Nicolai Foss
Here is a great German site (in English though) about German archtops, i.e., info about very interesting archtops, notably Lang and some of the Hoyer and Höfner ones, that may have been competitive with the best US archtops of the time, as well as less interesting ones (many of the Framus guitar and most of the Commie Musima ones). Check out the cool pics with one guitar more crazy than next. Zebra stripes, toilet-seat MOP, chrome pickguards, strange soundholes, etc. (check this – is this where Jimmy D’Aquisto got the idea for the Solo’s soundholes?).
What the Vintage Guitar Info Guy says on his Höfner page applies to most German archtops:
I can only tip my hat in awe to any company confused enough to build its guitars with beautiful flamed maple laminates, attach its guitar pickguards with common finishing nails, and load its istruments with enough carefully inlaid mother of toilet-seat to furnish the lobby of a Miami Beach hotel.
December 14, 2007 at 5:27 am
Nicolai,
Those sound-holes are typically referred to as “Lang”. So I believe it is fair to say that Jimmy D’Aquisto might have been influenced by them. Then again, it could have been a completely random coincidence. But it seems unlikely. This design dates back to the 1950’s, believe it or not. Most of us associate this shape with modernity.