How does the archtop guitar work? Shawn Farner. They were sometimes referred to as a "high hat with strings" - more of a percussion instrument than a melodic one. Pop music sometimes utilizes the sound of the semi-hollow body electric archtop, which produces very distinctive music. The reason an archtop guitar is called an arch top is because the top of the body, which is called the soundboard, is more rounded than on its flattop counterpart. © 2020 EzineArticlesAll Rights Reserved Worldwide, 6 Advantages of Downloading Songs From the Internet, Music Book Review - The World of Music by David Willoughby, Costa Blanca Arts Update - Claudi Arimany in Mozart and Marco Tezza in Schubert, The Four Frank Zappa Songs I Would Like Played At My Funeral, Different Ways to Present Identity on MySpace, Costa Blanca Arts Update - Zelia Rocha and Spanish Brass, Reflections on String Quartet No.1, Kreutzer Sonata, by Leos Janacek, Guitars: Several Differences Between Archtop and Flattop Guitars, https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shawn_Farner/1339032, http://ezinearticles.com/?Guitars:-­Several-­Differences-­Between-­Archtop-­and-­Flattop-­Guitars&id=7108557. This combined with the hollow inside presents a different sound than a typical flattop guitar. The names are very simple and descriptive. A flat top guitar is a type of guitar body model which has a flat top (as opposed to archtop).The term "flat top" is usually used to refer to the most popular type of steel-string acoustic guitars; however, electric guitars such as the Fender Telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul Junior and Special can be described as "flat top".. Sound generation Rock and roll also uses the instrument, most often with one of the vibrato devices mentioned above. These pickups are, more often than not, of the "humbucker" variety, which utilizes two reverse-polarity coils to reduce the interference and noise the archtop has when played as an electric. We will never sell or rent your email address. The names are very simple and descriptive. However, you might not know what these differences mean for the guitar in terms of sound and other features. Author Archtop guitars: If you put a guitar down on a flat surface, the flat top guitar with have a flat, level top. |   The strings on an archtop are usually longer and more thick, which adds to the unique sound an archtop provides the guitar player. A true archtop guitar has a rich acoustic tone, but as mentioned, most models are fitted with electric pickups. By knowing why one has certain design features and the other takes a different approach, you can better determine which guitar is right for you, and start looking at different guitar manufacturers or luthiers to find the next guitar you want to add to your collection. Although this instrument flopped, the concept was retained and refined. Of all the musical genres, jazz and country most often feature the music of the archtop. 68 Articles, By You can find the best marketplace at these sites for guitars, archtop, flattop [http://www.4guitars.info], sheet music, guitar tabs [http://www.4sheetmusic.info]. The innovation was immediately popular and such models became the standard for archtop guitars. r/Guitar: Welcome to r/guitar, ... Archtop vs flat top. The term "flat top" is usually used to refer to the most popular type of steel-string acoustic guitars; however, electric guitars such as the Fender Telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul Junior and Special can be described as "flat top". It enables the artists to quickly and temporarily vary the tension and sometimes length of the strings, thereby changing the pitch to create vibrato. © 2020 EzineArticlesAll Rights Reserved Worldwide, 6 Advantages of Downloading Songs From the Internet, Music Book Review - The World of Music by David Willoughby, Costa Blanca Arts Update - Claudi Arimany in Mozart and Marco Tezza in Schubert, The Four Frank Zappa Songs I Would Like Played At My Funeral, Different Ways to Present Identity on MySpace, Costa Blanca Arts Update - Zelia Rocha and Spanish Brass, Reflections on String Quartet No.1, Kreutzer Sonata, by Leos Janacek, Flattop Vs Archtop Guitars - Sound Holes and Soundboards, https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Victor_Epand/59895, http://ezinearticles.com/?Flattop-­Vs-­Archtop-­Guitars-­-­-­Sound-­Holes-­and-­Soundboards&id=1551587. The invention of this arched top instrument made this descriptor necessary. Platinum Author If you put a guitar down on a flat surface, the flat top guitar with have a flat, level top. Archtops certainly project well. On a traditional guitar, such as a flattop acoustic, the sound hole is located in the center of the body underneath the strings. A quality flat-top guitar is usually cheaper than its archtop friend. Submitted On June 07, 2012. No guarantee or warranty, express or implied, is made regarding the accuracy, fitness, or use of the content herein. The different parts of these guitars end up creating some different sounds and actions that help give its type its own guitar category. The strings of this guitar are generally thicker longer and thicker than those of a flattop, and the body is deep and usually hollow (although some semi-hollow models are manufactured). Any suggestions and discussion are welcome. Also, you can adjust the bridge higher or lower to set the action and, if you have a tunamatic bridge set the string length so it will note perfectly at the 12th fret. Article Source: The two guitar types have unique benefits, which is why you'll find fans of both in the guitar community. There’s a lot I could say about this, but to be honest, I find it a little boring to continue with the construction and historical details. Archtop vs flat top. That's what they were designed to do - cut through the mix in a jazz band prior to the advent of amplification. Orville Gibson, founder of the Gibson Guitar Corporation, was the inventor of the archtop guitar. The term "flattop" guitar was not around before the dawn of the archtop. Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, keyboards, sheet music, guitar tab, and home theater audio. These are some of the major differences between archtop guitars and the original flattop guitars that preceded them. Shawn Farner  |   Among the many divisions in the guitar family is that of flattop vs. archtop. Example archtop and flat-top guitars. The reason an archtop guitar is called an arch top is because the top of the body, which is called the soundboard, is more rounded than on its flattop counterpart. An archtop guitar is also steel-stringed, but it can be either acoustic or semi-acoustic. share. A flattop guitar is one with a flat top, the part of the instrument usually referred to as the soundboard. This design is after a mandolin which has an arch. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only, and not those of any other person, company, or organization. Here are a few of the differences between archtop guitars and flattops. Flat top acoustic vs. archtop for fingerpicking, jazz and open chords I'm torn choosing between an archtop and flat top and thought the r/guitar community might be able to help out here. A flattop guitar is one with a flat top, the part of the instrument usually referred to as the soundboard. If you are going to play fingers style, an archtop is never going to sound big and open like even a mid level flat top. https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shawn_Farner/1339032, Arts and Entertainment: Music |   If you’re interested, however, go to Wikipedia for more info. Among the many divisions in the guitar family is that of flattop vs. archtop. Archtop guitars are often used in conjunction with attachments designed to create or increase vibrato, a slightly tremulous effect that adds warmth and expressiveness to music. The archtop is named for the arched top, which distinguishes it from a flat top guitar. When you sit an archtop guitar next to a normal flattop guitar, there are obvious visual differences. This design is after a mandolin which has an arch. Acoustic Archtops vs Flat Tops. Mac ... but once the electric guitar showed up, I think archtops sort of phased themselves out because they tend to cost significantly more than would a flattop of similar quality. Very simple. The instrument's first incarnation was the Gibson L5; featured the violin-inspired F-holes that would eventually become the archtop's trademark. These f-holes are located on either side of the guitar's body. I have both - an archtop The Loar LH-300VS (based on 1920s Gibson L5 specs) and a flattop Silver Creek OM (based on Martin OM specs) - and find they are the same but quite different. First, a bit of history. We will never sell or rent your email address. The archtop, on the other hand, arches up and does not have a level top. These pickups are usually humbuckers, which use two coils of reversed polarity to reduce noise and interference. Archtop guitar strings are also a bit different than the strings you'll find on a flattop, such as an acoustic. I definitely prefer the bassier sound of a flat top to the brashness of an archtop. The sound hole of a flattop guitar is found and placed under the instrument's strings. Posted by u/[deleted] 5 years ago. These musical forms adopted the instrument almost immediately after the release of the modern version in the early 1950s. Rather than using the vibration of strings anchored within a bridge mounted to the top itself, as it’s a case with flat-top guitars, archtops receive their acoustic energy from the strings mounted in a trapeze tailpiece, that are exerting pressure on a “floating” bridge of the guitar. A flat top guitar is a type of guitar body model which has a flat top (as opposed to archtop). How does the archtop guitar work? Article Source: Until that time, all guitars had been flattop. ---I don't care if we are talking about a 1935 17" Gibson L-5, a 17" L-7, Super 400, an Epi Broadway/Triumph, or a 1925 Gibson L-5 like Eddie Lang. 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