Personally I would always want to try one of these for a good long time to make sure everything is okay, but they are not all as bad as some would make out ... but be careful.
Framus are not as good as Hofner ... at least not the ones I've tried.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
But spending £600-1000 on many examples, then a £300-500 cost for re-fit neck, re-fret and a electric tidy up is just not a cost effective project - Fine if you can DIY
So stick late 80'to mid to late 90's Japanese guitars and early to mid 2000's Korean guitars from the likes of Gretsch, Epiphone, Ibanez, Guild and Dearmond?
How do we all feel about mid to late 70's Hofners? Particularly the 457 series? If they're in good playable condition with decent frets would it be worth picking one up for £600?
Never tried a 457 ... but I'm told they were really nice
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message