Epiphone Dot is a decent choice, the ES335 shape is probably one of the most popular archtop shapes out there.

If you're looking for that shape, also check out the range by Vintage guitars. I tried one of these at Mediatech this year, I believe it was a VSA555 ( TI Distribution could correct me if I'm wrong there... ). I was amazed at the quality, playability and sound of this guitar. I'm pretty sure it'll blow a modern Epiphone out of the water (and I say this with all the love in my heart, as I own an Epiphone ?)

watch the 2nd hand market ....... i a few months ago bought a vintage as in 1968 aria ES175 copy for less than what a epiphone would cost new....... and it's soooo nice..... sorry i almost had it for sale , but decided to not sell ...... so keep watching gumtree...... cos the "jazz box" type guitars are not popular so they are hard sells i got the owner of my 175 to drop a few grand from what he wanted and i was the only buyer interested at the time on gumtree or he would not have dropped..... (ok his asking price was ridiculous too...... but everyone wants to sell the gear so deals are the name of the game)

at one point i too was interested in the epiphone dot's and was warned off by my man at the music store cos he considered the quality on some of the epiphones to not be great at all.... very cheap feel ..... and he never did that to make me buy something else from him cos he had dots in stock in stock and coulda sold me one regardless....... he did say if i buy one i should spend the cash on a pro setup ( + - R700 extra ) immeadiatly before it even left the store , i ended up not buying and ended up getting my gem from gumtree 2nd hand ( which in all honesty i did spend money on to change tuners and get frets dressed) BUT will always be greatful my music store dude is honest to me albeit his opinion ,


also watch out for the cort "yorktown" can't remember if it's the correct name it's something like that but they super value for money imho better than the epiphones..... lovely tone ..... AND CHEAP

The Cort Yorktown



Music Mate up the road from me has one in the window, I've been dying to get my hands on it to play it... Marked price (if I remember correctly) is about R4,600, which is, as Keira says, excellent value for money.

Eden, are you looking for a semi-solid or hollow-body guitar? The Yorktown is hollow, the Dot semi-solid. Sound differences and feedback issues may want to be taken into account...

VellaJ wrote: The Cort Yorktown



Music Mate up the road from me has one in the window, I've been dying to get my hands on it to play it... Marked price (if I remember correctly) is about R4,600, which is, as Keira says, excellent value for money.

Eden, are you looking for a semi-solid or hollow-body guitar? The Yorktown is hollow, the Dot semi-solid. Sound differences and feedback issues may want to be taken into account...

The Pickup Selector switch is in a weird spot :-\ but I have heard good things about the Yorktown as well.

There are archtops and archtops. What kind of thing are you looking for? If it's something along the lines of a Gibson ES335 (as I take it from your interest in the Epi dot) you're looking at a thinline double cutaway archtop with a solid centre-block (it's not a real acoustic like the ES175 or the Cort because, unlike those, the pickups are actually sitting in a solid block of wood that runs the length of the guitar. The hollow "wings" just provide a bit of acoustic ambience).

If it's that kind of guitar then the dot is a good choice.



The Tokai ES60 for about the same money looks more like a 335 (it has binding on the fretboard and the classic headstock and pickguard).

(this one was recently owned by forum member Cdee who could provide more info)

A very good option in terms of bang-for-buck is the Ibanez AS73.


All of these guitars are available in SA and are in the same ballpark price-wise.

I'd avoid the Cort for now. There is currently a petition out asking them to explain why they treated their Korean workers like animals. To many the well-being, lives, and dignity of some poor people far away isn't that important. But for me it's a deal breaker until they come right.

+ 1 on the Vintage VSA series.
Have a look at the VSA535 (Around 5K) and the VSA555 that VellaJ has already recommened (around 6k).
Both are really nice guitars (with Wilkinson Hardware) - good bang for your buck

in my opinion nothing comes close to it at this price point.

I got 2nd hand Ibanez as- 73 for a really really great price at cash crusaders a little while ago, and it's quite a nice guitar. The tuners aren't too great (goes out of tune quicker than a geriatric choir nipping back gin and tonics at rehearsals) and the pickups are more jazzy clean than bluesy warm, but the overall build quality and feel is great. It's allready a good value guitar imo, and if you can pick one up cheap and mod it to taste it will be a keeper for sure.
From the Epiphone range there is also the Sheraton. A bit more pricey than the Dot, but tastefully blinged and better specced. Personally I would save a bit longer and buy that rather than the Dot.

VellaJ wrote: Eden, are you looking for a semi-solid or hollow-body guitar? The Yorktown is hollow, the Dot semi-solid. Sound differences and feedback issues may want to be taken into account...

Im not really sure what I'd like more.. I like both... Also, I looked at the Epiphone Casino (yes, epiphone again ?). The price for the Casino + a hard case was R500 cheaper than the Dot + a bag (??).

Keira WitherKay wrote: watch the 2nd hand market .......

I have been watching on gumtree as I wouldn't buy my first archtop brand new.. Is it possible to ask you a few question on PM regarding this subject as from what I see you play these instruments (Hollo bodies, classicals, etc..)

singemonkey wrote: What kind of thing are you looking for? If it's something along the lines of a Gibson ES335

As I said up there ^^, I like both the designs of the ES335 and the ES175......

Ok. As I said, just bear in mind that the 335 type designs are quite different to the others because of the solid block. It makes them less acoustic, but more feedback resistant. Your Epiphone Casino, for example, is an acoustic guitar with magnetic pickups mounted and very prone to feedback at high volumes - as are the ES175 type designs.

Ibanez makes quite a range of archtop guitars including bigger ES175 types which come up from time to time second hand and all are of decent build quality.

Eden wrote:
I have been watching on gumtree as I wouldn't buy my first archtop brand new.. Is it possible to ask you a few question on PM regarding this subject as from what I see you play these instruments (Hollo bodies, classicals, etc..)

feel free to pm me, no need to even ask??? long as it';s music related i'm always cool to pass on what i know.........

long as you realise , i don't claim to be an expert technical person , but i do have extensive experience actually playing and gigging with guitars , i have played and owned a few hollow bodies jazz guitars, since i play jazz as part of my show .....

singemonkey wrote: Your Epiphone Casino, for example, is an acoustic guitar with magnetic pickups mounted and very prone to feedback at high volumes - as are the ES175 type designs.

Learned something today, I thought the casino was exactly like a dot with different trimmings / inlays etc.

I've got a '97 Dot and I absolutely love it. It plays like a dream. Soon as I have enough dosh to fit a set of Stormy Monday's with new electronics etc. it'll be my #1 (over a US Strat and Gibson Les Paul Classic). The stock pickups are quite poor to my ears, the bridge p/u is quite harsh and the neck pickup is much more muddy than I'd like.

Eden wrote: Hey guys,

I am looking to get my first archtop and I dont know which one to choose... I was thinking of the Epiphone Dot...

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Don't know what type of music you are playing, but if someone says, (thin) "arch top", i think of only one guitar :

. . . the Epi Casino 8)

What a beautifull sounding guitar.
Full hollow, raunchy P90's.
A Casino sounds like no other guitar out there.
They truely have a sound of theire own.
Love them !

chris77 wrote: I got 2nd hand Ibanez as- 73 for a really really great price at cash crusaders a little while ago, and it's quite a nice guitar. The tuners aren't too great (goes out of tune quicker than a geriatric choir nipping back gin and tonics at rehearsals) and the pickups are more jazzy clean than bluesy warm, but the overall build quality and feel is great. It's allready a good value guitar imo, and if you can pick one up cheap and mod it to taste it will be a keeper for sure.
From the Epiphone range there is also the Sheraton. A bit more pricey than the Dot, but tastefully blinged and better specced. Personally I would save a bit longer and buy that rather than the Dot.

Hey Eden . . . like everyone so have asked, it really depends what you are looking for.

Thin semi-hollow, like the Epi Dot, Gibbo ES-335, Ibanez AM73.

Thin full hollow, like the Epi Casino, Gibbo ES-330, Ibanez AFS75

Thick/big body full hollow, like the Epi Zephyer Blues Deluxe, Gibson ES-175, Gretcsh White Falcon, Ibanez AF75 (i have the AG57, and the guitar ROCKS)

All i did was replace the Jazz'y pu's (not a bad units mind you) with TV Jones TV-HT's, so give it more of a Gretsch snap.
No the guitar does Cramp songs ever week end !
It is a Rockabilly/Psychobilly monster !

That bridge is beautiful.

singemonkey wrote: Ok. As I said, just bear in mind that the 335 type designs are quite different to the others because of the solid block. It makes them less acoustic, but more feedback resistant. Your Epiphone Casino, for example, is an acoustic guitar with magnetic pickups mounted and very prone to feedback at high volumes - as are the ES175 type designs.

Ibanez makes quite a range of archtop guitars including bigger ES175 types which come up from time to time second hand and all are of decent build quality.

Both is rocking full hollow models (Gretsch Black Falcon & Gibson Byrdland) into massive Peavey 5150/5605 hi gain full stacks, and feedback does not seem to be much of an ihooo.





Then there is Malcolm Young who rocks a Gretsch White Falcon into a bank of Marshall 1959 plexi's.
They all controll the feedback very nicely.
In a DVD of the Nuge, that i have, they asked him about his Byrdlands and feedback, and he said ; "they only feedback if i want them to feedback."

My Artcore also only feeds back when i am at a certain angle to my cranked 50W Bassman.

Eden wrote:

VellaJ wrote: Eden, are you looking for a semi-solid or hollow-body guitar? The Yorktown is hollow, the Dot semi-solid. Sound differences and feedback issues may want to be taken into account...

Im not really sure what I'd like more.. I like both... Also, I looked at the Epiphone Casino (yes, epiphone again ?). (??).
The price for the Casino + a hard case was R500 cheaper than the Dot + a bag

I have been watching on gumtree as I wouldn't buy my first archtop brand new.. Is it possible to ask you a few question on PM regarding this subject as from what I see you play these instruments (Hollo bodies, classicals, etc..)

singemonkey wrote: What kind of thing are you looking for? If it's something along the lines of a Gibson ES335

As I said up there ^^, I like both the designs of the ES335 and the ES175......

So what are they asking for a Casino in SA these days ?

I didn't say hollowbodies always feedback. I said that semis are more feedback resistant than hollowbodies.

singemonkey wrote: I didn't say hollowbodies always feedback. I said that semis are more feedback resistant than hollowbodies.

AHhhhh . . . Gotcha ?

Stoner Riff wrote: So what are they asking for a Casino in SA these days ?

I found a second hand one with a case for R3k.. It was sold :'( I'm gonna put this hunt on hold til I get more money