Ask sellers if the neck is straight, does the truss rod work, what the fret life is like. Are there any cracks to the body, has the top sunk etc.. Most sellers won't know but will say yes it's all fine. If the guitars turns up and it's not, then you can send it back. The best clue is if someone has put really light string on an archtop. Most archtop players use 11 to 12 gauge strings; Many use 13 gauge! So if you inspect the neck on an archtop and it looks straight but the strings are really light, you need to check the truss rod. 9/10 it’s usually the strings are light to stop the neck from bowing as it can't be straightened.
To check for a sinking or sunken top, hold the body up to your eye line (like a violinist holds a violin), look across the archtop plate (so bottom of the guitar will be in line with your nose) and look across the F-holes. If the inside edge of the f-holes is lower or the same hight as the outer edge, then there’s a potential problem. Don’t forget, you're looking for a consistent arch.
Vintage Japanese
The Greco and Ibanez are all made by the same manufacturer. I see Greco as more of a domestic Japanese brand than Ibanez. You could also include Antoria, which is a cheaper brand but many of their models are identical to the Ibanez and Greco. They just don’t command the market value. I think Greco might no longer be in existence.
It depends how cheap you're trying to be and from your budget, it seems that you can afford to buy something pretty good, so an older Japanese copy might actually be slightly less quality than you can afford (talking ES-175’s here). If someone were to say “I want an ES-175 copy for under $2k” then a natural place to look would be the older Japanese guitars.
I you have $3k then you can look at newer Japanese models. The difference will be an improvement in quality control although worth stating that the older post 77 Japanese stuff, was really well made and has held up well over time. What you won’t get from newer archtops is ‘mojo’ which older guitars have in spades. To use the phrase of our time, older archtops are 'a vibe’.
If you’re actually happy to pay between $1,500-$2k and would prefer something with mojo, then I would say post 1977 Japanese copies are a great place to look. Honestly, there probably is no other place you could. I say post 77 because the quality control was much better than pre 77.
Some models to look out for would be the Ibanez 2355M (maple blonde version). These later became the FA-100 series in the late 70’s early 80’s; again really nice guitars.
For Greco it would be the FA-67-70, FA-95, FA-80 FA700. These model designations are a bit odd. I’m told they refer to the year of ES175 copied. The earlier numbers were Greco's made in the late 70’s and the later numbers, FA80/95 were made in the early 80’s. The FA 95 is different from the FA67-70/80 models, the body is slightly smaller.
One thing to bare in mind with these copies is neck width. I find generally the Ibanez necks to be fine, but the Greco ones could be on the thinner side, especially the 67-70 copy.
Here are some examples
Ibanez 2355M
Ibanez FA-100
Greco 67-70
Greco FA80 (notice the body is a little smaller than the FA67-70. Mostly the upper bout isn't as wide).
If you’re looking for an L5 model, then the Ibanez 2460/2470/2471 and the FA700/800 come highly recommended. The early 24 models are pre 1980, the FA models post 1980.
Examples are
Ibanez 2460
Ibanez FA700
I've tried a few Greco L5 copies and I was a bit disappointed. The same with the Epiohone’s from Matsumoko. The Ibanez branded ones seem to be the more accurate.
American
If you want something else with bags of mojo, old Epiphones and Guilds are a great shout but then you're looking at $2k+ for sure. In fact all the L5 copies I've shown above will be nearer or over $3k in todays market, so a used Guild would be a great option and frankly my preferred one.
Guild X500
Guild X-150
guild x 500 | eBay
Guild X175 Blonde Manhattan Vintage Guitar | eBay
I won’t go in to the Seventy Seven offers and Tokai FA’s. There’s so much to choose from but I've covered the more vintage stuff and US stuff in that range. You could look at older American made Epiphone's but they are a different type of archtop in terms of sound imo. I’m sure many here can help you learn more about the others.
One piece of advice I would give and I don't want to ruffle any feathers. I would stay away from cheaper Archtops if you can afford to. They are great for the money and almost all of us late Gen X’s started on something out of Korea. The people advising you on them aren't wrong but an X175/X500X160 etc.. are worlds apart from anything out of Korea, or China, and even Japan to be fair. It's just a different league.
I remember I couldn't get out of my Korean Epiphone fast enough and when I did upgrade to an Ibanez 2355, I was over the moon. That’s when my passion for Archtops really took off. Of course I then stepped up from a 2355 to a Es-175. That’s how it goes; but there is no step up from a good Guild.
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