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I'm looking for a L-5 type guitar under 1000 $.
the only one I found on the market are the epiphone broadway and the emperor regent. are them good guitar?
does anyone have some suggestion?
and maybe some mp3 or videos...
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10-30-2011 08:25 PM
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I played a Broadway around 1998, Korean build I think. Wonderful guitar, but even then over 1,000 dollars. Edit: I just looked them up, if the quality is the same, wow.
Last edited by Billnc; 10-30-2011 at 08:32 PM.
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I have an Emp Reg.. if I didnt have it I would have gotten an Aria FA(71?)
I see there is a new model.. FA Broadway ..
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That's some real nice playing and tone on your Youtube channel (I listened to Besame Mucho). What guitar and amp are you using on the video?
Originally Posted by gianluca
I liked when the small children ran into the scene, but everyone kept on playing as though nothing had happened. You guys are real pros!
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eh eh... Originally Posted by helios
they are my two little children.
and we are absolutely not pros!
that was just a jam we often do in the countryside: my children are used to hit drums or my guitar strings while we are playing or throw the ball against my amp, so, no matter for that, we go on playing...
anyway, many thanks for the appreciation: it was a wes style besame mucho with a 80's gibson es 175D (strung with 011 fender pure nickel roundwound) directly into a fender twin reverb (80W tube amp).
yes, I already own a nice guitar; I'm just curious about an L-5 style guitar (long scale and 17" body).
@sambooka - that ARIA looks amazing!
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+1 for the Aria FA71. I have mine about 3 yrs. now and it is my main guitar. Very nice for what they cost, I paid $500 used in perfect condition.
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I want to correct a minor point -- and it is something that probably everyone participating in this thread already understands -- but that uncorrected has led to some confusion and poorly informed buying decisions.
The Aria FA 7x line are NOT "L5 style guitars." Nor are similar guitars with 17 inch bodies and 25 1/2 inch scales from Samick, Washburn, etc., etc etc.
These are, in fact "ES-350 style guitars."
Why the distinction?
The L5, L5C and L5CES are carved, all solid wood guitars.
The ES-350 (which morphed into the Tal Farlow signature model) is a plywood guitar, as is the Aria FA 71.
Manufacturers and resellers often try to link these guitars to the L5 line in an attempt to capture a bit of "L5 mojo." Unfortunately this also creates an idea that these laminate guitars are "fake L5s" and inferior because they aren't constructed of solid carved wood like the "real" guitar is.
The ES-350 was not a "fake L5." Some "iconic" jazzers considered the ES-350 superior to the L5CES as an electric guitar for jazz. Obviously Barney Kessel and Tal Farlow did. And I suspect, had the ES-350 captured the imagination of the guitar playing/buying public to the degree the much more promoted L5CES did, and that it had become a guitar hanging in a thousand pawn shops like the L5 was, Wes Montgomery would likely be known today as an ES-350 player.
Recognizing these 17 inch Asian guitars for what they really are -- ES-350 clones rather than "fake" L5's -- helps put them in proper perspective and helps guide purchase decisions. Superior/inferior is somewhat subjective, but realizing that by subjective criteria the ES-350 can be argued as superior to the L5CES the buyer is not as influenced by the notion that an Aria FA 7x (or similar) is inherently a lesser guitar due to its type of construction.
All that said, if a player already owns an ES-175 and does not find the short 24 3/4 inch scale restricting in any way, then probably the ES-350 or a clone won't offer much if anything in terms of improvement. There is a reason the ES-175 became one of two de facto standard jazz guitars, and it wasn't just a matter of price.
In my case, partly because of my hand size, partly because of an arthritis-like condition, and partly because I switch back and forth between the guitar and the double bass, the longer scale is a definite aid, and the longer scale guitar is better for me. But I don't think you can make the case that it sounds better if the same attention to detail in pickup type and/or upgrades, strings, etc., is applied to either the ES-175/clones or the ES-350/clones.
This concludes this morning's rant. Discuss among yourselves.
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I do believe the aria has a solid top though...making it tougher to categorize.
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It has been a few years since I looked at either an Aria FA 70 or FA 71, but as I recall they were definitely plywood. I looked at a couple of websites after you posted and the more reputable appearing retailers described the FA 71 as laminate. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
You may be remembering the occasional use of "Select" spruce by resellers -- which is a common weasel word meaning, "plywood with a spruce veneer finish layer."
I could be wrong, and if I am, I promise to bite and tear at myself like a dog with rabies...but I don't think I am.
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Just to make things clear: you mean 25 1/2" scale, right? Originally Posted by gianluca
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AH, I'm thinking of the FA-77, which has a solid top. I knew Aria had a solid top in their lineup.
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What is the occasional mistaken 7 among friends? Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
See, I didn't even know Aria built a guitar called the FA 77!
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Originally Posted by cjm
I want to correct a minor point -- and it is something that probably everyone participating in this thread already understands -- but that uncorrected has led to some confusion and poorly informed
... no worries.. I never read more than 3 lines of any post anyway.
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Now there's a pity...you miss much insight and much that incites. Originally Posted by SamBooka
ADD: it's a goddamned scourge upon us, ain't it?
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yes I mean 25 1/2"...sorry for the mistake. Originally Posted by Pierrot
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Fully agree.
The Aria FA 7x line are NOT "L5 style guitars." Nor are similar guitars with
17 inch bodies and 25 1/2 inch scales from Samick, Washburn, etc., etc etc.
These are, in fact "ES-350 style guitars."
There is also the Douglas WNO 630. However, it has a shorter scale.
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What about Peerless? According to their specs, all solid woods, prices are rather contained...not sure though about scale length.
Intro - Peerless Guitars Europe
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Hi Pierrot.
Never put my hands on a Peerless but they look good. The Cremona model is advertised as having a carved maple top and a mounted HB. Interesting combination.
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Yeah, I never had the chance to try one myself but I certainly wouldn't mind, Originally Posted by gcb
Ivor Mairants seems to have some specially made Peerless.
As Gianluca lives in Europe, this link may interest him:
Archtops - Jazz Guitars - Guitar & Bass
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If you're not too reluctant to play asian productions, you should give a try to Hagstrom HL550 and Gregg Benett JZ4 LaSalle. Originally Posted by gianluca
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hi mambo, Originally Posted by mambosun
I also own a greg bennett JZ1: it is a 17" but 24 3/4" scale. great guitar and great neck. I changed the original neck pickup with a gibson classic 57 and the the tone has improved. But too similar to my 175.
I'm going to trade it for a 25 1/2 " scale in a similar price range.
of course I'will keep the gibson pickup...
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It is my opinion you will encounter the same thing with the longer scale length. A plywood sound box with a Classic 57 is still a plywood sound box with a Classic 57 even if the scale length is increased by 0.75 inches. Originally Posted by gianluca
The primary difference between the original Gibson ES-175 and the longer scale, larger bodied Gibson ES-350 was one of comfort and "feel" more than sound.
So if you want a different sound, I would suggest keeping the Samick you have and switching the neck pickup from the Classic 57 to something like a single coil "Charlie Christian." Here's an example that drops into a humbucker rout on an archtop: Charlie Christian for Humbucker Route
This would not represent such a radical change in sound that most people couldn't or wouldn't "dial out" all the difference between it and a Classic 57 on their amp -- it's usually difficult to tell by sound alone whether a jazzer is playing a guitar with a single coil or a humbucker.
But if you WANT a different sound than you get with your ES-175, switching to this sort of pickup would give you MORE capability to get it. Set both guitars full treble and the amplifier tone controls flat and compare the Classic 57 and a Charlie Christian -- you will hear a significant difference. Moreover, I believe you will find the single coil "feels more responsive."
In any event, I think you'll find this offers significantly more sonic difference than merely varying scale length with the same Classic 57 humbucker.
There are other Charlie Christian style pickups and other types of single coils that will drop into humbucker routs. I offered this particular example simply as one I am most familiar with...Last edited by cjm; 11-01-2011 at 07:51 AM.
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I will disagree with you (at least in my case)when comparing the acoustic tone of my es125 to my 50s (17in) ES150. Originally Posted by cjm
The150 has a much stronger bass/lowermid response than the 125. the treble strings are a little richter too but that is more due to the longer scale length.
That said, I am not a fan of the 17 inch ES150. Plugged in it tends to be a bit to wooly and undefined in the low end. I do prefer the feel and the fullness it brings to the treble strings but overall I find the balance better on the 16in - 24 3/4 models.
Three lines are up.
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Yes, but you live in Quebec, and I think we all know what that means, don't we? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more... Originally Posted by SamBooka
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Originally Posted by gianluca
Regarding Samick, I own a Gregg Benett JZ4, a sort of L5 clone if you will, with a Bartolini floater and the scale is 25 1/2".
This, or with the stock floating pick up (Seymour Duncan Design) should bring a very different tone to a ES175 +Classic 57.Last edited by mambosun; 11-01-2011 at 12:44 PM.
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