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Hello Coolvinny,
Originally Posted by coolvinny
Bryant is under a lot of pressure in line with huge interest for his masterpiece. He will soon start with work on my Jazz Special with 25" scale, vintage, dark, sunburst and CC floating (Pete Biltoft). This waiting period is worse than the covid pandemic, but we will survive it all.
I'm archtop guy but Paulleta is very interesting choice. Are you satisfied?Last edited by Fal Tarlow; 11-26-2020 at 06:22 PM.
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11-26-2020 05:01 PM
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Another Jazz Special with floater! That's great to hear. The video of "Out of Nowhere" Bryant posted of my Jazz Special played acoustically doesn't even come close to doing justice to its acoustic tone now that it's settled in and has TI Bebop 13's on it (I use a thick unbeveled Blue Chip KS60 pick FYI...to me it gets the best acoustic tone out of any guitar). Not even close. You'll love the guitar Originally Posted by Fal Tarlow
As for the Pauletta, yes I'm totally satisfied with it. While I could do without the functionality of the bridge pickup (and that would reduce the weight a bit), I bought it in part as my tribute to the Les Paul wielding guitar gods who got me into blues and jazz (Duane Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Bluesbreakers-era Clapton) and it really needs the bridge pickup to fully cop that bit of nostalgia (I had a Heritage H-150 with the same amber sunburst in my blues days, and in fact I named her "Amber" which is the same name Slaman named this guitar!). It's an amazing instrument with a to-die-for neck (1.75" nut width, perfect shape and perfect depth)...in fact my favorite neck of any guitar I've every laid hands on. Having said all that, sometimes I think about selling it simply because I hardly use it...but I also know that as soon as I sell it some need will arise for a solid body. I've used it at big band practice to good effect. I'm half-hoping that Metheny's use of Slaman guitars will lead to a parabolic increase in market value along the lines of Manzer...
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So I take these jazz combo classes run by a local music institution where they get top local pros to "lead" different combos...we all stand far apart, wear masks and every week we think they're going to cancel it due to the pandemic (especially recently), but so far they have continued since starting up again in September.
Point is, we had one last night where the drummer couldn't make it, so it was just bass (no amp), two guitars and the pro on piano. During the bass solos (if piano was laying out) I actually had to be careful not to be too loud comping with my Trenier even when my volume all the way off...on a laminate 2.5" deep guitar.
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If the bassist isn‘t a Ray Brown clone, pulling thunder out of his fiddle when taking a solo unplugged then a full out comping with that guitar -also unplugged- would indeed be too much. Restraint is always the best advice and I try to channel Jim Hall in these situations, strumming/ picking VERY lightly, only using 2- or threepart voicings, sometimes even just one string, a la Freddie Green ...
some bassists don‘t want any comping but I often think that for the listener it can provide some sort of guideline through the changes and the form of the song. It’s a good thing to practice , paring the harmonies down to the bare minimum while still connecting them in a musically meaningful manner.
Re the particular qualities of the guitar(s) in question I think this model is even better suited for this way of playing than a comparable archtop made out of solid woods. So far my own Jazz Special performs (in my usual small group settings) just great , giving me a strong, warm and balanced lead tone and with a twist of the volume knob it backs down to a nicely dry , very acoustic tone that‘s perfect for comping. Arguably better than my Super-400, which kills as my note-cannon in loud situations....
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For those waiting for a Trenier Jazz special - I can only say it will be worth waiting for. It will be like no other laminate you’ve played.
It truly blends attributes from a solid carved guitar with the warmth of a laminate - producing a surprising amount of volume ( acoustically)- with a beautiful woody warmth vibe. My Jazz special (plugged in )sounds like Jim Halls tone.
Bryant is in final set up with my “Trenier Georgian “ - so hopefully you guys are getting closer.
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Thanks Trenier sensei. Originally Posted by QAman
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Here is another great video made by the talented Will Sellenraad playing his Trenier laminate with a real vintage Charlie Christian pickup. Enjoy!
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Can't wait to see your finished instrument next year Fal! Sounds like it's not a million miles from what I have in mind. I just received a very clean 1948 Dearmond FHC pickup from another forum member in readiness for a future space in Bryant's schedule. Originally Posted by Fal Tarlow
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Bryant just shared some photos on Facebook and Instagram of the last Jazz Specials of 2020:
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Stunning jazz specials!!!
One day...
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Those are some sweet-looking, music-making objet-d'artes!
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Still excited for my Broadway 2020. Er, 2021. 2.5 years of wait hoping it's worth it, but glad I jumped on a 1928 L5 when I did. That has more than tied me over lol.
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Wow! These are beautiful!
Originally Posted by David B
Bryant just shared some photos on Facebook and Instagram of the last Jazz Specials of 2020:
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I know the three gentlemen getting these instruments and they are going to be amazed at the tone Bryant creates with these Jazz electrics. These guitars are really incomparable , and have what I now describe as the “Trenier sound “ - which is a warm resonant responsive vibe with endless sustain and ease of playability.
The guitars are very light weight ( for a laminate) and a joy to play both amplified and unplugged
They have become increasing popular over the past few years - and those who own them know why.
What a great Christmas present.
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For those interested -Bryant just posted a video playing all three jazz specials.
He uses an old iPhone6 like me- but you can still get an idea of the tone.
Trenier Guitars
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One thing that I suggest all of you waiting for your archtops from Bryant is to clarify with him your preference for finger rest clearance below your high E string. My 17” Artifex archtop from Bryant (which I love...
) arrived with its finger rest only about 1/8” (3 mm) offset from the high E string where I typically pick which was too close for me. This may be fine for some players but it was too close for me (my pick would hit it).
A luthier friend of mine was able to adjust it for me to about a 1/4” to provide a bit more clearance (6 mm) shown below.
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That is a gorgeous tone. Trenier guitars truly sound as good as they look! Originally Posted by QAman
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You can watch a Trenier Jazz Special in great hands tomorrow, Saturday 16 January, as my friend Nick Costley-White leads a group in a live-stream performance, presented by London venue/band/organisation Kansas Smitty's. Kansas Smitty's pivoted quickly last year from a small basement bar (and one of my favourite London jazz venues) to high-quality streaming from a professional studio.
Nick is going to be performing music from Pat Metheny's 'Bright Size Life'.
8pm London time, on the Kansas Smitty's Facebook and YouTube pages. The video will stay up on YouTube for a day or two afterwards.
YOUTUBE: Kansas Smitty's - YouTube
FACEBOOK: Kansas Smitty'sLast edited by David B; 01-15-2021 at 01:58 PM.
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Thanks for sharing ! Great playing..... Originally Posted by David B
and the Trenier Jazz electric sounds great. Very smooth and pure sounding timbre to the voice.
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