Well, there are archtops, then there are archtops. There's quite a sonic difference between an archtop that has a floating pickup (Artist Award) and say, one that has two humbuckers (eg. X-700). I can attest to that, having three, an A-500, AA and X-700. Though the X-700 has its top beautifully carved, nevertheless, the cuttings for the pups do lessen the acoustic resonance of the top. However, the versatility of the X-700 creates tones and effects that the AA isn't capable of, unless you use peddles with it. Both are lovable for different reasons.