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I have two PRS's , one CE24 and a Hollowbody spruce that I really like.
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08-13-2011 01:28 PM
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I own a HB2 Artist package with arch top PU and I enjoy my jazz tone with my fender BJ3. I use d'addario 11 flat wound string; Bass and treble at 9 o'clock, mid at 3 o'clock; and I mix magnetic PU with piezo (70% mag: 30% piezo).
It is maybe not the Wes' sound, but ...
I am a novice in jazz and for my knowledge, may someone explain me what is wrong or what are the limits of this gear?
I love to record acoustic chords on my looper and then I jam with mag/piezzo or mag clean or mag & overdrive...so many possibilities that improve my creativity and my pleasure !
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Hello Zheul ! (Nice name, as we talk about it)
First of all, welcome on this forum
You'll find here a lot of discussions here about "jazz sound". One thing in common in all these discussions : one guy (or another) asks : what kind of jazz sound are you after ?
There is no definition of the jazz sound. Would you like to sound like Wes, or Jim Hall, or John Scofield or ....(put here the list of your preferred jazz guitarists ...)
You'll also find here a lot of people that only see jazz through the full-hollow-big-17"-or-18"-carved-spruce-top-with-a-floater-$6k-or-more.
You'll also a bunch of people playing jazz with their Tele's and enjoy it a lot !
You have a nice gear, it seems that you have started to explore its possibilities and that you already found a sound that suits you. Time and GAS will come one day, when you'll desparately need another guitar, another amp, a new pedal (to change YOUR sound, to be able to be heard despite your drummer, ...) but you can cover a lot with your gear
What is important (and very positive) is your last sentence : improve creativity and pleasure.
Have fun!
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Welcome Zheul. I don't really think there have been that many negative remarks about PRS HBs here. I used a HB Spruce w/piezo for quite a while, and it was a really nice semi. IMO, MUCH nicer tone than the maple models. Try one if you can, you might end up switching.
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I like them a lot and the single cut and the 15" version even more.
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PRS makes some nice hollow bodies
I bet your rig sounds great
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If you like your own tone, then it is good. Welcome to the forum.
Like you said, it may not be Wes Montgomery's tone, but there are millions of players and millions of good tones. And anyway, it's better to be yourself and be authentic then to copy someone else.
I used to have a PRS HB also. I loved it and I always liked mixing a little piezo into the HB sound. I thought it added a little of the zingy archtop sound back in.
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Fantastic all around guitars! I just found the neck a bit on the small side for my tastes.
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Small? On the HBs? Doesn't that model use the wide/fat neck exclusively?
Originally Posted by jads57
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I have previously owned a spruce HB and an all-maple HB, and both are great guitars (especially the spruce). Ultimately I did not like the standard "McCarty Archtop" pickups that they come with, and given the guitars' value, didn't feel like swapping them out and risking any market depreciation for resale. The pickups are a bit hot and were hard for me to adjust to achieve the tone I wanted.
The HB guitars, though, are a really good foundation for a jazz guitar - light, woody, very high build quality.
Several years later, I was once again tempted by a PRS, so I now own a JA-15. Now this guitar has the 53/10 pups and they are just terrific; lower output, nice and juicy sounding with both warmth and clarity.
If you can get a used PRS for a good price, it's all thumbs up AFAIC.
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Hello! And welcome!
When I worked in a guitar shop I saw a lot of PRS, including hollow and semi hollow ones, and I never saw a bad player/looker/sounder. Enjoy playing that fantastic guitar, the right sound for you is the one that you hear in your head.
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Wide/Fat can vary quite a bit say .830-.880 first fret to .920-.970 at 12th fret. I think they usually come in on the smaller measurements. Occasionally you'll find the larger .880-.970 ones, but they're the exception not the rule. Another thing is they don't have much shoulder in their neck profile, which also makes it feel smaller.
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I'd love to try a JA-15. At least on paper I love everything about that guitar.
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Me too, except for the price! And, I believe the necks are a bit on the narrow side.
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I paid a used price for a mint '12 that was less than any used Sadowsky archtop I've ever seen. It was one reason I pulled the trigger.
The neck is slimmer from front to back than a WF, but it has a normal 11/16 nut. Actually the shoulders are much nicer than on the classic PRS necks. Anyway I like it. Weighs 6 lbs but feels big enough to be a jazz guitar, not a hollowed out rock guitar, if you know what I mean.
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Thank you very much everybody for your answer.
I would like to propose you a link to youtube where a good guy plays a PRS HB2 and ES335.
I dont' know if ES335 is "acceptable" for classic jazz, but I feel the PRS is not far from the Gibson 'sound. What de you think about this video?
According to pick up setting, i agree that sometimes i could appreciate a more mellow sound with new PU, a more "traditional jazz" tone.
the question is now with which PU I could up grade my PRS HB ? Gibson 57 ? Kent Amstrong ? others? for which results ?
is it something i should try or is it better to get a new one as the sadowsky played by Kurt Rosenwinkel?
best regards
PS:Zheul is a pseudo I get because one of my favorite band is MAGMA, a cult french band who describes his music as "Zheul" music... It is a mix of RnB, Jazz, Rock, Classical music created in the end of the 60's. the leader is Christian Vander, the drummer, son of Maurice Vander, a famous jazz pianist in France at this time. The story is that Elvin Jones is the one who offered him his first drum ....and his idol is... Coltrane!!! it is a real band who has written his own way, no concession (is it english ?), a little bit of punk state of mind!! I love.
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Bonus, my beautifull PRS:
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I watched the whole thing and I preferred the PRS by a large margin on the first example and by a smaller margin on the second example. I thought it sounded fuller and rounder for lack of a better description. Originally Posted by Zheul
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As a lifetime arch-top and semi-hollow player, I never felt that solid bodies (PRS or any manufacturer, for that matter) was an appropriate choice for jazz guitar stylists –– that is until I recently tried a friend's PRS S2 semi-hollow (22-fret) model –– in a beautiful violin amber finish.
I was amazed at the range of tone the guitar achieved; in addition, the weight, overall feel of the instrument and the neck were a guitarist's dream. (The nut width is 1 & 21/32"). I was so impressed by the playability, looks and tonal excellence of the guitar, I immediately got online and ordered one.
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I used to have a '98 PRS Hollowbody I which I loved. It got stolen and I wasn't able to replace it at a price I could afford. My Ibanez Scofield model is now filling the role that the PRS used to. But I loved that PRS, and contra what some people have said upthread, I thought it had a great vibe. It was mellow enough for straight jazz, but you could also crank it up and crush skulls with it if you wanted to.
Here's a video of me playing it. My amp is a Mesa Lone Star Special.
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I have a 513 which I absolutely love for fusion jazz rock stuff. Plus it can do anything!
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I've owned numerous PRS guitars over the years but the one I liked best was the Single Cut Hollow Body. I had a cherry color Std. Model. Fantastic versatile guitar, sadly traded for another great guitar Benedetto Bambino Std.
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Solo beginning around 3:56:
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This and a couple other of his vids caused me to pick up a JA-15. Killer electric jazz tone.
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killer jazz tone - and man, what a fluent groovy player. I spotted the Xotic SP compressor, RC booster and BB plus - but the silver pedal I couldn't make out. Did anyone see what it was?
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