Help me short list some guitars - Intermediate player - new to Jazz

[Kmckenna45]

I'm looking for a hollow body guitar - but I have a couple of specific requirements that I'm having trouble finding.

1. 25" or larger scale
2. Hollow body - with decent volume unplugged
3. P90 (Neck pickup or Neck & Bridge pickups)
4. 16" or 17 " lower bout width
5. Not vintage - I don't want something that requires high maintenance
6. Not a chunky fat neck.
7. Budget $1500

I currently play a Fender Tele - which I have been using for Jazz/Swing - but I really like the arch top acoustic sound.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help.

[Llewlyn]

Eastwood EG-P90

Scale is a bit shorter

Ll.

[Sam Sherry]

Mid-50s Gibson ES-150 -- player condition @ $1500+

Ca. 1949 Gibson ES-150 -- fair to good condition @ $2025+

The pics aren't crystal-clear about whether the '49 has a peghead repair.
If the peghead never snapped then IMO between these two the extra $525 is a wise investment.
But call 'em like you see 'em.

[BillB]

Couple questions to narrow you down:

New or used?

Cutaway or non-cutaway?

For the best acoustic sound, you will want the pickup to be mounted above the body, not built into the top. Is that Ok?

Are you willing to add the pickup after? Because that way you could get a fully acoustic archtop and add the pickup as needed.

Note that acoustic strings don't work well with most pickups and electric strings don't sound good with acoustics. You can try Monel strings, which I find a bit of a compromise, but they don't sound great with either.

[BillB]

For instance, I started three or four years ago with a used 2016 Epiphone Masterbilt De Luxe. Non-cutaway, it's a visual homage to its 1930s De Luxe archtops. It has a solid, pressed top (not carved, but pressed into shape), laminated figured maple back and sides. 17" lower bout. And it has a built-in piezo pickup. Some folks add a floating humbucking pickup.

Cost me under $400 used including the case and a gigbag.

However, it's neck might be too chunky for you, especially if you aren't used to acoustic guitars.

It's not to everyone's taste but for me it was a nice intro to a very, very playable archtop.

[Rickco]

1994 Epiphone Emperor Jumbo Hollowbody Electric Jazzbox Guitar (VIDEO! Fresh Work, Ready)
Used – Very Good
Price$925
Free Shipping
this guy has quite a record probably a good seller
on reverb, Id do it now Id do it fast...ask anyone here thats had one and I think its Peerless which were the finest. I had one...took a Golden Eagle to unseat it

[Rickco]

It is a Peerless! ignore the video. Forum members Max and Fred AT among others have done videos, shut your eyes and your listening to a finely made archtop youd swear was carved from a top maker.

[58flame]

Gibson Chet Tennessean is 25.5 scale. The neck pickup is awesome for jazz. You should be able to find one very close to your budget.

[LesB3]

AFAIK, all of the recent (Korean and Chinese) Epi Jazz boxes will meet your needs (with the exception of the P90). I'd keep an eye out for a used one (Korean ones won't have a Laurel fretboard) which can usually be had for around $600 at GC/MF/Etc. Throw a P-94 or S-D Phat Cat into the neck and call it done. If you are lucky, the used guitar might even have a hard case.

Epi's have "quick connect" connectors on the pickups so changing them out *does not* require any soldering. Just buy the connector mates on E-bay and wire up to your pickup of choice. You could swap them out with about as much effort as a string change. I have an 00's "Zephyr Blues Deluxe" that came with P-90's (they weren't very good) but I decided I wanted a poor man's Emperor so threw 3x TV Jones Dyna's in there instead:



My complaints with something like a Broadway would be the pickups, and that the neck is not one piece, so could have a fairly ugly scarf joint on some models. But, considering you would be "all-in" on a used model with only $800 or so (including replacement pickups!) you'd also have extra money for more stuff.

Good luck!

[John A.]

D’Angelico EXl-1 (the newer version with a set pickup). 17” body, 25.5” scale. Easy to find used for under $1500. Swap the pickup for a humbucker sized P-90 (e.g., Duncan Phat Cat). Very nice guitar; I’ve tried a friend’s with the stock humbucker.

Eastman AR403. 16” body 25”
Scale. Swap the pickup. A friend of mine did this (for a p90 style), and it sounds really good.

[Sleeko]

1994 Epiphone Emperor Jumbo Hollowbody Electric Jazzbox Guitar (VIDEO! Fresh Work, Ready)
Used – Very Good
Price$925
Free Shipping
this guy has quite a record probably a good seller
on reverb, Id do it now Id do it fast...ask anyone here thats had one and I think its Peerless which were the finest. I had one...took a Golden Eagle to unseat it

Do you have a link to that particular guitar? I didn't see any with that year and price point. Thanks

[Rickco]

Do you have a link to that particular guitar? I didn't see any with that year and price point. Thanks

Just a moment...

[Rickco]

Just a moment...

Heres a tip, the stock pickup in '94 was ok but not great, I sent mine to Kent A for a rewind, he asked what I was looking for and I jokingly said a JS or BJB. What I got back was every bit as good as any of the high end floaters. The pickup is the only weak point in this guitar, I did a lot of buying looking playing etc and am positive you cant beat this axe for even twice that price, its a real "jazz" guitar and guaranteed to be set up, thats a big deal.

[Cunamara]

One of the Godin 5th Avenues? CW Kingpin II maybe. Very reasonable price, sound good, good necks, made in North America, good used market.

403 Forbidden

Just a moment...