The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    The process of pressing solid tops involves significant heat, moisture and compression, which (according to one of my colleagues in Germany) breaks down many of the linkages between the micro-fibers of spruce in the top, limiting the top's potential to age as a tone-wood.

    Pressed solid tops do not sound like laminated tops - they sound WAY better. They can sound great - I have a couple that are wonderful sounding. I also have a few with pressed solid backs, and I suspect that works just fine, as the function of the back is mostly reflective.
    Last edited by Hammertone; 04-14-2019 at 04:22 PM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #52
    in regard to what you have explained about pressed , solid wood it would seem to me that laminated or plys of wood would be more stable because the stretching would be more evened out across the whole surface rather than being stretched in all directions without any releif. if that is true then laminated surfaces would be preferable. manufacturers now seem to tell us that their laminated surfaces are better in stabelizing the sound than one piece carved tops. maybe we should rethink this whole situation. i guess it is going to come down to personal preference and that will be that. all this is possably true if in fact the solid wood tops are heated and stretched instead of actually being "carved" out by hand.

  4. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by richard vandyne
    maybe we should rethink this whole situation. i guess it is going to come down to personal preference and that will be that.
    You hit the nail.

    After having followed this thread, I don't think you'll find out what will work for you on a forum like this. There are too many variables in the instruments we discuss, too many personal preferencies of those writing posts.

    After all, what you liked most about your friends L5 may not even have been that it was an L5 but that it was set up well to your likening. You may find other L5s which are set up differently and which you may not like. The same goes for other brands and models.

    OK, lets assume you find a good guitar. Is it then done with? No. When you have found a good guitar, the search for the perfect amp can begin. When you have found that, the search for the perfect speaker for the amp begins. And the perfect string. And the perfect pick. And the .... In the end that search don't leave you much time for what it's all about: The music itself. The gear are just tools

    Based on your posts, I think all those opinions on a forum like this - which to some extent are based on varying personal preferencies - may confuse you more than they help you.

    The sensible thing to do is to forget this thought of "the best" - there is no such thing as "the best guitar". Find something which works reasonably well for you to begin with. There are some brand names mentioned here in this thread which may be good starting points but there are others out there. After that, if needed (it often is), have a good setup job done by a qualified guitar technician. Stay with it so you get to know it realy well. Half the secret of good sound and feel of comfort is knowing your tools well like a well worn pair of slippers. Eventually experiment a little along the road with string action, strings and picks - that can sometimes make a bigger difference to the sound than the guitar itself and it doesn't cost a fortune. But avoid like the plaque swapping guitar and amp every three months in the search for "the best".

    John Coltrane was known for his endless obsessive search for the perfect mouthpiece. He bought literally hundreds. Most was discarded within a few days. He either put them away in a closet or gave them to fellow saxophonists. A good deal of these discarded mouthpieces became lifelong faithful companions of other musicians. Dexter Gordon often bragged of how he in the 1950s "made" Coltranes sound by giving Coltrane a mouthpiece he thought Coltrane needed. The truth was that Dexters mouthpiece was only one in a long row. But whatever mouthpiece he put on the sax, Coltrane always sounded like Coltrane and nobody could hear any difference. I think there is a point to take there.
    Last edited by oldane; 02-11-2012 at 05:48 AM.

  5. #54
    Hey oldane: really enjoyed your mail. everything you said is true. i have spent countless hours trying to come up with some combination that would suit me before i actually had to go out and find it. thats what i have to do. spending all this money on guitars is ludicrous. i probably should find the basic guitar i want and them make it into what i want rather than go thru this neverending search, and still not be satisfied. a good luthier will probably be my best answer. i enjoyed your analogy on j.coltrane. i played saxophone for about fifteen years and finding a great mouthpiece was always a huge problem.i never did find the perfect one. probably will never find the perfect guitad either but i will keep trying. just need to take another approach. thanks for the time and input-its appreciated

  6. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by richard vandyne
    hi everyone- there must be a clone for every model of guitar out there. i,m wondering if there is a clone for the gibson L5. a good one if you please!
    Well , I had a copy of an L5 that got stolen it was a Halifax two humbuckers, maple, wooden bridge with a barrel tail piece and a Florentine cut away.. one of the best guitars I ever had.. can't seem to locate another one anywhere ? If you happen to come across one please advise.. It was made in Japan I believe in the Matsumoku factory as well as ibanez... Chet

  7. #56

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    I don`t much care what they`re made of but if they sound the way this guy plays one, they sure are good enough for me.


  8. #57

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    Quote Originally Posted by oldane
    Back in the 1970s Ibanez made clones of various Gibson models, among them the L5 and the ES175. They are generally considered at least as good (some say better) than Gibsons own offerings at that time (Gibson was at a low point quality wise back then). I believe the production of those pretty accurate copies ended with the headstock lawsuits. Those instruments now bring pretty high prices. Aria also made Gibson like instruments, though not so excact copies, at the same time, which were also very good.
    I am selling my ‘77 Ibanez 2471NT (l5 lawsuit copy). If you’re in the UK, and interested, let me know.

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by richard vandyne
    hi everyone- there must be a clone for every model of guitar out there. i,m wondering if there is a clone for the gibson L5. a good one if you please!
    Aria Pro II PE180 is simply spectacular. I have that one plus a Gibson L5ces. I wouldn't hesitate to use the Aria in any situation where the Gibson would be needed. It's laminated, so it has a bit more thunk and a little less of the carved-top dynamics, but still it's just an astonishingly amazing guitar. Maybe in some ways more like an ES350?

  10. #59

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    Just realized how old this thread is..