Friday, October 4, 2013

Guitar - Whats The Diffrence Between Flame and Arch Top?

guitar quilt
 on Epiphone Les Paul Classic Quilt Top Sunburst Guitar
guitar quilt image



Cream


This may be a stupid question, but I keep hearing a difference between some guitar, the difference of Flame top and arch top...
Whats the difference, and does it make a big difference?
Does this style hinder my choice in guitars due to sound?
Thanks for any help!



Answer
Flame means it's got a figured maple top that looks like a "flame" is running through it. This is a very cool look and is common on many guitars:

http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/technotes/issue13-good-wood/images/LP-Signature.jpg

Arch top refers to hollow body jazz guitars because the actual top of the guitar is carved from inside to arch outwards when it has been placed on the guitar. These are usually 16 or 17 inch wide guitars with f-holes in them. This example you can see the arch in the top and back of the guitar:

http://www.mandoweb.com/88-2508.JPG

One term you didn't ask about is Quilt Top. Quilt top is very similar to Flame Top, it is also maple, but the quilt has a different look:

http://www.garzguitars.com/images/ranft.jpg



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