-
I just joined a jazz/blues band and would like to purchase a semi or full hollow body. I currently own a Fender Strat but would like something that has the option to play more of a Jazz tone without loosing the punchiness of a Strat. In your opinion, will Duesenbergs (I was looking at a Starplayer) put out a good jazz tone?
-
06-18-2014 02:44 PM
-
Before buying a new guitar, try setting up your Strat for jazz. Block the tremolo and put on a set of medium flatwounds (a truss rod adjustment may be necessary if you use skinny 9ths or something like that at present). Use the neck PU and set the tone controls to give that jazz tone. You can get nice jazz tones from a Strat. Joe Pass' "Sounds of Synanon" album was done with a Fender solid body.
Last edited by oldane; 06-18-2014 at 05:19 PM.
-
they tend to come with p90s at the neck, so be prepared for that. personally, i think they are way too expensive for a korean guitar that had a couple of things bolted to it in germany, but no one that bought one has ever complained about them. they evidently put out a fine product that should suffice for your needs.
-
Geez, I don't know. I think they look totally jazzy. Swingin', even.
-
It's interesting that the country of origin always seems to come up in discussions about Duesenbergs but as you say, no one that bought one has ever complained about them and they seems to end up in a lot of very talented hands. In addition to making a quality product they also seem to be very adept at putting together some instruments that fill some underserved spec groups (like the 25.6" scale length on the Starplayer).
Originally Posted by feet
Last edited by Jim Soloway; 03-23-2020 at 01:46 PM.
-
The imperial is certainly jazzy. I think they go for the Gretsch vibe but their pickups are not as bright. Hardware is high quality and the tremolo really does improve on Bigsby's. I tried one or two very briefly and wasn't "infected" - but these are versatile, quality guitars - no doubt all the way up there.
-
100% agreed with Frank. I am uninspired to want one, but they are certainly very capable guitars - and in my view absolutely capable of some superb jazz sounds.
Chris
-
I wonder how a Fullerton Hollow would compare to an ES-330.
Looks great, anyway.
-
Hi, saw this older thread but thought this maybe of interest to OP.
I've owned a 175, I own a Gretsch Country Club, and just bought a Duesenberg Starplayer TV Deluxe. As I've said before here (and always apologize for it) I'm not a jazzer. I loved the looks/sounds of the 175 but really could not get on with the short scale and 'clubby' neck (nor the Gibson 'flat' frets). It broke my heart to part with it, but I realised I wasn't playing it. Superb jazz sound and capable rock guitar (I'm rock/indie).
The Gretsch is unique in terms of sound and I'm not sure it would satisfy a jazz-player. My Country Club is very unusual in that it has Dynasonics on it, not Filtertrons. But I love it for gritty indie-rock playing. Maybe something smoother with Filtertrons would suit a jazz player? Beautifully constructed and playable guitar.
The Duesenberg I have is only one day young (yay!! NGD!!). bear in mind the one I'm talking about is the Deluxe, NOT the 'straight' Starplayer TV. It has a different neck p/u to standard TV - is also has a tone control for each P/U that is wired that somehow it transforms from single coil through to light humbucking through to very dark humbucking. The quality is superb (better than the Gibson) on hardware. The bigsby-like trem is astonishingly smooth and returns beautifully, the tuners are v clever locking ones and v smooth, the frets are finished on a Plek machine, the bridge is solid with no wobbly saddles (cf Gibson). It is a much thinner (depth), flatter neck than the Gibson (I'm arbitrarily taking that as a jazz reference point) 21 mm at nut, 24 mm at fret 12, and do be aware that the scale length is relatively long (25.6"). I happen to like that. I'm early days into exploring sounds but it is more on the 'Gretsch' end of the spectrum than the Gibson, but I think it will do a lot in between and I tried neck on not quite full humbucking with a clear amp sound, and I think it would maybe please a jazz guitarist? From what I've heard on YouTube, the 'standard' Starplayer TVs are very nice too - mine is a little more capable, tone-wise, has two (not 1) 'f' holes and diamond inlays (cf dots) I think :-) I'm in love with it! It is also ever-so slightly surprisingly heavy, with a huge piece of centre-block wood. It's also very 'Art Deco' and the thought gone into the styling and detailing astonishing. Finish is very good. If you search on YouTube, there is one really very good shop demo on the TV Deluxe. Go try one! Best, David
-
If you are looking at korean guitars, which can be rather good, and if you want something versatile, good for blues and jazz, you really should be looking at guilds or peerless. For the price of one Duesenberg you can get 3 Newark St. Guilds, and those guilds are really nice guitars for the money, they are a better deal then the Duesenberg. I also think you can do far better on the used market, there are more then enough really nice semi-hollow and hollow bodies.
This is not to say the Duesenbergs are bad, but the price point of them and the type of guitar they are, always makes me think there are better guitars out there for the same price point.
-
Ghostlady raises an interesting and contentious point discussed much elsewhere. The price point on Duesenbergs, and the 'Korean' issue. I have also briefly owned a Peerless Gigmaster Jazz, and it went back to the shop for a return because of quality issues after 3 weeks of ownership, on the poor finish (bubbles) and some of the construction (slight off centre headstock logo and slight asymmetric placing of tuners). Both dealer and UK distributor agreed. I think this was a rogue instrument as plenty of people have lots of nice things to say about Peerless. It was a shame, as otherwise it was a nice guitar - I thought the sound (pickups) was rather bland, but that would have been fixed for an extra, say, £150 on a P/U upgrade. But it was a £750 guitar, so fair enough (actually what was impressive was provision of a very nice hard case in the price).
In defence of the 'price point' issue of the Duesenbergs - yes, the mfrs clearly state that the instruments (woodwork) are made in Korea, and you can find a detailed sourcing list of componentry (pots Japan, switch USA, P/Us & tuners Germany etc.). However, the componentry and German assembly made the difference for me. Let me take two reference points 'above' and 'below' - Peerless Gigmaster, and one of my US-made PRS solid body guitars. The Duesenberg is clearly not the same quality of wood and finish as the PRS: but the 'D' is better than the Peerless (even discounting 'rogue' factors on the Peerless), particularly fretwork (not to say fretwork was bad on the Peerless, I just think 'better' on the D). The componentry on the D is WAY better quality than the Peerless (particularly pickup sound) and not that far off the quality of the PRS. Price: The D is ~£1K less than the PRS and ~£1K more than the Peerless. I actually think that mid point is reasonably justified. I am also lucky enough to own a more expensive PRS Hollowbody 2 - which is superb in every way (but I would definitely not recommend as a jazz guitar [on sounds] - anyone disagree? - interested in that!) and I almost enjoy playing the D as much as the PRS HB2 (but the D and I are still on honeymoon ;-)
What no-one has mentioned is the 'eye candy' factor. I am a sucker for that :-) The retro Art Deco looks of the Duesenbergs appeal to me - I am sure others would find that ugly. But it is clearly a factor in the placing of Duesenbergs in the market.
There is a lot of denigration of Ds on other forums for being 'Korean made' (I am not suggesting that Ghostlady either said that or implied that). It is, as ever, down to what you think yourself. Doubtless, there ARE some great guitars out there that are cheaper than the Duesenbergs. My own advice, for what it is worth, is perhaps first make a basic decision on whether you want a full-bodied semi or a thin/semi-hollow, then follow your instincts on playability/feel vs price etc. Best, David
-
Ok, attempted a little recording with the Duesenberg of something home-grown that I hope is not too offensive to jazz sensibilities :-)
Its the Duesenberg Starplayer TV Deluxe on neck pickup (D-Tron Humbucker) with the tone rolled down to nearly full dark humbucking. It's finger-picked on brand new roundwound Elixir strings, played through a Line 6 POD HD PRO X with just reverb and a bit of compression in the setting, straight through into Logic Pro X.
Best, David
-
that is a nice sound!
-
Thank you Frank! I'm very pleased with the guitar, and think it is highly versatile. If I had flicked to bridge on tone set to s/coil with a little bit of overdrive, you'd be astonished it was the same guitar!
-
Hello everybody,
i am new here and my english langage is very poor but i would like to know why all comments i read here about PRS hollow body are so negative regarding jazz application ?
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 ...
It s right that 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?
regards
julien
-
Duesenbergs are overpriced and look pretty in photos. In vivo, they are much less impressive. They are rather small in size. I can not speak about sound, did not pkug into an amp, but they were not too inspiring for playing.
Actually, they are very similar to that cheaper Gretch line, but in lively colours and with that cool D brand badge.
-
If my *only guitar* was a solid body, and I was looking for a *second guitar,* I would be looking for something you could pick up and enjoy without plugging in. I have always recommended this to folks for a first guitar; if it sounds good unplugged, you will practice more. Plus you have something to play on the back porch. So I would be focusing on acoustic, not electric tone, and not on cosmetics at all.
If you have a regular gig at a country club, and your leader is telling you that you need something that goes better with the tux than the strat, then a tarted up MIK would be an excellent choice (please don't read any aspersions against asian or german guitars here; none intended).
-
Hello Julien. Your English is just great. I'm sure you get a wonderful tone out of your PRS HB2 and I adore mine! I was just slightly surprised how snarly and growly my PRS is! Nothing like - for example - the ES-175 I used to own. Surprised that the Duesenbergs Are getting so dismissed here! Tone range of my Deluxe is amazing! Yes, it sounds different to my HB2 acoustically, but remember the Ds are centre block guitars. Having recently tried out Gretsch Electromatics to see if they would "do" for what I wanted vs top notch Gretsch (they wouldn't and I ended up with a rather rare Country Club with Dynasonics for that Cure/Cult sound) I'd still maintain the Ds are worth paying more (than Electromatics - which were nice, except for the Bigsbys cf higher end Bigsbys) IF you want a slim hollow-body. Well,I just bought one so I would say that wouldn't I 😄😄😄 best, David
-
I've come across talks about the origin of Duesenbergs several times and some people (usually the ones that don't own one) seem to belive this is a Korean guitar. As far as I know, my Duesenberg CC is certainly not. It is hand made in Germany, with most parts produced in Germany and the USA. This is of less importance, but it had to be said because people inevitably tie the origin with the price and the quality.
What's important is that it is built better than most Gibsons, Fenders and other "big brands" in the price range (around $2500). What's even more important is that it sounds better than those guitars. I've played around 10 Gibbies and was in the market to actually purchase one. What happened in the end is, I realized that the only Gibsons that sounded better than the Duesenberg CC are the VOS series...but those were way beyond my budget.
I guess the most important for this discussion is this guitars capability to play jazz. It's a hollow body with a block of maple down the middle. It's got a P90-style in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge. To my ears it is very capable and has a huge tonal range and amazing dynamics. Some YouTube clips demonstrate this very well. Try to find one done by Phil X. (well he won't show you jazz, but he will show you the dynamic response
) Then go and find some more. If you want to see for yourself, I would strongly suggest you find a dealer nearby and go try one.. Any one, regardless of the model.
-
I dont rate Peerless stuff and I don't rate Guild Korean stuff either. Actually I don't really rate any korean stuff now I come to think of it. They seem to make the most basic errors time and time again in manufacturing. Still they know when to put the prices up regardless. Originally Posted by dslee
The only Korean guitar I played recently I gave two hoots about was the new Epiphone Es-175 but even that had some real Durrrp things going on with it.
Just because they sell loads of guitars doesn't mean anything. The average is never the best ;-)
-
Originally Posted by Zheul
High Julien.
You picked up on a good point there. The way I see it is (I could be wrong) that they sound quite harsh?
They are also very expensive guitars for your average Jazz musician. PRS stuff is built so well its almost boring, the sound is so clean, again its almost boring. My teacher at Uni got one and loved it so much. I really didn't care for the sound though. I think he (like most PRS owners) prefer the playability and style over the tone.
In the end when I think of PRS I dont think of deep smoky bebop. I think of cleaner, crisper stuff (not sure what that is yet lol)
Maybe thats why?Last edited by Archie; 02-04-2015 at 09:10 PM.
-
You know questions like this come up all of the time and I understand that it's a discussion board yada yada.
But
The question is not how you you guys feel about*** or What do you guys think about***.
The proper and ONLY way to know how YOU like a guitar is for YOU to play it, listen to it, examine it and then decide.
I see adjectives like harsh, expensive, jazzy sounding, dark sounding, heavy, boring. My question is, "Says who?" Questions addressing things like reliability and workmanship have answers that aren't so subjective.
Guitars are personal things, designed for personal use and my opinions about a guitars sound, feel and appearance are really only important to ME.
Are we so insecure that we need constant external validation?
/rantLast edited by Flyin' Brian; 02-04-2015 at 10:15 PM.
-
Boy, that sound clip sounds good to me. Can't account for the negativity of other posts, but with regard to a Duesenberg, "your mileage might vary"...(ducking now...to avoid thrown object directed my way) Originally Posted by dslee
-
Most guitars that I have owned have been made in the USA such as Tom Anderson, Gibson, Fender and several Hamers, the exception being a Gretsch Country Club that was made in Japan. I am not sure why there appear to be so many anti-Korean guitar opinions. I remember the same thing with Japanese guitars many years back. It took oh so long for some to admit that the Japanes were actually making them as good as and in some cases better than their USA counterparts. Yes I also remember the "I wouldn't own a Japanese guitar" brigaid way back then.
Can they make a guitar in Korea or China as well as they can anywhere else? I think the answer is yes if you are prepared to pay the price. In a word does it really matter where a guitar is made?
Back to Duesenberg's I also owned a Starplayer TV Outlaw and did a straight trade on a Hamer Monaco III. Having said that I wouldn't think twice about owning another Duesenberg as they are fabulous guitars. Not touching one because the wooden parts are from Korea is a point of view that not only brings on a smile but also the feeling of well that's a shame as you are missing playing a great guitar.
Anyway I do not want to upset anybody on my first post and here is Mark Lucas playing a Duesenberg TV Outlaw Deluxe. Worth listening to his comments at the end how about "Meticulously Crafted".
.
He gets the neck pickup description wrong as it is a DTron not a P90. Looks and sounds fabulous to me and could well be my next guitar. They are less expensive in Europe than they are across the pond which makes a nice change.
-
Reply With Quote
Melody between melody
Today, 03:25 AM in Chord-Melody