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Originally Posted by Groyniad
Excellent analysis of GB10's unique and thick tone capability!
Another point is how the sound man EQ's George (live or in studio). Mr. Benson's guitar is always front and center in the mix. And his sound dudes ain't amateurs. They make him sound like HE wants to sound.
Last month I did a gig with my GB10 into a Heritage Patriot amp, miked with an SM57 poking in the mid-section of the two Celestion G12 Anniversary speakers. On stage it sounded nice, just loud enough for the bandmates and I to hear, and not generate unwanted feedback...But the remote sound engineer did his own thing with the EQ and put me through the house speakers. Whoa baby!. He had GB10 coming on loud and proud and toneful for days. Now, I'm no George Benson by any stretch, but the sound dude sure had my GB10 sounding phat!!
Or...Maybe it was the strap that made all the difference.
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01-21-2016 12:03 PM
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I had a GB10 for a short time. I really wanted to like it but I just could not get the sound I wanted out of it, especially during traditional style jazz comping.
I had an L5 for 20 years and decided to sell it, just did not need that much guitar at this point and wanted something smaller. The GB10 looked great, felt great on my lap, had an incredible neck but it was just a little "off" for me.
Now I have a Sadowsky SS-15 and it is a fantastic little archtop hollow body. It is not an L5 but I like it a lot. It is well setup, the neck is great and it has a very pleasing even and balanced sound. Same goes for the Bruno model (as mentioned). It is great for traditional jazz as well as more contemporary jazz. A friend of mine has a Sadowsky Semi-Hollow and he gets a nice jazz tone out of it, not like the SS-15 but pretty good considering how versatile it is.
The GB10 seemed very well build and I can see how anybody would love it but it just was not right for me.Last edited by coltranetime; 02-24-2016 at 10:57 PM.
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Hi,
Just wondering, how does PM100 compare to GB10 tone-wise? As far as I'm concerned, PM100 has shallow body which is similar to ES-330 or ES-335. I am in the market for buying a jazz box with traditional tones. Do you think pm100 will be a great choice?
I couldn’t find sound samples of PM100, do you have any recording of yours?
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That's odd that some say they cannot get a good comping sound out of the GB10. To me, the GB10 sounds like a small L5. It's got the bright attack of an L5 and the velvety top end but it's just a smaller sound due to the body. The more recent GB10s have bright ceramic pickups but turning the tone control down a tad works wonders.
It's an absolutely classic guitar sound.
The PM100 sounds 175'ish albeit a bit brighter. Nice guitar. I'd rather have a Gibson though...
And no, the PM100 body is thick, about 3". Maybe you're thinking of the PM-120 which had the thinner body? It's still fatter than a 335 and has a much more acoustic sound.
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My Ibanez PM-120 playing donna lee
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I have problem with my shoulder and want to size down from a 17" archtop. So I have put a GB10 in the webshop basket, but hold back in doubt about how thick the body is at the side.
Ibanez.com states max depth 3 3/8", but this is hopefully the measure from the top of the arch to the back, so I would be grateful if any of you GB10 owners could tell the side measure, so I can compare with my 17" archtop.
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My GB10 is 2 1/2" at the rim.
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Thanks a lot. Just what i hoped.
I love this forum.
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10-20-2017, 08:33 AM #159Dutchbopper Guest
Since I sold my ES 350t I have not owned a thinline guitar. Kind of miss one for live stuff. I was wondering about the GB 10. I normally do not like floating pups. I used to own this beautiful looking and great playing 1977 Ibanez Johnny Smith with floating pups but ... it sounded terrible. Tinny and plinky. I blamed the floating pups on it. Sold it in the end.
Now I have always liked the GB 10 and was thinking of getting one but the clips I find on Youtube are a mixed bag. Sometimes I hear really great sounds out of one and sometimes they sound downright plinky. And I want da thunk, not da plink!
Any ideas on the GB 10 for bebop stuff? I know ole George sounds great on it but he'd sound great on a broomstick.
I do not like rolling tone knobs off to get a decent sound. So that's not an option. A guitar should sound fine with all eq flat IMHO.
What's the best production period for the GB 10? The early ones?
Regards,
DBLast edited by Dutchbopper; 10-20-2017 at 08:36 AM.
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Personally I agree with you on plinky. I had MJ at Duncan wind me a 59 in a mini floating configuration. Bingo! Warm and great solid attack. I play it open (no rolloff) and it sings. The body size and the laminate top combine to give a comfortable big box sound. I'm really picky about sound. That mod worked for me.
David
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you know my thoughts. Just as an FYI, at some point in the '90s, dimarzio switched to ceramic pickups on their mini humbuckers and they are super high output and very bright. I'd stick to '78 through '85 just to be safe. The pickups on those earlier models sound more like a johnny smith pickup. The '78 had 21 frets so the neck pickup was a 1/4" or so forward in position giving it a warmer sound.
They are great sounding guitars but frankly, I don't see it being a good match for you knowing what kind of tones you like.
I've probably owned a dozen GB10s. the '78 and '85 I had were the best. You do have to roll back the tone control to get a mellow tone though.
Why are you looking at a semi? Is it for feedback or are you just looking for a slimmer body? If that latter, the ibanez PM120 is a great guitar. Unfortunately, they are prone to feedback. You might want to reach out to my friend Peter Farrell . He's got 5 or 6 GB10/GB12 type guitars and is very knowledgeable about them. He's the guy collaborating with Benson on the Benson Guitar Academy...
Let me know if you want me to introduce you two.
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GB10's are to me the Tuxedo of Guitars. Want a slightly fatter tone without rolling off the pots, buy a GB100. Doggone it those are so sweet. I currently own a '79 GB10 that had outgassed at some point in it's life. The owner, the guitar player for Doctor John toured all over the world with it. He had a custom bound ebony pick guard made for it and replaced the neck pickup with a Bartolini 5J which is a monster mellow toned pickup. I love it. I got it the same day I closed on the GB100 I own. The GB100 is slightly fatter in depth AND is just very, very well built.
Everyone's opinion is based on what works for them. Rarely agree with JZ, but on the DeMarzio getting hotter later in the GB10 years I do agree. So if you're set on a GB10 get one from '78 to say '83. THOSE are my favorite years. There's a bunch of older blonde GB10s out there right now on Reverb.
Big
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Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
Agree with you on the GB 100, it is beautifully made and the neck is a dream. I also think you can search your whole life, change pick-up,s etc. If your fingers don,t do it then no amount of upgrades etc will matter.
I love my 100.
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I've had a 1981 GB10 since 1986. The older ones have IMHO a warmer tone. With flatwounds they approximate the thunk but of course nothing thunks like an ES-350 or ES-175. If that's what you want, probably want to look somewhere else. With the flatwounds I find the GB10 to be somewhere between the ES-350 and and Johnny Smith. I'm not looking for thunk so that works for me.
Even with the '81 the pickups are very hot. I run the volume knob at 5-7 most of the time and it's as loud as my other guitars at 10. That rolls off some of the highs, brings up a bit more thunk and one can fine-tune with the tone knob. Wide open the guitar sounds pretty much like "Breezin'."
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Not sure why using the knobs/potentiometers are an issue for you...or any electric player. Each guitar will have its own voice. Like others here, I've owned a number of GB guitars and love them all...for what they are. And yes, some sound better than others, but better to me might be crappy to another player. Originally Posted by Dutchbopper
I tend to roll off the Volume just a tad on GB10's. That is usually adequate to tame any brightness and provide a sweet, yet articulate jazz tone. As for 'thunk', one man's thunk is another's 'plink'. I lean towards to 'thunk' side.
One of the nicest jazz tones I've ever gotten from a standard-sized GB model was a GB15. It had a slightly thicker body, wider nut, and a single floating p'up that was coil tapped. I never should have sold that one!
Also, the GB12/100 modes are a bit more mellow. However, minor adjustments of the Vol/Tone knobs are needed to bring out the best in them.
Bottom line, try a few GB's if the opportunity arises and see if they have what YOU are looking for. Tone is very subjective and personal.
Good hunting!
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DB,
I recently acquired a Gibson ES 330 (partly on your earlier review of one where you declared it a very acceptable jazz guitar). I tried to like the ES-335 and a few other semi hollows and was never able to bond with them. I bonded with the 330 quite fast. While I still prefer the deeper sound of a 175, the slim body of the 330 is perfect for a gig where I have to stand.
I like archtops with floaters for quiet gigs (solo stuff or a drummerless trio or quartet), but at bop volume, with a bop drummer, I want a built in PUP. I have tried a few Bensons over the years (I have never owned one, but I have sat in on other guys gigs and played their Bensons). My feeling is that they are neither fish not foul. They do not have the delicate nature of a carved, full size archtop with a quality floater, nor do they have the thunk of a laminate archtop with a built in PUP.
My advice is to go with a 330, and if need be, put humbuckers in as Emily Remler did (avoid the long neck ones as they are not so well balanced).
Sure, George makes them sound great, but he is playing at volumes that you will probably not play at and as you say, he would sound great on a broomstick.
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10-21-2017, 01:08 PM #167Dutchbopper GuestThanks Jack. Yes we have discussed this a bit already. What I want is an affordable thinline hollow body for the occasional gig and jam. The full hollow bodies are a bit cumbersome on small stages. Maybe I should give up on insisting on thunk. I Have that in most of my other axes ... Maybe I should go for a guitar that sounds different from what I already have ... And a used GB is affordable enough ... Originally Posted by jzucker
DB
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The GB10 would be a great guitar live - the top is pressed laminated spruce and ?? Not like an arch top where cutting holes in it really kills the sound. They're very flexible guitars and yes used ones can be found pretty cheaply. Smaller and yet have a lot of flexibility in what you can make them do.
Big
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Hi I have the opportunity to acquire a GB10 burst in part trade for a guitar I have for sale . I am a little intrigued as they seem to have some love as decent jazz workhorse options. Youtube vids are all over the place in terms of getting a sense of what they sound and play like and I don't want to waste my time going to look at something that is a waste of time. I have never played or seen one but have a sense from who knows where that they are similar to a ES175 of which I have played a few and really don't like . Am I right or is the GB10 a different animal. I realize there are variations but are they basically filling the same niche?
Will
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nothing like a 175, much brighter due to maple neck, ebony board, thinner body, mini humbuckers, etc. They also feed back more.
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They are not 175 like as Jack said. Hard to compare them to Gibsons as they have their own thing going on. I would say that if you crossed an older 175 with an L5 and Johnny Smith it would be kind of comparable. They are excellent guitars. The spruce top is quite thick and contributes to the sound. The thickness and being laminate keeps the feedback lower than you’d expect. It does feed back more than a 175 but it is nothing insurmountable if you are used to managing feedback at high volumes. I mean Benson plays these things at extremely loud volumes. I would not pass on it just because of feedback potential is all I’m saying. Look for some recordings where he is playing the guitar (not too hard to find) for a good idea of what it can sound like in good hands. I wish I still had mine but it met a tragic end many years ago.
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remember that benson puts packing tape on the F Holes to reduce feedback...
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GB10 Mij are great guitars, they are not like Gibsons, or much else, i had 3 all good, i just did not bond with them, apart from my first one way back in 80's
comfy to play, necks mostly great, pups punchy, i dont think they feed back anymore than 175's
Now this is going to get the eyebrows travelling towards the ceiling,
I could get very close to L5 sound, that neck pup on the older one is good, i cant remember with what amp i have a few, chromes 13-58 with 13&17 swapped for 14 & 18 lo action, you will think youre playing a B3.
Generally a good action can be achieved the necks are laminated and pretty stable
1979 watchout binding issues, if it has 21 frets dont moan.
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Seems like some people love them. I always found them to be bright and rather plasticity feeling. Could be the poly finish of the older ones that I tried.
I'm definitely more of a Gibson player.
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Yes but he’s also playing extremely large venues that most of us will not be dealing with. Unless someone generally has feedback issues with moderately sensitive archtops then a GB10 won’t have issues. Some people are either picking in such a way that they aren’t able to control feedback, can’t optimize their amp placement etc. and in those cases it might be worth taking into consideration. I wouldn’t say this is a guitar that should be put on the high feedback potential list though. Maybe moderate depending on the player. Something like a thin carved top guitar (some Eastmans for example) or even laminates like the PM100 would present more issues than a GB10 for those people but even with them they are controllable. Originally Posted by jzucker
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