I just picked up a 50s L-48 and have been pondering the tonal differences between it and the L-50 with solid top. The L-48 is pretty subdued sounding , but has a sweet tone. It came with 80/20s which were decent but I put on flatwounds and to me they sound better - warmer and thicker sounding.
From the few archtops I’ve tried or owned, I’d say I’ve come to prefer laminate maple. It’s brighter but still natural sounding.
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