muttley (and others), i don't know what others meant, but I meant laminated archtop vs. single-ply "solid top" archtop ONLY.
there's no illusions on my part that on most PA's an archtop will sound different from a strat or a les paul.
My question was: does it matter to audience, in live situations, whether or not you're playing a laminated archtop (and I'm more into rockabilly thinner boxes) or a carved top of the equivalent dimensions.
I know there's multiple other discussions going on at once, but that was my question. Thanks.