Peerless Monarch

Kluson · #1 12-19-2009, 10:28 AM

Hi everyone
I am new to jazz, and would like to buy an archtop. I like the look of the Peerless Monarch. My worries are
1. the lack of a tone control, although I saw the guitar in the states with a tone control!, Is this same guitar available in the UK?
2. The floating pick up and solid top, does anyone have feedback issues, I don't want to play to loud , but heard that some people had issues even at lounge levels

Has anyone replaced the pick up with the shadow Attila Zoller floating jazz guitar humbucker.
SH AZ 48 Attila Zoller Floating-Jazzgitarren Humbucker

or is it not needed

any comments on this guitar very welcome cheers

Meggy · #2 12-19-2009, 11:25 AM

I have also always liked the look of the Peerless Monarch! I can't talk from experience of actually playing it

but just for what it is worth, if everything else about the guitar seemed to be right, I personally would probably go ahead and get one. You could always look to adding a tone control on the fingerboard at a later date. If you're just going to use it for solo playing at lounge level though, I would guess that you could pretty much get the tone you need just with the amp controls.

But my (I admit limited) experience has been that for archtops, if the guitar has a poor tone acoustically, then this will have a negative impact on the amplified sound, and having, or not having, a tone control will do nothing to rescue the situation. So I guess what I'm saying is try to play the guitar a lot before you buy, and if everything else is good i.e. tone, playability, looks, quality, then it is a go-er, and if you want a tone you can always put one on later.

The Shadow pickup looks nice, I'm sure someone have some info to give you on that one!

Kluson · #3 12-19-2009, 11:27 AM

Hi Meggy

Thanks for your valued input
cheers

fep · #4 12-19-2009, 12:17 PM

I recently was exploring buying an archtop. I orginally had my heart set on a floating pick-up and solid carved top. It just made good sense to me to let that solid top vibrate unhindered.

But...

I tested a bunch of archtops side by side thru the same amp and it turned out I didn't like the way the ones with floating pickups sounded when they were amplified. Too bright, too brittle for me. yomv

So my advice is to make sure you play a bunch of guitars side by side. Until you do that you really don't know what you'll prefer.

Meggy · #5 12-19-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fep

I recently was exploring buying an archtop. I orginally had my heart set on a floating pick-up and solid carved top. It just made good sense to me to let that solid top vibrate unhindered.

But...

I tested a bunch of archtops side by side thru the same amp and it turned out I didn't like the way the ones with floating pickups sounded when they were amplified. Too bright, too brittle for me. yomv

So my advice is to make sure you play a bunch of guitars side by side. Until you do that you really don't know what you'll prefer.

I would agree with this advice totally - the amplified tone is important. When I say that the acoustic tone has to be good, I don't necessarily mean it needs to be loud, just good. And this should be reflected in the amplified tone, so of course this should be checked as well. And of course what fep says about the differences between floating and built in pickups is true too. There is no right or wrong, but different designs do have different qualities, so try a few guitars out to find out what sort of thing you like - this also applies to the carved vs. laminate top debate. I still think the Monarch is a nice looking guitar though!

FWBO · #6 12-19-2009, 01:32 PM

Hi Kluson,

it seems a shame to buy a midpriced jazz guitar expecting to have to swap the pickup out. I have a Vintage VSA 750 - and depending on who you talk to it is the same guitar out of the same factory - albeit with a tone pot.

The sound of my Brooklyn is thinner than my humbucker loaded Ibanez and on most amps I play the Brooklyn with the tone rolled off. That was until I got a Jazz King. It suits the Brooklyn better than the Ibanez.

It really depends what floats your boat. All I would say is the Brooklyn is more prone to feedback with a small amp. 200watt Kustom, 50 watt Sound City and Cube 60 it is fine with - Marshall MG 15 DFX and it howled like a good'n.

If it has to be a full humbucker then why not go for the Jazz City by Peerless?

It's 25.5 scale length but that isn't much of a problem for most and it does have a tone control

Aladin111 · #7 12-20-2009, 06:23 PM

Peerless produce fine guitars - last year i bought a Renaissence and a Jazz City. Decent quality.
Distribution nevertheless is very poor. Since a couple of months there's a new uk distributor ( Euromusic ) - but strange : almost no Peerless guitars in stock. ( some shops in the Uk even banned them )
Service is also very dramatic.( one guy asked for a replacement : his guitar
is still on the way, after TEN months )
What started as a fairytale ( good sales ) is beginning to look like a nightmare.
Peerless Korea ? ? ? ? : are they aware of the problems? ?

jazzizgreat · #8 12-20-2009, 09:58 PM

I bought a Peerless Monarch a month ago and can't fault it, probably the best value for money today.

Can't comment on any feed back, don't have an amp yet - still looking, ... any suggestions ??
André

mangotango · #9 12-21-2009, 07:40 AM

I tried a Peerless Monarch a while back and couldn't really find any issue with it, apart from the lack of a tone control. I hadn't even thought of a guitar with a floater before that.

Tarek · #10 12-25-2009, 08:16 PM

Peerless guitars are great value. They play very smoothly and they are priced right. I own a Monarch and GigMaster and I love both guitars but they are not 100% perfect. However, the imperfections are minor flaws in the finish, materials or construction that mostly do not affect the playing of the guitar. I recommend Peerless archtop guitars to anyone who is looking for a good sounding and a good value archtop guitar. I am likely to buy one or two more Peerless models. However, I am urging the Peerless company representatives, if they read these threads, to pay more attention to details when it comes to finish and construction and not get sloppy.

jayx123 · #11 08-22-2011, 07:47 AM

I have a monarch - great guitar for the money, regarding the feedback there is a sound post which is there to prevent it by syncing the vibrations of the top and the back. The stock pickup is a little hot but you can get a really good sound tweaking the amp.

kambor · #12 08-22-2011, 03:50 PM

I've tried the monarch and the manhattan side by side. My advice is to save up the difference (not many bucks) and go for the manhattan. It really sounds better, despise being laminated.

RuffRider · #13 08-23-2011, 06:21 PM

Would anyone care to comment on the differences in the sound of the "Monarch" as compared to the "Imperial"...I'm considering getting one or the other and there's no chance for me auditioning either one. I'm aware that one is laminated and the other is carved.

benjazzman82 · #14 08-24-2011, 04:16 AM

Hi there.

I play peerless guitars exclusivly after finding them 2 years ago. The 2 models i own are the Manhattan and the Jazz City. They are fantastic guitars. The pickups are not too bright IMO. Just some clever tweaking on your amp should dial out any unwanted high frequencies. I am sure that i will be buying another when the tine is right...most likely the gigmaster jazz or the cremona...or the monarch.
Bottom line... They are the best new guitars under £1000 IMO....although mine are bith second hand. Both of mine ae superb to play.
Type in peerless manhatten into youtube and you can see a clip of mine in action.

Best of luck

ben

Philly112 · #15 08-24-2011, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjazzman82

Hi there.

I play peerless guitars exclusivly after finding them 2 years ago. The 2 models i own are the Manhattan and the Jazz City. They are fantastic guitars. The pickups are not too bright IMO. Just some clever tweaking on your amp should dial out any unwanted high frequencies. I am sure that i will be buying another when the tine is right...most likely the gigmaster jazz or the cremona...or the monarch.
Bottom line... They are the best new guitars under £1000 IMO....although mine are bith second hand. Both of mine ae superb to play.
Type in peerless manhatten into youtube and you can see a clip of mine in action.

Best of luck

ben

Hi Ben. Just for your info, I sold my Manhattan yesterday. Just an inch too big for my diddy body.
But I can agree that it is a wonderful instrument and very well made, as I believe all the Peerless guitars are.
Ben has a couple of tracks on You Tube. A nice version of Isn't She Lovely with a sax player, but I wasn't looking at Ben's guitar at all on that clip

*

Phil

*Apologies Ben if she's your wife. It was the saxophone I was referring to.

gianluca · #16 08-25-2011, 03:26 AM

good morning from italy

I found this about peerless monarch
‪RB4 - Smooth Jazz Guitar‬&rlm; - YouTube

and my question is:
is the monarch tone exactly like what I heard on this video?
or is the great touch/technique of this guitar player to make this guitar sound so good?

I own a gibson 175 that I love but I found the tone of this monarch really nice even if much different from my 175.
maybe because the mine is laminated and the monarch is solid?
or is the guitarist touch to make the difference?

gianluca

Philco · #17 08-25-2011, 06:03 AM

Ah yes the Matt Otten clips. He does get a good sound out of the Monarch and also from other guitars he plays. If you go to his site you can read a description of how he got the sound. There is no amp involved. He goes from an interface straight into his computer. A touch of reverb and there you have it.

BUT note well where Matt places his pick. Right above the pickup. The sweet spot. He also has a particular picking style. Quite even. This creates the sound as well.
I bought a Monarch a couple of weeks ago and can plug it straight into my Deluxe Reverb and get the same sound.
They just sound great.
It's a big guitar though. 17" That's the style.
I really don't like it because of this.....even though I'm over 6' tall. I just find it cumbersome and awkward to reach the top frets.
The build quality on my Ibanez GB10 is much better so I also didn't like the step down in quality. But the Monarch eats the GB10 for tone.

I'm going to sell this Monarch if any list members in Australia are interested.
It's been played for 10 minutes!!
Asking $1250 AU. with case.

tonyknight · #18 08-25-2011, 07:22 AM

In reading this thread it seems that the sound and playability of the Peerless guitars is generally very highly regarded, although the finishing quality seems to be sadly lacking (which might make it a great gigging guitar for the price).

If this is the case, what guitars can be recommended as alternatives to the Monarch (for example) which might well be more expensive, but which offer the perfection of build quality as well as the tone that many of us are looking for?

I, for one, am certainly looking for a guitar that will live with me as long as I continue to play guitars and am considering selling a very prized Collings (which is just stunning in every way - except it's no longer suited to my style) in order to help pay for an archtop.

Philco · #19 08-25-2011, 07:36 AM

Almost pulled the trigger on this Eastman Piisano. They had a S/H one for around $2600
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=ECrXe_..._embedded&hd=1

Decided I wasn't really an arch top type of player and bought this instead.

Fender's 2011 Telebration anniversary Telecasters | MusicRadar.com

Put some 12 Chromes on it and am currently experimenting with pickups.
Sounds amazing with stock pickups and plays better than my GB10.
Might go with a humbucker but I need a grace period before I take the knife to it!

benjazzman82 · #20 08-26-2011, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philly112

Hi Ben. Just for your info, I sold my Manhattan yesterday. Just an inch too big for my diddy body.
But I can agree that it is a wonderful instrument and very well made, as I believe all the Peerless guitars are.
Ben has a couple of tracks on You Tube. A nice version of Isn't She Lovely with a sax player, but I wasn't looking at Ben's guitar at all on that clip

*

Phil

*Apologies Ben if she's your wife. It was the saxophone I was referring to.

HAHA...thats fine Phil.

She is my girlfriend and the sax player in the duo and trio i work with.....bless her, i just got her in to read your comment and she started blushing. I am glad you sold your Manhattan.
I have my eye on a Yamahah AE1200s but there seems to be little info on them . I can see a new thread starting.

All the best

Ben

Philly112 · #21 08-26-2011, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benjazzman82

HAHA...thats fine Phil.

She is my girlfriend and the sax player in the duo and trio i work with.....bless her, i just got her in to read your comment and she started blushing. I am glad you sold your Manhattan.
I have my eye on a Yamahah AE1200s but there seems to be little info on them . I can see a new thread starting.

All the best

Ben

And I just showed my wife these comments and then the You Tube clip and she smacked me on the head!
Cheers
Phil