Archived. 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 If you put a guitar down on a flat surface, the flat top guitar with have a flat, level top. The instrument's first incarnation was the Gibson L5; featured the violin-inspired F-holes that would eventually become the archtop's trademark. r/Guitar: Welcome to r/guitar, ... Archtop vs flat top. The sound hole of a flattop guitar is found and placed under the instrument's strings. Today, the list of companies that make archtop guitars includes Eagle, Yamaha, Epiphone and others. Rock and roll also uses the instrument, most often with one of the vibrato devices mentioned above. Hence the term "flattop" never existed until the innovation of the archtop guitar made it necessary. The defining characteristics of an archtop guitar are its arched soundboard and f-shaped holes. Victor Epand. The archtop is named for the arched top, which distinguishes it from a flat top guitar. They were sometimes referred to as a "high hat with strings" - more of a percussion instrument than a melodic one. Humidity does not effect an archtop to the extent it will a flattop guitar. Submitted On June 07, 2012. 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, 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. Although this instrument flopped, the concept was retained and refined. It enables the artists to quickly and temporarily vary the tension and sometimes length of the strings, thereby changing the pitch to create vibrato. Which do you prefer and why. Another way the sound of an archtop guitar differs from a flattop is through its sound holes. Submitted On October 03, 2008. The sound hole of a flattop guitar is found and placed under the instrument's strings. On an archtop, these sound holes are actually called "f-holes," and are borrowed from the same holes found on violins. 3,289 Articles, By Victor Epand  |   |   The invention of this arched top instrument made this descriptor necessary. I definitely prefer the bassier sound of a flat top to the brashness of an archtop. The archtop, on the other hand, arches up and does not have a level top. The two guitar types have unique benefits, which is why you'll find fans of both in the guitar community. We will never sell or rent your email address. We will never sell or rent your email address. Acoustic Archtops vs Flat Tops. These f-holes are located on either side of the guitar's body. https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shawn_Farner/1339032, Arts and Entertainment: Music Among the many divisions in the guitar family is that of flattop vs. archtop. And I'm asking generally about electric but I guess the same principles apply to acoustic as well. Close. Platinum Author |   Example archtop and flat-top guitars. The innovation was immediately popular and such models became the standard for archtop guitars. A flat top guitar is a type of guitar body model which has a flat top (as opposed to archtop). 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.

flat top guitar vs archtop

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