-
Greetings! My first post here, have been lurking for a while but thought it was time to harvest the knowledge in here
.
I have no experience whatsoever with Jazz, but that may need to change as I recently aquired a rather lovely 1977 Gibson Super 400. It sounds amaaaaaazing and plays like butter, and has long been on my bucket list of guitars. She's got fretless wonder-type frets, and I guess a refret isn't too far down the line, but for now she's pretty much perfect.
She's not entirely without issues, but I immediately fell in love and she's quickly taken the no. 1 spot amongst my guitars. She is more or less original - I've replaced the knobs with some aged ones from crazyparts (yes, I know they're not correct - the old ones were a mixture of fake tophats and std gibson black knobs) and the TRC is wrong. I could really use some help in finding the correct one (see Gibson Custom truss rod cover c 1940 pre-war orignal vintage | Reverb) - I've only found this one on reverb and for me it's a little too expensive for what it is. I've sent Gibson Custom an email regarding a new one but haven't received an answer. Will not hold my breath
. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.
Anyway - I guess some pictures are in order:
-
01-16-2018 08:25 AM
-
1)
, and 2) Congratulations on the S400, and play it in good health!
-
You’re getting started with jazz with one fine guitar there. I don’t have any info on truss rod covers but just wanted to say welcome aboard and congrats on that great guitar.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
-
Starting mountaineering at Everest's peak!
-
Nice!
-
Stunning guitar ! Unfortunately, expensive guitars ask dor expensive parts if you want to go original. This quest is more or less the same as the one for a L5 tailpiece for little cash. Good luck with the chase !!
-
Haha, I did expect something like that
Originally Posted by Greentone
. I didn't buy this thing to learn Jazz - I play in a very Neil Young inspired "band", and the sounds coming out of this thing when pushed with some overdrive simply defies belief. Feedback is of course an issue, but all the more fun.
The learning-jazz-guitar part is more of an added bonus, plus I hope it will improve my technique and improvisation.
And thanks for all the kind remarks. The Super 400 really is a Super guitar
-
Wow. this is like a guy on his first date and he goes out with Miss Universe! Congratulations!
-
Hey there PHAT Maan.
You've started out at the top level there. Don't do what we all have done and trade it in for something you'll end up regretting!
I see some issue on the top plate by the controls. Is that a repair?
-
Well, the good news is you can skip right past all the jazz newbie "is my guitar right for jazz" thinking so many go through
-
Welcome. As a fellow Super 400 owner, I am aware of the great feeling that comes from playing one of these.
One word of advice: Have your jazz chops together before you bring that ax to a jazz jam session with pros. If you bring a Super 400 to such an event, the expectations will be high.
-
Be sure to use an oxygen mask when thinking about playing it.
As a "jazz newbie" it's unusual to be so "close to the summit", and you're likely to find that you are regularly breathless just looking at it!
Great guitar - enjoy it
PS - just when I though I didn't need (yet) another guitar, GAS is threatening to engulf me when I look at this beauty.. Get thee behind me Satan (but don't push me in, please!)
-
Jepp, she had some sort of incident in the early eighties - there’s also a longitudinal crack on the back. Both are repaired and 100% solid, I got a luthier to give me an estimate to repair them but I like the feel and look of an ol’ beater guitar so will leave it as is. Originally Posted by jazzbow
And not to worry, I won’t be showing up at a jazz club anytime soon to go on stage
.
-
To note, you'll soon find, as you delve into jazz...it's still just a guitar.
-
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Good advice. Bring a Fender Squier and ask how you plug it in.
-
This is true! I used to play at an open session in my area, and when I'd pull my blonde Heritage Golden Eagle out of the case, literally there would be this moment of quiet, and everyone assumed "this guy can play!" but pretty soon they learned otherwise... I was dating out of my league! Originally Posted by Stringswinger
-
Other than for aesthetic reasons why do you need to have a 1940's type of truss rod cover? The cover on the guitar in the picture looks like a std. Gibson truss rod cover. Does it not fit correctly?
I know there are many Gibson repro 1950's parts especially for Les Pauls, 335's,etc. Try Ebay and Google for actual sites.
-
A thought: it might be worth keeping two searches going--(1) for the appropriate art-deco truss rod cover; (2) for a Van Eps string damper. The string damper would be completely appropriate as an accessory for the truss rod area--many great jazz artists used this device, replacing the truss rod cover. It looks cool and suggests that you are really "inside."
The Van Eps string damper isn't cheap--when it can be found--but it is age appropriate for your guitar.
-
a std Gibson trc is shorter - the distance between the screw holes is smaller. Hence my trc is only attached with one screw. I have no desire for a prewar trc, it was merely the only one I’ve found. I’d prefer either a 70s one or a new repro. Originally Posted by jads57
I’ll check the Van Eps, thank you for the tip!
On another note; a good friend of mine is a professional jazz guitarist, so maybe I should try to pull this off at the next jazz night:
-
And when a tune is called in a particular key, you could ask "What do you mean by Key" Originally Posted by Marty Grass
-
Or “I’m playing a *guitar*, not a piano...guitars don’t have keys” and say it as dismissively as possible.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
-
a PhatFrank deserves a PHAT jazz guitar. I hope you got a great buy on it!
-
Thought I'd share a picture of the ol' lady with her new hollowbodysisters; a 1965 Epi Granada and a '03 Gretsch Silver Falcon. Both are amazing guitars.
-
That's one nice axe. But you got yourself one big problem now. From this point on, no GAS can be justified, so there's no excuse from just sitting down and practice.
As for the TRC, I'd just leave the standard one on and wait and see if an original one shows up somewhere for a reasonable price one of these days. There's no hurry.
-
Thanks Originally Posted by oldane
That's one nice axe. But you got yourself one big problem now. From this point on, no GAS can be justified, so there's no excuse from just sitting down and practice.
As for the TRC, I'd just leave the standard one on and wait and see if an original one shows up somewhere for a reasonable price one of these days. There's no hurry.. Regarding the TRC, this is exactly what I intend to do, but thought I'd check if anyone here knows about one available. My guess is that these are reaaaally hard to find.
Reply With Quote
Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Swing 112
Today, 02:35 PM in For Sale