Perfect Jazz guitar? - Page 11

lpdeluxe · #**301** 02-15-2010, 09:59 PM

Wildcat, that's what it's all about.

Make yourself happy. All this talk about amps and guitars and whatnot are distractions from our real business, which is picking up a guitar, plugging it into an amplifier we love, and annoying everyone around us with the result.

Music. The cure-all.

gwiz729 · #**302** 02-16-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derek

Ted Greene (deceased), Ed Bickert, and Mike Stern also make their livings off of teles or tele like guitars.

I really like the G&L Blues Boy, which is a semihollow with humbucker in the neck. Makes a very nice jazz guitar.

Don't Forget about Danny Gatton. He could make jazz, country, cartoon music, blues, rock and just about anything else come out of that thing. I've seen Bill Frissell with a tele too!

I have found that for a traditional electric jazz guitar sound (wes, J. Smith, Tal Farlow) the most important element is a good humbucker or P90 in the neck. I can get a good jazz sound out of my strat strung up with 9's b/c of the humbucker. My strat with a single coil in the neck does not get a good jazz sound however (unless you're doing the Wayne Krantz thing). If you want the sound to be deeper and more complex then you have to get a solid wood top. This is more prone to feedback. Remember this is for that Johnny Smith, Wes, 50's and 60' thing. That's what my ears tell me. For an everyday gigging guitar that can handle different styles a laminate is the way to go. A 335 can cover an awful lot of ground.

juuso1 · #**303** 02-18-2010, 04:44 AM

Hi,
Here are two of exs. of perfect jazzguitars, Levin Royals. They are old but they sound good to me the one with PU played on Fender BJr or Phil Jones.

juuso1
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Gretsche · #**304** 02-19-2010, 01:40 PM

If you want a truly fabulous jazz guitar, try one of these from Alan Arnold Guitars in the UK. Alan Arnold Guitars : Custom Built acoustic & electric Guitars made to order.

They currently have the above demo one for sales see: Alan Arnold Guitars : acoustic guitar shop / buy a guitar

Passable · #**305** 02-20-2010, 03:37 PM

I've been playing for fifty years and I've owned and still own many guitars.
I recommend Peerless guitars, great value for money. I currently have a Peerless Songbird, it's faultless.

Amoss2 · #**306** 04-28-2010, 02:48 AM

Greetings;
Heritage Guitars are played by a swack of jazz folks, most notable to me is Mimi Fox who has 2 of them.
I curious to hear opinions from forum members about these guitars.
Thanks kindly.
Amoss2

Peterplaysmusic · #**307** 04-29-2010, 05:41 PM

Amoss2,

No first hand experience but my luthier that I trust speaks highly of Heritage,

Peter

joseph vocht · #**308** 05-01-2010, 10:37 AM

I would like to put in my 2 cents re great jazz guitars. I'm 73 yrs young, have played most guitars on the market over the last 60 years...e.g. I used to have a music shop which helped a lot there, and have narrowed my choices down to 2 guitars for jazz I consider to be exceptional...one is the Godin Kingston with one P90 that gives me exceptional warmth both with my polytone and princeton amps/ The other is a new addition to my collection for which I traded 6 guitars...the Taylor T3 hardtail in tobacco sunburst. The inclusion of coil taps and tone tap knobs allow for a myriad of tonal changes that suit me fine since I can adjust them while playing to get dynamic adjustments according to the type of song I'm playing e.g. sometimes the chorus changes the mood and you want an exaggeration of a particular tone...I know these nuances can often be demonstrated with fingers only, but its nice to have these possibilities available.

woyvel · #**309** 05-01-2010, 04:05 PM

I've been waiting for someone in this forum to weigh in on the T3. Thanks.

joseph vocht · #**310** 05-01-2010, 10:31 PM

I should have also mentioned how like butter the neck is with oversized frets and ebony fingerboard...playing while seated is easy as is standing with a strap and its not overly heavy like a les paul or 335, but you can get those sounds out of it as well as strat and tele sounds...all in all a well rounded guitar that fits just about any style of playing.

Peterplaysmusic · #**311** 05-02-2010, 04:30 PM

Hello Joseph Vocht,

Good for us , you 73 and me 66 still playing and involved. Sorry, I never played a T-3 but given your experience seems like it should make someone's short list or at least list for folks seeking a jazz guitar. I never had a Tele but just ordered and received a G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy that has a Seymore Duncan Seth Lover in the neck position and a single coil in the bridge. Mine has the "F" hole but all of these models have two hollow chambers. Wow, I was blown away at the fat, rich, clear jazz sound played through my Roland Cube 60 .. Bought is from Rocket ( great service boutique dealer ) ..less that 1400 bucks and a very versatile guitar, equal or better than many sweet and way more expensive Gibson, Guild, and Ibanez archtops I have owned over the past 50 years. Yet another guitar that should be on the "list"
Cheers, Peter

Hoopskidoodle · #**312** 05-12-2010, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildcat

My recommendation for the beginner novice Jazz guitar. Very comfortable to play and learn on.

That's a beautiful guitar, and the AK95 (w/ the same dark violin finish as the AG95) is even more so. But those horrid ACH1 & 2 ceramic pickups and that metal roller bridge have got to go.

The first thing that I did when I got an artcore was remove and discard the fake Bigsby, the roller bridge, the tuners and those ceramic P.O.S. pickups. Why they don't offer the AG95 and the AK95 (the two most beautiful, IMO, artcores, including the high end George Benson etc. ones) with Super 58 pickups is beyond me. But I can't assure you that a set of Gibson Classic 57 Alnico IIs will make that bad boy sound infinitely jazzier... unless you're into the ceramic pickup thing.

Mind you, this is far from my perfect guitar. My perfect jazzbox would have a 1 7/8" or 1 15/16" nut. But, until I either build, or have someone else build, that guitar, I'm rolling with my highly modded Artcore and even more highly modded Agile AS-820 Wide-Neck (1¾" nut.)

rkopald · #**313** 05-12-2010, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by royswan

There's something about Gibson pickups. I played many Eastmans, and loved the workmanship, action, etc. However, their pickups just don't (to my ears) have that sweet rich sound you get from a Gibson.

I have an Eastman AR805CE, serial number 93, and it has some serious problems. For one it is not good plugged in. The pickup is really weak on the high strings and the low strings are really loud. Also, mine came with incredibly crappy Korean tuners that never ever seem to hold a pitch, and I've had to move the saddle so the nut to saddle distance (the "speaking length") is 24.75" on the high E and 25.25" on the low E. Weak. The intonation problem is probably the crap tuners, but the pickup is not great. The Eastman site now shows different tuners and different pickups on this model. This is a good thing. Eastmans are very nice looking guitars, but caveat emptor.
I've found workarounds for the tuning problems, such as playing the bass notes a fret back and bending into the bass note, but I don't think this is a technique most players would want to employ on a regular basis.
Also, the pickguard seems to really enjoy rattling around what I can only assume are the wolf notes of my particular guitar. Again, when I get near the wolf notes, I rest a pinky of my picking hand on the pickguard to deaden the vibration, but again, it becomes a lot to keep track of.

Oddly, I love the sound of my Eastman unplugged and mic'd from about 12-16" away. Sounds great that way. Pencil mics and LDCs equally.
Once I swap the pickup for something more balanced and install some better tuning machines, I have no doubt that this will be a much more giggable guitar. As it stands now I use my strat copy (pre-Colorado move Grosh) for my jazz gigs and I get very good tone.

rkopald · #**314** 05-12-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peterplaysmusic

Amoss2,

No first hand experience but my luthier that I trust speaks highly of Heritage,

Peter

Apologies for the back to back posts, but I also had a Heritage for a long time, and this particular Heritage was a dog. Could've just been mine. It had SERIOUS ringing from the strings behind the saddle. I had that all velcro'd up to diminish this; I know that the stock tuneomatic style bridge was very noisy. I swapped it out for an ebony one, and this helped a lot with the ringing, but also deadened the sound a little.
The pickups that came with my Heritage H575 were "meh". I swapped out the neck pu for a Benedetto and that made it much better. On the other hand, it was a stable guitar. Never had tuning issues with it, but it was just kinda dead sounding. I had a love hate thing going on with that guitar.
When I can pop for it I'm getting either a Sadowsky, a Buscarino or an Andersen.

Marcel · #**315** 05-12-2010, 06:48 PM

I have an Eastman 810-7;
The pickup is really lame. I will eventually get a American Kent Armstrong PU or a Benedetto, the tuners aren't the best. the intonation is good. It's a great sounding guitar acoustically but the plugged in sound isn't the same. I love the guitar and I'm sure that with a new pick up it will sound great. Right now the pick up doesn't get the low mids. For the money it is a great guitar. Saying that, these things sell for about $2200. That's not chump change. I think they should have just charged a little more and done it right. Every Eastman I've played sounded great acoustically, so I think they are doing something right. They are the only ones I know of that make a good 7 string in this price range. If Peerless had a 7 string I would probably look at those. I think it's a common complaint with the Eastmans, the pick ups suck.

rkopald · #**316** 05-12-2010, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcel

I have an Eastman 810-7;
The pickup is really lame. I will eventually get a American Kent Armstrong PU or a Benedetto, the tuners aren't the best. the intonation is good. It's a great sounding guitar acoustically but the plugged in sound isn't the same. I love the guitar and I'm sure that with a new pick up it will sound great. Right now the pick up doesn't get the low mids. For the money it is a great guitar. Saying that, these things sell for about $2200. That's not chump change. I think they should have just charged a little more and done it right. Every Eastman I've played sounded great acoustically, so I think they are doing something right. They are the only ones I know of that make a good 7 string in this price range. If Peerless had a 7 string I would probably look at those. I think it's a common complaint with the Eastmans, the pick ups suck.

Now that you mention it, I think it was an Armstrong I had in my Heritage....
Yeah, my Eastman does have great acoustic tone. I'm thinking about just ripping the pickguard and electronics right off of it and using it solely as an acoustic. I also concur that they should perhaps dial things in a little better and charge more.

mikeOnTime · #**317** 05-13-2010, 11:38 AM

This post ties to ones about pickups and guitars. Hoping someone will see and comment/advise. I love my PM-20 (Pat Metheny signature Ibanez guitar). I had it 'pleked' by Mike Lull, and it plays like butter (D'Addario flatwound 12s). The one thing I don't like about the guitar is the pickup. It's very very dull and very dark. I turn mid and bass near 0 and put my treble all the way up. I play through an AER amp with subtle digital delay and some reverb. It gives me a clean but present sound -- a bit Metheny like from ECM days. If anyone has heard Pete Oxley (at the Oxford jazz club, UK), it's a bit like his sound (not quite his chops, I'm afraid). I like his sound from say Trio Live, but also love Peter Bernstein's sound -- so a wide range. I am about to replace the pickup and have 3 questions. (1) I'm planning to try the Seymour Duncan Jazz in part because people say it's so bright. Is this a mistake? (2) My pickup abuts the neck. In photos of PM, I see a guitar that looks identical to mine but with pickup a cm or two from the neck. Is that a good idea? (3) Does anyone know where I would find the wood bridge to replace the brass (?) one. Or will that exacerbate the tone problem?

Kasperovich · #**318** 05-13-2010, 12:56 PM

I played an Epiphone Elitist Sheraton - bought it! I played an Epiphone Elitist Broadway - bought it. They are beautiful, sound great play great. I have a Tal Farlow that will come to the grave with me though, its mine - don't know how else to say it. I've had LOTs of guitars 1950 ES 175; 60's 335; 1951 Broadcaster; Gretsches; Carlo Robelli (don't laugh - the Manhatten was a fine guitar; played a couple of D'Angelico (originals); a couple of D' Aquisto (thank you Jimmy I hope you're resting well you funny devil!) and many others. The Tal just does it for me. Wish I had the talent he had in one finger though! Man could he play!

Hoopskidoodle · #**319** 05-13-2010, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeOnTime

(1) I'm planning to try the Seymour Duncan Jazz in part because people say it's so bright. Is this a mistake? (2) My pickup abuts the neck. In photos of PM, I see a guitar that looks identical to mine but with pickup a cm or two from the neck. Is that a good idea? (3) Does anyone know where I would find the wood bridge to replace the brass (?) one. Or will that exacerbate the tone problem?

I preface this by saying that I'm sure that you will receive other answers from guy who either play professionally or have be playing in any capacity for as long as I've been breathing. That said, here's my take.

1. In modding my guitars, my intention was to do the opposite of what you'd like to do, i.e. replace bright pickups (particularly the neck) with much warmer ones. So, if you like a brighter tone, I don't see how replacing a warm pickup with a brighter Alnico V, ceramic humbucker or even a P94 (humbucker sized P90) would be a mistake.

2. Again, I'm sure that you'll hear from an expert with the math to back up his claims... But until then, In my anecdotal observations, with all other things being equal, pickups mounted closer to the neck sound what I consider to be jazzier... which is the opposite of what you seem to want. I would think that a space between the neck and the pup would make it brighter along the lines of a middle pup in a 3 pup set-up.

3. I can tell you from personal experience that a wood bridge/saddle yields a noticeably warmer tone. Or at least it did in my case.

4. You might also want to check out Thomastik-Infeld Bebop Jazz strings. They are round-wound and brighter than my beloved Tomastik-Infeld Jazz Swing strings, but still have that sweet T-I sound.

gkruse · #**320** 05-29-2010, 02:42 PM

Anyone with experienmce with the Godin CW Kingpin II (2humbuckers) which has good reviews as far as I read alsewhere ??

Gerard

mikeOnTime · #**321** 05-29-2010, 07:10 PM

[quote=Hoopskidoodle;80524]I preface this by saying that I'm sure that you will receive other answers from guy who either play professionally or have be playing in any capacity for as long as I've been breathing.

Thank you Hoopski (or Mr. Doodle if you prefer) for the advice. Here's an update. I put the Seymour Duncan Jazz in the same spot I had the original pickup. It's fantastic! It's not bright, just brighter than what I had. I can use the pot and get warmer/darker, and I now have the range of controls on my amp to play with, whereas before it was all treble to get what others would describe as dark. I should say, I have this on a PM20 with the metal bridge. I'm going to get one for my other PM20 (yes, I know it's insane) with the wood bridge. In then end, it's a $900 guitar with ~$300 worth of extra work on it, and I just *love* it.

For all you cats with smallish hands and a desire to have as little guitar between you and the music (don't know how else to put it -- when you basically close your eyes and express what you're trying to hear/sing in your head)... this may be the guitar for you!

joseph vocht · #**322** 05-30-2010, 07:55 AM

Gerard///if it is as good as the Kingpin (1 pup) which I own and use as the go to guitar when I want authentic jazz sounds it should be a winner!

Soco · #**323** 06-12-2010, 08:37 AM

Colling soco deluxe!
My favorite guitar of all time.
I have a PRS hollowbody spruce that works well too, also my G&L ASAT deluxe semihollow.

gkruse · #**324** 06-12-2010, 09:14 AM

I 'll get me one

coolvinny · #**325** 06-30-2010, 02:19 AM

Yeah, I know I'm resurrecting an ancient thread, but it caught my eye on an unrelated search...

I think a good solid-body tweaked for jazz can sound nearly as good as an archtop. I have two amazing carved archtops that are all solid-woods, as well as a 2007 Buscarino "Jazzcaster" solid-body. Essentially, it's a tele shaped body made from mahogany, with a maple cap, just a neck humbucker (no bridge pick up), and rosewood fingerboard. Sound wise, it is excellent. However, I just can't get comfortable playing solid bodies. I'm talking in terms of posture. Seated, I hate playing solid bodies but I prefer playing standing, and standing I find solid bodies awkward. I think it's because solid bodies seem to put any given fret about 2 frets farther away than they'd be relative to my body if I was playing an archtop. I'm not sure if anybody else has experienced this? And yes, I've tried playing the solid bodies with super short straps so that they sit way way up high.

If I could comfortably play my solid body, I'd get rid of an archtop and save myself some grief. However, as it is, I'm probably getting rid of the solid body.

Kasperovich · #**326** 06-30-2010, 01:01 PM

I have a couple of Gretsches (Phoenix & Duojet), a Gibson Tal Farlow; Peerless Manhattan; and an Elitist Broadway & Elitist Sheraton.
The Elitists are EXCELLENT guitars! I've had lots of guitars, 1950 ES175; 1951 Broadcaster; 1960's ES335 dot neck, etc., etc. The Elitists hold their own with ANY of the other guitars 3 times the price. By the way, the Manhattan is no slouch either. I would not hesitate for an instant recommending the Elitists, the Byrdland is quite wonderful too.

nic · #**327** 06-30-2010, 01:21 PM

I just put Chevalier pick ups into an old Japanese Fender Strat that I had laying around. If I put the switch to have the neck and middle pick up on I get this really deep full jazz tone. I back off the volume to kill some of the high tones and put the tone to 8. The middle pick up was reverse wound so the two pick ups together are noiseless.

The moral-any guitar can be tweaked to play jazz.

Kasperovich · #**328** 06-30-2010, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nic

I just put Chevalier pick ups into an old Japanese Fender Strat that I had laying around. If I put the switch to have the neck and middle pick up on I get this really deep full jazz tone. I back off the volume to kill some of the high tones and put the tone to 8. The middle pick up was reverse wound so the two pick ups together are noiseless.

The moral-any guitar can be tweaked to play jazz.

There are some great players (Jazz) who have used Strats. Used them for years myself (a certainly not great player), but haven't touched my Strat in soooo loong!

Cindy · #**329** 06-30-2010, 03:13 PM

For something totally different than anything posted previously - I love my new PRS McCarty for jazz.

nic · #**330** 06-30-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasperovich

I have a couple of Gretsches (Phoenix & Duojet), a Gibson Tal Farlow; Peerless Manhattan; and an Elitist Broadway & Elitist Sheraton.
The Elitists are EXCELLENT guitars! I've had lots of guitars, 1950 ES175; 1951 Broadcaster; 1960's ES335 dot neck, etc., etc. The Elitists hold their own with ANY of the other guitars 3 times the price. By the way, the Manhattan is no slouch either. I would not hesitate for an instant recommending the Elitists, the Byrdland is quite wonderful too.

Duojet is a remarkably under-appreciated guitar. Do you use it for jazz?