artcore semi arching shape

[matthew]

Can anybody comment on what's going on with the arching here? It's really weird. Looks like the top is bellying up but no, it's designed like that. Is the upper upper-bout likely to be solid?

[Lillian]

Matthew, according to their site, its fully hollow. Looking at it, it looks like the designer was in love with the shape of the Les Paul and the ES 335. Definitely a Gibson fan.

http://www.ibanez.com/HollowBodyGuitars/model-AK95

[Mongrel]

http://www.omegamusic.co.uk/shop/music- ... onsaenuab5

This site talks about it like its a hollowbody.

An archtop bridge, yup, but I wouldn't expect a solid "archtop" top for the price...
Maybe its a moulded brace top like a es340 (they were the hollow bodies weren't they?) and the pots and switch would lend credence to this.

well its a AK86DVS if anyone else wants to dig deeper into Google

[Rick Turner]

I don't understand what's so hard to understand about this guitar. It's an electric archtop. Gibson's been making them for years along with a ton of other companies.

There are carved ones, pressed ones, big ones, small ones, fully hollow ones, semi-hollow ones, ones made with bent sides all glued up like a "real" acoustic guitar, and there are ones that are carved out like nut bowls and either topped or backed. There are plywood ones, solid wood ones, etc., etc., etc.

This is just one particular way to make a guitar...and it's a pretty nice overall design.

[kiwigeo]

I don't understand what's so hard to understand about this guitar. It's an electric archtop.

Ya need to cut Matthew a bit of slack Rick...ya see hes a Batman cape wearing bumble bee bass player.

Im sure the bass players amongst us would like to hear a bit about your involvement in the Alembic bass story.

[matthew]

I don't understand what's so hard to understand about this guitar.

*I* being a mere maker of doubles basses have never seen arching that terminates like that before the upper bout. Every other model *I* have seen - like the ES335 - has arching extending over the whole top. I was watching a guitarist friend play this model the other day and it looked from a distance of 10 metres like the upper bout was about to fold in half. So I thought I'd ask my friends here what they thought.

What you seem to be saying is that there's no functional reason underlying that arching shape, that's it's just a "look" thing and that's that. If that's all there is to it, I can accept that, and thanks for your time!

[Rick Turner]

This is an archtop in looks mostly. There's no luthier pixie dust or fingerplanes harmed in the making... It's an electric guitar...not that how it's made doesn't affect it's amplified sound, but this didn't come out of reading the Benedetto book or research into the secrets of Cremona.

It is a pretty guitar, though.

The best version...so far...of the me and Alembic story not written by me is in Jim Roberts' "American Basses." As for some of my version of my life in lutherie up to 2001, check this link: nhttp://www.renaissanceguitars.com/rick-turner-interview.php That's an interview published in American Lutherie in 2001...or so... Now I'm another eight years down the road.

Funny you ask, though, because my old friend Frank Fuller, who was the first luthier I hired into the Alembic scene, just called me today to say he wants to write his version. He's tired of the distortions and...well, lies...he sees published on-line at a certain somewhere. Frank was there with me from late 1970 on up into 1978, and he does know the story. Others who write about it either weren't old enough to know what was going on, or they'd rather revise history and minimize my contributions.

'nuff said by me on that.