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Is there some consensus on which acoustic-electric guitars are good for jazz? That is, that can be played satisfactorily without an amp, but also sound good plugged in.
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02-14-2015 02:04 PM
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Carved-top with floater? Or are you thinking flat-top?
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Hm. I was thinking flat top, but... Is carved-top the same as arch top? Also, what's a floater?
What I was *not* talking about were hollow-body electrics - Gretsch, etc.
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Carved top is an archtop with a hand-carved top. Floater is a pickup not attached to the top, to increase acoustic resonance. I believe carved archtops are as loud acoustically as flat-top acoustics?
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Probably any good quality flat-top that you like will work fine. I absolutely love my Gibson J-45 custom. My (much cheaper) Fender Sonoran worksfine for jazz too. I also tried out a new Taylor at GC with dark top wood (mahogany or something I think . . . ) it would be perfect for jazz too -- I probably would have brought that one home too if I didn't already have the J-45. It's my current grail tone.
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I would be thinking definitely non-dreadnought size. Smaller. Less boomy...
Last edited by matt.guitarteacher; 02-14-2015 at 05:06 PM.
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I really like my Carvin AC375. Smaller body, sounds great through an amp, great playing action.
CarvinGuitars.com : AC375 THINLINE TRUE ACOUSTIC
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Thank you all for your responses. I'm with Matt regarding the dreadnought - it always seemed more like a strummer than a picker, although some bluegrass guys might present counterarguments. I didn't know about the Carvin, but I like what I see from their web site, especially the customizable aspect.
Anybody played or heard the Takamine models, esp. the P3NC?
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I'm a Taylor fan, their x14 size body is great for jazz.
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After reading Dick O's blog (aka Dutchbopper), I managed to find one of these LAG T200 JCEs, a great jumbo guitar that managed to reawaken my interest in playing flattop. Check out these unplugged acoustic demos for some great jazz playing by Dick...
Dutchbopper's Jazz Guitar Blog: LAG T200 JCE electro acoustic guitar
As far as I've heard, these guitars might be discontinued, but here's LAG's page, still up...
TRAMONTANE T200JCE - Lâg Guitars USA
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You could also consider some of the Eastman or Godin models.. quite a few of them are built to sound great unplugged.
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I have a taylor 614 all maple that sounds great with jazzy numbers.
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The Eastman tops are carved particularly thin by electric arch-top standards. They are pretty lively and do well acoustically. I have an 805CE with a floater that I like.
Originally Posted by avalynx
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That is really nice! Love it. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
I really like my Carvin AC375. Smaller body, sounds great through an amp, great playing action.
CarvinGuitars.com : AC375 THINLINE TRUE ACOUSTIC
jd
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Well, guys, thanks a lot. You've just made my job about ten times harder than I thought it would be. I had kinda hoped there would be two or three obvious winners, but I should have known better.
Fortunately, I live in the Los Angeles area, so I can actually try out some of the posted recommendations, except for the Carvin. I'm thinking around $1200, which gives me plenty of choices.
This may take some time, but I'll keep checking back and of course let you know what I got, and why.
Thanks again.
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My preference for a flat top for jazz: something concert size, like a Martin single or double O, mahogany b&s, spruce or hog top.
Last fall, I wanted I cheap but nice playing guitar to leave in my classroom, so I purchased a Guild GAD M20 ($550 Canadian$). Great feel and sound. Good quality built. It's not my 1941 0-15, but it holds its own and I enjoy playing it.
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You can find a mahogany Taylor GA4 or 514 with your budget. You should check out what Eric Skye does with a small bodied Santa Cruz. My Taylor 512 isn't too far behind.
Joe
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Not to forget, I'm looking for acoustic-electric, which lets out some of the suggestions above. The Taylors mentioned, fine guitars all, are about twice what I wanted to spend, if the prices from GC are representative.
I hadn't thought about arch tops, but to be truthful, I haven't played any of the Eastman or Godin ones, and there are dealers not too far away...
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My mistake. I always buy used guitars. My Taylor GA5 was $1200.
Joe
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If you are willing to go used, though, you can get a lot of guitar for 1200.
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True enough. I got my Jazzica for less
Joe
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OK, so today I went to a local shop that had archtops. First tried an Eastman AR503CE. Plenty volume, but I didn't care for the sound. Next a Godin 5th Avenue. Better sound. I should mention that I didn't plug in either, so the amped sound might have been quite different.
The store also had a broad selection of Taylors, and I chose to pick up a T5Z. Just curious. It's a thinline acoustic/electric, so unplugged it couldn't match the volume of the archtops, but the sound was quite acceptable. Plugged in, all kinds of pretty timbres are accessible. Main thing, tho, was how much more comfortable (playable) the neck was than the archtops. Didn't really want to put the thing down. Amazing what going up another $600 will do.
Not so amazing, I guess. Now I'm going to sit around and stew for a few days trying to justify going 33% over budget. It was so nice to play...
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There are very nice budget guitars out there today. But for the most part, you do get what you pay for.
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Did you ever decide on the T5z? Just curious. Originally Posted by wcr
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Yep, great mids, clarity, and enough bass to keep the groove ticking but not so much as dreanought boom.
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