IMO
The video seemed more like an infomercial for Gibson, as if Gibson invented arch top musical instruments.
BTW, early Lutes (circa 3000 B.C.),the forerunner of of all stringed instruments, had a round hole, or holes; no "F" holed units can be found.
Other arch top acoustic instruments, the violin, viola and cello were first built in the early 16th century, in Italy. WHOA! Not Gibson???
Martin & Gibson are in the Guitar "SALES" business. Flat top guitars are easy & cheap to build; mass production = lower cost = higher margins = more PROFIT.
I have played most or all of the Major Brand guitars over the past 50 years & nothing off the rack today compares to my round hole archtop for the combination of tone & projection. This unit was built for a professional Jazz guitarist in Regal's Custom shop in Chicago, & there are no compromises in tone woods or build quality.
Dreads cab be a lot louder, but I'm not playing in a gymnasium, just my living room, so I prefer better tone than more noise.
Yes, F holes are "pretty", but like lots of pretty things, they don't function that well; i.e. pretty people with no personality.
Young pro band players that own lots of pricey guitars, both acoustic & electric, have played mine, & after five minutes they are drooling over it. It is pretty, too, in its own way because of the labor & time intensive refinishing technique that I used (Ultra blonde shellac) French Polish. This is another thing that adds tone, but has gone by the wayside as it is cheaper to spray Nitro, plus shellac lacks durability if you abuse it or take it on the road.
This is the only guitar that I have taken the time (several months) to restore, but it was surely paid me back every day since.
I live by the Pacific Ocean so my old unit demands maintenance now and then, because the 92 year old Cedar soundboard is no longer a "soft" wood; it is hard as a rock, & heat & humidity are no longer it's friends.
I would buy a backup guitar, but I haven't found one that sounds good enough (fussy?), other than really expensive Custom builds that are way out of my budget range..
I'm a player, not a collector.
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