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The man in this demos a variety of arch tops in this video. All of the guitars sound a bit different from one another, but the Stromberg's sound stands out as incredibly different from the others. (You can best hear it starting at 11:06 in the video) It also happens to be my favorite arch top tone in general. I've heard other arch tops that sound this way as well, but I can't figure out what it might be that makes the guitar sound this way. Many guitars made with similar specifications sound completely different. If I wanted a guitar that sounds this way, what is it I'm looking for?
Despite the low quality recording, you can even hear this sort of tone coming from Billy Bean's guitar in this live recording.
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03-05-2022 07:40 PM
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Bracing. And the pickup, of course.
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Those are two completely different guitars VanEpsinDeChirico. The one in the demo is a modern maple laminate that is on par with many other Asian guitars these days. That crisp acoustic sound you hear is largely due to a relatively heavier string set, heavy pick and high enough action to get a bigger sound. The plugged in sound is from that pickup they install at the factory.
The Billy Bean is a hand built solid spruce instrument that aside from the name on the headstock is a completely different instrument. Stromberg made big band instruments in the heyday of archtop guitars. Billy Bean owned quite a few instruments, Epiphone (again the original pre-Gibson buy out), I think I've seen pictures with him and a D'Angelico. You can't know what he's actually playing in the recording because that's an archive photo and not necessarily the one played on the recording.
If you're looking for that chunky woody sound, I don't believe it's unique to Stomberg (though his guitars were unique in their low peaked arching patterns).
The new Strombergs are not that unique, laminated maple tops and with a heavier set of strings and a somewhat mid to high action, a heavier pick, you can start to get into the sound I hear in those clips.
Maybe don't think of it as a sound peculiar to Stromberg but do consider exploring instruments set up to project. That's the sensibility of the guitars in the clips anyway.
But that's just my opinion.
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Yeah, I didn't mean to imply they were both Stromberg guitars. I just meant to point out that they both have a similar tone, and that's the tone I'm looking for in a guitar. But where does it come from?I suppose strings can make a big difference in tone. When I put heavier flat wounds on my Les Paul, I was surprised how much closer to this sound it got. But its definitely not the same.
I don't know how much pick ups contribute to the particular aspect of tone I'm interested in here. Obviously some. But I can immediately hear in a guitar played unamplified, that its going to have this tone when it gets plugged in. In the first video I posted (the guy testing various arch tops) he strums the Stromberg unamplified, and it still has this wonderful sound to it. The modern Stromberg seems like its trying to emulate a big band era guitar tone, whereas most of the other arch tops in the video are more "modern" sounding. To my ear, many of the most popular electric arch tops of today (Eastman and Godin are good examples) have a very hybrid sound. Their tones sits somewhere between classic jazz arch top and flat top dreadnaught. As if they were designed to be jack-of-all-trades-type guitars that serve a number of functions.
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The reissue Stromberg seems to have reasonably narrow waist, a 16.5"? wide bout and a fairly pronounced arch, from what I can tell. This would/could make the tone very more focused with a fair amount of snap.
Originally Posted by VanEpsInDeChirico
A more modern sound would be with a flattened arch and a humbucker (imo).
The guitar sounds to me a little honky so not really the modern sound which as you rightly point out, is closer to a flat top (in a way).Last edited by Archie; 03-06-2022 at 06:57 PM.
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Oh yeah, I see where you're coming from. Modern hand built and especially solid wood instruments are designed, for a lack of other terms, a modern vocabulary of music and not prioritized for cutting through a big band with a percussive presence.
Less compliant tops, laminates (especially maple laminates) and thicker tops (carved thicker if we're talking carved spruce) will give you a top that needs more to drive it but once driven, has an attack that really bursts with sound. That takes energy. That's why a stiffer top with thicker strings, driven by a hard pick will take more to get it moving but in that style, hard attack and strummed chords, will give you a lot of attack.
Hand carved modern archtops do go for a wider expressive range, whether you're talking Jimmy D'Aquisto, a Guild AA or an Eastman (solid spruce range), will be built for clarity throughout the range and not necessarily for that powerful attack and woody envelope decay.
Look for laminates, stiff thicker solids or an instrument that will work well with a heavier driving force of stiffer strings and a higher action. Those are the things that can accentuate a strong sound with a heavier pick. Explore hollow body guitars, archtops, because those are the instruments that will give you the type of decay envelope you seem to like and stiffer archings will give you the attack that can best translate quick energy from a heavier string.
Try instruments of different types and you'll get a feeling for what works. It may not be limited to a brand, necessarily but rather a type of guitar set up for your tastes.
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Yes, that's the tone I'm looking for exactly. I'm having a very hard time finding a guitar with a tone that isn't an incredibly expensive antique. A tone I'd also describe as big band era guitar tone; a tone that's a bit brassy/hornlike or even banjo like (which makes sense as those arch tops were being designed and becoming popular when the banjo was a more popular instrument than the guitar). Also they have a very percussive attack, as they were designed primarily to be rhythm, not single note solo instruments. But wow, they certainly do sound great as single note instruments as well. Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
Granted, I've not been able to play very many, but the only guitar I've played that's built today and doesn't cost a fortune that has something approaching this tone is the Epiphone Broadway. Even with the stock 10 gauge round wound strings, it sounds more mid rangy and honky than my Les Paul with heavy flat wounds. But unfortunately its too big for me and also, I think it sounds a bit cardboard boxy. Perfectly acceptable for its price, but I have more to spend so I'd rather get something a little nicer. The Daniel Slaman DS 250 with an old school CC pick up gets this sound very nicely, but I can't spend 5000 on a guitar and there aren't a lot of them around anyway. This particular Stromberg we've been talking about I've seen for about 1800 euros. But I'm reluctant to by a guitar from such an unknown company. Seems to me it might be very difficult to sell. (side note: this modern incarnation of Stromberg is a very very strange guitar company. Very little information on their website, which looks straight out of the 90s. Apparently its owned by a larger company called i-Music Network, which also makes the seemingly good quality, low priced Stanford guitars, which are equally mysterious and difficult to find information about).
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I think the Epi Broadway is a beautiful guitar but it does have a top that's not as thinly solid as some of the guitars I've tried that come out of the Peerless factory, which has some of the nicest responsive laminates coming out of Korea. Originally Posted by VanEpsInDeChirico
The Epi Zephyr Regent was a really fine example, and they also made guitars in the Ibanez line as well as Peerless and Carlos Robelli names. There are lots of fine laminates that will fit your needs, and lots that won't. You start down the path, try a lot, listen to advice with a huge grain of salt and figure out what strings (at least an .012 I'd say off hand) and action does it for any guitar you try. These things will change any given guitar closer of further away from the sound you imagine.
Try a bunch. All the better if you can futz with the set up and string sets.
Don't take my advice too seriously, I'm just one guy with an opinion
Have fun. There's a lot out there.
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Do I understand correctly, that all of these guitars are mik or mic guitars made in the last 1-2 decades and are between approx $600 and $1500? Stromberg sounds like it would be in another league, but it is also true that the performer favors it by an extra acoustic demo...
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When I 1st started playing big Band guitar back in the eighties, I went up to gruhns in Nashville and met with David Sebring.. David was an excellent Django player and tried to demonstrate that tone through a d'angelico style B and an L5. David was highly prejudiced to the acoustic tone and playing to a cigar mic at that time if you needed amplification. I often practice with a big band with just acoustic tone if I can get away with it. Have you checked out forum member Jonathan stouts tone? It is addictive...
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I believe they are made in the Czech Republic - somebody just bought the brand name, they don't really have a lot in common with vintage ones. Originally Posted by Gabor
BTW, the performer played those twice, because he wanted to show both the magnetic and the piezo pickups - not because it was his favorite (following his comments, he liked the ES 175, the Eastman AR403, and the Telecaster the most.)
Oh, and the location of that video is my local guitar store - I've probably played the Stanfords and Eastmans in the video myself at the store...
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Yes it's a Stromberg in name only. Made in the Czech Republic as you say sometime in the last few years. Though I think the company that owns it is based in Germany. This particular Stromberg sells new for just under 3000 euros which I find pretty strange. I cant say whether it's worth the money or not but the company has no reputation whatsoever. Almost no one has ever heard of it. I haven't even found any reviews of the guitar on any well known guitar websites. I wonder how many people are going to pay nearly 3000 euros for a guitar made by a company no one has ever heard of and that has very limited information on their website. They also make the 2nd and 3rd guitars he plays, which go under the brand name Stanford. Again very little information available about them but they seem nice. I actually had my wife translate every word this man said about the guitars, constantly pausing the video, because there's been so little said about them anywhere else.
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Is your wife Austrian? Because a lot of German speakers would have difficulties understanding that beautiful old-fashioned Viennese variety of German...
Yeah, iMusic Network seems to be the German company that currently owns the Stromberg brand (as well as Larson Bros. - flattop acoustics, Maybach - electric guitars, Paramount and Leewald - resonator guitars, and Stanford).
I've played those two Stanfords from the video - they are very similar to Eastmans in that price range, well made, slightly rustic finish, also made in China; slightly smaller neck profile.
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No she's from near Cologne. Which to my ear is the farthest German accent away from this man's. She commented on the thickness of his accent but even I could hear it myself and I speak very little German. Originally Posted by RomanS
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I would suggest checking out the Loar LH-600/LH-700 (not the low end 300 series). It is basically a reproduction of the 1930s Gibson L5.
Swing Guitar Blog — Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five featuring Hilary Alexander
scroll down a bit to his discussion about these two guitars.
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Yeah I've seen these they look pretty cool. Would love a guitar of this sort with a single neck pick of some sort. I guess you could throw one of those DeArmond rhythm chief-type pick ups on it.
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Yes I would be cautious about spending 1800 on a guitar that doesn't carry any know residual value. Originally Posted by VanEpsInDeChirico
If you get to play one and you love it, that's another story.
It depends on what type of buyer you are and the return policy of the store.
You can find a similar tone from the medium to smaller body D'aquisto reissues. They sound more like gygps jazz guitars than L5's. Very snappy and mid focused.
The Chinese ones are similar to the Korean Epiphone you mention but with a slightly less boxy sound.
The problem there though is they can sound a little dull in my limited experience.
You'd be better off going for a vintage Epiphone. Some can be had not too far off $1800. A 'players' Zephyr' could potentially get you there.
Where are you based?
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