The Loar LH-700 VS

La LH-700-VSB è uno strumento rigoroso e senza compromessi. Zero laminati: top in abete rosso AAA e fondo/fasce in acero fiammato, tutto 100% massello intagliato a mano. La vernice in vera nitrocellulosa e il bracing a X le donano un "thump" percussivo e una proiezione pazzesca sulle medie frequenze.
Il manico a "V" profondo (44.5 mm al capotasto) è fedelissimo alle specifiche degli anni '20. Non è fatto per un playing casuale, ma costringe a cercare un dialogo profondo e chirurgico tra melodia e armonia.

Pro: Costruzione fully solid intagliata a mano (rapporto qualità/prezzo imbattibile).
Finitura in vera nitrocellulosa.
Attacco netto e voce autentica dell'era pre-bellica.
Contro:
Il manico "hardcore" a V richiede un forte adattamento fisico.

I have spent many hours checking reviews of The Loar guitars on the web (there are no dealers anywhere near where I live), and noticed there were people who have complained about the build quality of The Loar company's products and it was a concern. As I wanted an old style archtop and decided to buy the LH-700 and can only say any concerns I had were completely unfounded.
The quality is excellent, I have a Gibson ES-175, J-45 and several Les Paul's as well as many other decent guitars and can say the quality of this guitar is up there with the best - the finish is truly stunning. The neck is comfortable and the action was good out of the box - just tweaked it a bit and moved the bridge to get the intonation correct. The tuners are super smooth, and the guitar stays in tune perfectly.
The sound is loud and less bassy than a standard steel string acoustic guitar as these guitars were made to cut through a band.
I should add this is a thing of beauty the nitro cellulose paint is polished to perfection and the gold plated hardware looks great. The solid woods used are also gorgeous with subtle flame maple making up the back sides and neck with a spruce top.
This would be a great guitar at several thousand Euro (and if made in the USA would be) - but at this price it is an absolute bargain.

A trully old school acoustic archtop guitar. Sound is just SUPERB, imo this baby can hold its own against any 4-5x times more expensive archtop acoustics in sound, depth, volume, projection and natural reverb (ofc to get that true sound fat bronze 80/20 acoustic strings are needed, probably at least 0,13 gauge, p.s. comes with 0.13 strings from the box).
Wood is a marvel to look at, playability, intonation, not a single flaw (thaugh needs adjustment, but that isn't all that hard with modern tuners), feels like a much, much more expensive guitar.
As far as visuals, there are some visual imperfections, that doesn't effect overall sound and playability.
This guitar is for a true archtop lover. Don't be afraid of bronze strings to die fast, I use Elixer nanoweb bronze strings and try to wash my hands before playing.
Thomann service was great, recieved guitar in 6 working days, securelly packed, no blemishes. GJ Thomann :).