17" carved spruce top with (single) set pickup

[JazzyJim]

The Cremona's are great. They're quiet "modern" sounding with the stock pickup, though. Replacing the HB with an HB-sized P90 would be a great sound, in my opinion. Peerless also make a model called the Jazz City - solid top, 17" bout, laminate back and sides, single HB - much cheaper than the Cremona, although not as nice looks-wise, for my taste.

A red Leela would be my ideal current guitar, but as the prices have gone up by over £1000, they're no longer in reach for me, sadly. Again, a more modern voice than perhaps you really want, but a lovely sounding guitar nevertheless.

[husk]

So after listen very carefully of high quality samples of solid guitar vs laminate, from a comparable range and here's what became obvious to my ears.

The solid ones are more accurate, and articulate sound. Overall brightness, the sound seems thinner but richer in term of spectra EQ frequencies. The bass are thiner but well defined, I think lower frequencies are reached.

The laminates ones are more homogenous sounding. I mean a flatter EQ response.The sound is thicker, probably warmer anyway creamer without a doubt than the solid wood ones. That lead to a more compressed sound i believe there's less harmonics.

Anyway I listened to this ones :
-Solid (at least the top) Peerless Monarch, Peerless jazz city, Peerless Journeyman
-Laminate Eastman 371 with HB, Eatsman 371 with p90, Peerless Gigmaster, Eastman 404, and Epiphone Braodway.

What I preferred to my taste (totally subjective) : Peerless Journeyman and Eastman 371 with p90.
What I less preferred : Epiphone broadway I feel a lack of complexity of EQ frequencies on the sound (unrefined, brut)

[Klatu]

So after listen very carefully of high quality samples of solid guitar vs laminate, from a comparable range and here's what became obvious to my ears.

The solid ones are more accurate, and articulate sound. Overall brightness, the sound seems thinner but richer in term of spectra EQ frequencies. The bass are thiner but well defined, I think lower frequencies are reached.

The laminates ones are more homogenous sounding. I mean a flatter EQ response.The sound is thicker, probably warmer anyway creamer without a doubt than the solid wood ones. That lead to a more compressed sound i believe there's less harmonics.

Anyway I listened to this ones :
-Solid (at least the top) Peerless Monarch, Peerless jazz city, Peerless Journeyman
-Laminate Eastman 371 with HB, Eatsman 371 with p90, Peerless Gigmaster, Eastman 404, and Epiphone Braodway.

What I preferred to my taste (totally subjective) : Peerless Journeyman and Eastman 371 with p90.
What I less preferred : Epiphone broadway I feel a lack of complexity of EQ frequencies on the sound (unrefined, brut)

That sounds like a fair and honest assessment of each guitar's characteristics.

An observation regarding solid carved vs. laminate instruments in the archtop world is that since many jazz players start their playing careers in other genres such as rock, bluegrass, and folk, they think of fully hollow instruments as being either flat tops or classical nylon stringed instruments. In either case, quality examples are constructed of totally solid woods whereas beginner level examples are laminates.

The electric archtop world straddles the fence between acoustic and electric worlds, and for that reason it's not governed by the same principles. Noted players such as Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, Jonathan Kreisberg, Jimmy Bruno, John Pizzarelli, Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel, and many others have high end custom models built for them by both master luthiers or respected manufacturers, and all of them have chosen laminate woods over solid carved for their performance models.

While some of the players mention that they play laminates for reasons of wood stability during travel, most claim they best produce their ideal sound.

Another thing to consider is in what context you are looking to use your instrument. The characteristics you cite about the solid carved instruments having a wider EQ band are true. IMO this makes for the best performance in a solo or duo context, the reason being that playing in a quartet introduces competing frequencies that tend to drown out the respective highs and lows of fine carved guitars.

On the other hand, the mid heavy tones of many typical laminate guitars are able to cut through competing instruments and sit in favorable frequency bands that don't clash with the piano or drums.

In an ideal world you'd have an example of each, but if that isn't possible, chose the one that's likely to most satisfy your musical requirements. Remember that you don't want your inspired solo interrupted by howling feedback madness.

[husk]

Very interesting point of view. Thanks ! Everything your consider make sense to me.

I'd like so much to try every model I target, then all these considerations would be meaningless as I choose the one i'd like best, and fit best to my expectations.
Maybe I gonna pull the trigger finally on eastman 371 and change for P90 or CC loller, as their availability are good in France... And I've liked the sound i heard. But not today I still gonna wait and practice on my beloved telecaster.

[Para]

The only person who is going to sound like Kenny Burrell is Kenny Burrell irrespective of the guitar.

[husk]

The only person who is going to sound like Kenny Burrell is Kenny Burrell irrespective of the guitar.

Too easy to say ! There's a lot of people that are incredible in reproduce tone of somebody, but often without yet having the same gear !
To me that's the direction I want to take in my research, not to be lost in the vast sea of arch tops... And beyond Burrell I defined what I wanted (definition, right hand attack dynamic (response), and such a bit of acoustic tone on it).

[husk]

I forget, I found my tone with strats inspired by John mayer tone. Now i have a different tone to him, but learn a lot on how about hit the strings like him. And now i really like the tone I get from my strats and tele. Mayer tone was a starting point, i like Burrell to be the same with my jazz knowledge...

[husk]

I listened carefully with headphones the peerless range, on Thomann website (a well-known music dealer in Europe), and the one that fits most of my expectation is the journeyman ! So with that and the ingeneri post i'm gonna go to the journeyman. Not 17" but 16", with 3 inches deep. All solid wood. Then change to P90 or CC (that'll be the next question...)

But now i start the research to find one. Not so easy in here.

[husk]

Yes I've asked here about gear because I have no way to try all models i'd like to test, and I don't have any knowledge on these elements.

Then to get burrell-like tone (that goes with all his own way to play) my ears are my best friends, and no worry on that I will advance on my pace (i'm a beginner in jazz) but listen to him is the best thing I can do. He already inspired me to set a "good" jazzy tone with my telecaster !

But to approach the sound i'm looking for on watching internet specs of thousand archtops, I can do nothing but asking for help. An you've been helpful guys. Thanks (for now I've been avoiding the eastman/Ear thing that would have been opposite to my search).