The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Squier Telecaster, "Affinity" level, made in China cheapo. THE loudest, most in-yo'-face rock'n'roll pickups I have ever heard. Kept in open G for Instant Keef applications, but also produces fairly fiery country/blues/r'n'b tones.

    I was in a studio helping out on a demo and the soundguy pityingly asked me if I wanted to use his Fender instead before hearing it. After I'd done the track, he asked me how much I wanted for it.

    Cost me £80 second hand. For that money, I kept it and will use it for all my non-Jazz stuff.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by ooglybong
    Nice. Kinda like fire and ice. huh?
    I imagine that they now sound rather different with that CC pickup onboard, huh? I've never tried one before. What brand is it?
    It's a Vintage Vibe CC rider by Pete Biltoft. Do a search on the gizmo section of this forum. A lot of guys here have these. You can swap out the magnets really easily. A great pickup indeed.

    Vintage Vibe Guitars

  4. #28

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    Epiphone ES175 copy for £300 notes. Nice beefy tone which compares well with a pupils Herb Ellis model for jazz.
    Also a very old Ibanez AS50 for £500 which is a keeper as the neck is nice and wide for my dinnerplate hands

  5. #29

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    I found a Korean Squier Strat at a flea market, white, used and bumped around. It had a very nice neck, and resonance!!!

    A gig bag and the guitar for $75.00. I went home to get a battery powered amp to test it. Before leaving the house, I plugged in my CS Thinline Strat to get a basic sound reading.

    At the flea mkt. I plugged in the Squier. All p/ups worked, no shorts. The sound was as good as my CS Strat's.

    I offered the guy $60. He said, "c'mon now, I gotta make a living". I said, " it's scratched, dinged, and needs frets".

    He said, "$70 with bag and a strap". I said OK

    New frets $100, and new Fender p/ups, a killer Strat

  6. #30

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    One of my gigging guitars is an Affinity Squier Tele. As stock it was surprisingly good and an excellent way to see if I liked playing jazz on a Tele. My weirdness being what it is, I ended up putting on a Warmoth neck and replacing the pickups with Dimarzio stacked hummers, CTS pots, etc. It sounds very good, even a bit fatter than Ed Bickert before he put in the Gibson bucker. Eventually I want to try a Warmoth semi-hollow body, maybe mahogany and maple...

    At that point, it will be like my great-grandfather's axe that has had three handles and two heads...

  7. #31

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    I can't believe nobody has mentioned Eastman. My AR 403 cost about the same as an off the rack Epiphone and offers incredible quality for the buck. I have more expensive guitars but I could be content if all I had was the Eastman.

  8. #32

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    I'm relieved to find that, over the years, I have made a few good choices judging from the replies mentioned here: Godin 5th Ave, Epi Joe Pass, Epi Sheraton (I much prefer the playability of this over the Ibanez AS103 I tried, although the Ibanez is probably a better guitar), DeArmond X155 (picked up cheap when it was discontinued); but the best bargain of the lot has to be a Yamaha 'Pacifica' (the Tele-like 120 not the 112 Strat copy). Think it cost 170 GBP. I swapped out the Duncan 'designed' pups for Duncan 59s. Lovely little guitar, but hard to find these days.

  9. #33

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    My bargain guitar is this one:



    i bought it from a kid who "needed money for college" for $150. It was the product of an extreme relic'ing project. The original body was painted black over white and heavily sanded/distressed.

    He told me it was originally a MIM Tele, but the neck has a Warmouth logo on it. Super-cool vintage Kluson tuners and awesome Seymour Duncan pickups. I'm not overly fond of the varnished neck with worn fretboard look, but it doesn't affect the playability, so I have left it alone. I replaced the rather heavy ash body with a GFS paulownia body, and it's now very lightweight.

  10. #34

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    A Samick Greg Bennett LaSalle JZ3 I picked up for $250 as NOS with a HSC. Great player with TI Jazz Flats, nicely built.

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    Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-greg-bennett-lasalle-jz3-1-jpg

    A Squire Tele with a Jazzmaster neck and Jazzmaster neck pickup I got on sale for $200. Bridge pup is meh but it sounds really mellow on the neck pup. Adding an ashtray one of these days.

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    Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-squire-tele-jazzmaster-neck-jpg

    And my go-to couch guitar is a Godin 5th Ave acoustic. IIRC, I got it on sale with the case and case cover for $490 almost 3 years ago. I plan on adding a DeArmond with a volume "under the PG" pot when they are available as accessories from FMIC.

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    Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-godin-5th-ave-jpg

    I'd recommend any of these as good instruments for someone looking in the $200-$500 range. Even cheaper used.

  11. #35

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    My Korean Epi Sheraton That I swopped for a Godin Artisan TC.I paid £270 for the Godin.
    I replaced the stock Epi PUs with "Sound of Sin"Classic PAFs.Replaced the pickguard,Bone nut and switch tip.
    The switch tip makes the big difference.Now my favourite guitar.
    Attached Images Attached Images Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-001-jpg 

  12. #36

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    My first guitar back in 1997 was proof that low cost could mean quality. My father bought me a Squier Anniversary Strat that to this day I still love. The electronics are very loud (why I never gigged with it), but the neck is perfect. Someday I am going to get an EMG Gilmour electronics set for it. My father still has that guitar hanging in my old bedroom from before I left for the Army. Says whenever he goes in that room (now a guest room) that it makes him smile.

  13. #37

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    Peerless Sunset, used for $480
    Epiphone Broadway; new $700
    Fender Telecaster MIM new, $450

  14. #38

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    Just curious: what kind of (how High) frets did you replace with?

  15. #39

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    Riff 335 copy, made by Samick. Swapped pickups for SH2s. Really good sounding guitar. Nothing too fancy, but it's a solid build. It has supreme sustain. Currently setup with EJ21s, it's got a tone.
    Attached Images Attached Images Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-20191012_213412-jpg Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-20191012_213225-jpg 

  16. #40

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    I know it's a bump, but here's my big one: https://i.imgur.com/hvuaGtX.jpgOld epi sheraton. This guitar is shockingly good and plays incredibly well. Think you can get 'em for $250 used.

  17. #41

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    The used market is of course rife with opportunities. As for new guitars, a guitar tech outside Helsinki buys cheap Epiphones etc. from web auctions. These typically have a neck damage around the nut. He repairs and sets them up expertly and sells them for 150-200 EUR less than the ordinary street price.

    As for new guitars, Ibanez offers a (too?) wide selection of budget-priced archtops and semis for under and above the 500 EUR mark. I've had a few in the past, and find myself gigging mostly with a Jet Blue AFJ-91. The confusion/controversy around Super 58 PU's of different vintage and origin aside, I'm happy with the one on my guitar and get praise for the tone all the time. Great and stable neck, no structural issues apart from a lousy tailpiece I replaced before it broke.

  18. #42

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    Squier ProTone Fat Tele, purchased new in about 1994 for around $350

  19. #43

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    Ibanez AG75 – bought new in 2002 or 03 when the Artcore series hit the market. I think I paid under 400 €. I retrofitted a wooden bridge a few years later which made the tone more airy and acoustic compared to the original TOM bridge. It's kind of a poor man's George Benson GB10 and as I recently got the real deal I could compare the 2 guitars. The GB10 sure has a more balanced and refined tone (it should as i costs 6 times more) but the AG75 is no slouch, either. I roll back the volume slightly and plug straight into a fender tube amp to get the tone I like.Here it is hiding a bit behind her more expensive sister:
    Attached Images Attached Images Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-img_5441-jpg 

  20. #44

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    I've got to include my harley benton on that list. Thomann sells it for about 220€ new. It's a great guitar (and i don't say "for the money"). Attachment 63661The Stock floater sounds fine, but i want to add a cc pickup to make it a poor man's es 150.Here's a Little Demo i did with the guitar. Everything stock:
    (The rhythm-track is the same guitar, just unamplified)Paul

  21. #45

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    A few years ago I got an '05 Squier mini strat. I paid $30 for it and I think the tone is better than my '04 MIM fat strat. The pickups are noticeably louder in the mini.

  22. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by jdaguitar2
    Peerless Sunset, used for $480
    Epiphone Broadway; new $700
    Fender Telecaster MIM new, $450
    I paid $650 for my Sunset but I only paid $150 for my mongrel Tele (supposedly a MIM Tele but with SD pickup upgrades and a Warmouth neck) so I think I beat you LOL...

    (I never had a Broadway, but I had a Samick-made Epi JP which was also a marvelous guitar. Paid $400 for it used.)

    The Sunset is my go-to guitar for playing out when I don't want to take my ES-135. It stays in the case most of the time just so I can grab it at a moment's notice to play at my friend and neighbor's. The build quality, looks, playability, and sound are phenomenal.

    Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-8d6744a5-3869-432e-a257-49ab16674945-jpeg

    The Tele is my real sleeper. It has an SD Alnico 2 in the neck position, and will get that smooth yet defined Ed Bickert sound with ease. Plus since I changed out the ash body for a GFS Paulownia body, it's not even that heavy. Hard to believe the basic design literally hasn't changed in 67 years--as they say, Leo got it right the first time with this one.

    Your LEAST expensive great sounding/playing guitars-5e407af8-f448-461d-98fe-4c8602db1336-jpg
    Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 10-14-2019 at 12:59 AM.

  23. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by guavajelly
    Ibanez AG75 – bought new in 2002 or 03 when the Artcore series hit the market. I think I paid under 400 €. I retrofitted a wooden bridge a few years later which made the tone more airy and acoustic compared to the original TOM bridge. It's kind of a poor man's George Benson GB10 and as I recently got the real deal I could compare the 2 guitars. The GB10 sure has a more balanced and refined tone (it should as i costs 6 times more) but the AG75 is no slouch, either. I roll back the volume slightly and plug straight into a fender tube amp to get the tone I like.Here it is hiding a bit behind her more expensive sister:
    I just picked up an Ibanez AF105 with dual humbuckers. I have a couple of 25-1/2" scale archtops, a Triggs San Salvador and a D'Angelico EXL-1, but I finally had to admit I can't manage the scale length. The Ibanez is a "me size" guitar with a smaller body and 24-3/4" scale. The neck is great, kind of reminiscent of an early mid-60s Gibson and the smaller body is very comfortable. But for the life of me I can't tame the excessive brightness, and this is using the neck pickup only. I've lowered the pickup nearly as far as it will go, swapped the tune-o-matic for the included wood bridge, fiddled with the volume and tone controls every which way, and currently have my amp EQ'd a bit on the extreme side for me, with the treble rolled off, the presence nearly all the way down, the mid boost on, and the parametric EQ set to even things out. It's still bright!!! Pity, really, because it's a decent instrument, not a Triggs of course, but eminently playable. I don't think I'm going to replace the pickup – doing so may wind up an exercise in futility. I'll probably just play it a while longer and then return it under the vendor's return policy.

  24. #48

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    Quote Originally Posted by buduranus2
    I just picked up an Ibanez AF105 with dual humbuckers. I have a couple of 25-1/2" scale archtops, a Triggs San Salvador and a D'Angelico EXL-1, but I finally had to admit I can't manage the scale length. The Ibanez is a "me size" guitar with a smaller body and 24-3/4" scale. The neck is great, kind of reminiscent of an early mid-60s Gibson and the smaller body is very comfortable. But for the life of me I can't tame the excessive brightness, and this is using the neck pickup only. I've lowered the pickup nearly as far as it will go, swapped the tune-o-matic for the included wood bridge, fiddled with the volume and tone controls every which way, and currently have my amp EQ'd a bit on the extreme side for me, with the treble rolled off, the presence nearly all the way down, the mid boost on, and the parametric EQ set to even things out. It's still bright!!! Pity, really, because it's a decent instrument, not a Triggs of course, but eminently playable. I don't think I'm going to replace the pickup – doing so may wind up an exercise in futility. I'll probably just play it a while longer and then return it under the vendor's return policy.
    What kind of strings? Nickel flats generally make a big difference. Also, I don’t have any experience with this personally, but some people will change out the caps for a darker tone. But then maybe you’re getting into the “more trouble than it’s worth” category...

  25. #49

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    I often gig with a Yamaha Pacifica 012. This is a guitar which sold new, with amp, bag, strap and book for $179. Mine has replacement tuners and a Lil 59 in the neck position. I bought it used for $140 with a bag. Impulse purchase and I may have overpaid (it had the new tuners, but I added the Lil 59 later). I did replace the switch and output jack, but that was cheap.

    I like it because the neck is small in every dimension and is therefore easy on my arthritic hands.

    It sounds fine. Overall, I think my Comins GCS-1 sounds better, but that's "overall". In some situations the Yamaha sounds better because the Comins is just a little too dark and I can't dial the darkness out.

    Recently, I posted some clips from a gig where I brought both. I can't tell which is which on the recordings.

  26. #50

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    What kind of strings? Nickel flats generally make a big difference. Also, I don’t have any experience with this personally, but some people will change out the caps for a darker tone. But then maybe you’re getting into the “more trouble than it’s worth” category...
    It's got flatwounds on it, as does my Triggs. With no EQ on the amp and no tone control on the guitar the Triggs gives me a sound reminiscent of Tal Farlow. (Please don't misconstrue that I somehow have deluded myself into thinking that I play like Tal Farlow.) A very pleasing "thunk" with a solid focused attack and no sustain to speak of. With the Ibanez I can't get in the ballpark. I know it's not a reasonable comparison, but I've never had such difficulty dialing in a sound I can work with. Like you say, changing the cap might help. It's a very comfy guitar otherwise.