MIM - Archos fixed and back and better than I remembered

marius said:

I recently saw a Guild for sale locally with what appeared to be the results of a MIRC label that had been removed. There was no trace of the original serial number and it was quite clear from the resulting damage that part of the label had been removed. If I can manage to find the ad I’ll post a photo as an example of what you can probably expect.

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I'd be curious to see. But I probably won't bother with the tweezers thing, anyway. I doubt will sell the MIM since I can't recover what I have in it. IDK what I could even get for it. I think I paid about $400 for it. With an obvious crack in the top, what could I even get for it now? $250? What's the use, then. I'd rather have the guitar. If I sold it, I would just end up buying something else more expensive... so this is actually saving me money. (I wonder if my wife will buy that?)

PittPastor said:

I'd be curious to see. But I probably won't bother with the tweezers thing, anyway.

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Came across it again today. Of course the seller doesn't mention it is a refurb.

Josh, yup, that looks bad, doesn't it? Good news is that that guitar probably still has a "USED" branded stamp on the back of the headstock, which would at least still identify it. Anyway, no doubt that is one of the MIRC'd reclaimed guitars where someone peeled the MIRC label off it.

marius said:

Came across it again today. Of course the seller doesn't mention it is a refurb.

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Is that brace above the label off square ?

My Cv-1 came with the label scratch’d off , that was before I knew about MIRC and the used stamp.

That picture of the top on page one with the crack was a bummer that Top was very pretty .

I know this is WAY late but I haven't been around a lot. How's the Arcos?? I'd love to get my hands on one but...... jeeze, how many guitars do I need??? :eagerness:

davismanLV said:

I know this is WAY late but I haven't been around a lot. How's the Arcos?? I'd love to get my hands on one but...... jeeze, how many guitars do I need??? :eagerness:

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Well... make me an offer. I'm probably going to end up selling it after all.

First off, the guitar is much better now since Stuart lowered the action and smoothed the frets. It has a punchy sound, to my ear. It sounds more Taylor-ish than Martin-ish, if that makes sense. But it is a 1 3/4" neck, and the finish is satin, not gloss. (You either like that or you don't I guess...) You're not going to confuse it for a D-25 or anything. But, it's good acoustically, and better plugged in. The electronics are really good. Well, I think the tuner's kind of useless. But having all of the controls to clean up the sound before it leaves the guitar is nice.

It's just that it still causes my hand to ache. It is the weirdest thing. Certain guitar necks seem to bring that out. I was at GC yesterday and played a Martin, a Taylor, and a D'Angelico. Maybe twenty minutes all told. I came out with my hand aching and throbbing. I can play my Guild D40C for hours and I'm fine.

I guess after 36 years, my joints are just shaped that way. IDK. Having hand issues is new and I really hate it. Growing old ain't for sissies, that's for sure.

But, seriously, I'd like to see someone who wants it get it. I was thinking on putting it on Reverb for about $300.

If you're interested, LMK. If you'd be willing to pay shipping, I can send it to you to try out before you decide. You can also contact Stuart Day and ask his honest opinion of it -- both as a guitar and as its stability. PM me and I'll send you his email if you want.

PittPastor said:

It's just that it still causes my hand to ache. It is the weirdest thing. Certain guitar necks seem to bring that out.

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For decades I thought I could not manage a long scale bass because after 10 minutes or so with my college roommate's Precision, my hand started hurting and even cramping. Fast forward, I get talked into playing a (long scale) Pilot and no problems. So neck geometry is definitely a factor in my playing comfort.

fronobulax said:

For decades I thought I could not manage a long scale bass because after 10 minutes or so with my college roommate's Precision, my hand started hurting and even cramping. Fast forward, I get talked into playing a (long scale) Pilot and no problems. So neck geometry is definitely a factor in my playing comfort.

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Glad to know its not just me.

It does help limit GAS tho... It's hard to pull the trigger on a new guitar knowing that I might play it for 15 minutes and my hand gives out. My "Dream Guitar" is the Artist Award, but I really need to play one for awhile before I would even consider buying one right now, the way my fret hand acts.

In the case of the MIM, the only thing that is (in theory) different to the D40C is 1/16" of an inch less in nut width. The scale is shorter, too, tho. The radius and neck profile are supposed to be the same. You wouldn't think that would make a difference. Meanwhile, my Savoy, which has a different neck radius, doesn't seem to affect me. It affects my playing insofar as the strings feel a little cramped (it actually "feels" like my D40C has a wider neck, even though it doesn't...) But I don't get the thumb tendon pain I do when playing the MIM or any Martin I have tried lately.

In my case, I think I did some damage to my thumb tendon trying out a different playing style about a year ago. And I think this is the residue of it.

just fyi, my AO-5CE has a gloss finish and rosewood sides. I suspect it's the higher end version of the AO-3CE? Since I lost 1/4" of my left index finger on a tablesaw, the slightly wider neck is a big plus to me.