thunk and Gibson Archtop Guitars

[Greentone]

Yeah, boy! My old '61 ES-125T was the thunk-i-est guitar I ever owned...including my ES-175. That guitar just HAD a jazz sound that I associate with Pass, etc. As your fingers got _near_ the strings the guitar started thunking, I swear.

[rmpmcdermott]

Yeah, boy! My old '61 ES-125T was the thunk-i-est guitar I ever owned...including my ES-175. That guitar just HAD a jazz sound that I associate with Pass, etc. As your fingers got _near_ the strings the guitar started thunking, I swear.

I got my '63 ES-125TC (modded with a second p90 by the previous owner) because I love Grant Green and can't afford a 330 right now. I still would love a 330, but my 125 isn't just a placeholder guitar anymore. i'm legit in love with it. I can do A LOT, too. Not just jazz. I play some indie pop and brit pop too and it's perfect for that stuff.

[Greentone]

Say, nobody ever talks about Grant Green and thunk. However, his early stuff--ES-330 on the Blue Note records--thunks. Listen to the stuff where he gets to the lower strings (unusual for Green), like "So What." The thinline, acoustic Gibsons have some thunk.

[rmpmcdermott]

I'm a huge fan of his stuff up to '65 that he played the 330 on and I always associated that with thunk.

He might not be the thunkmaster that Pass is, but he had some thunk with that 330!

Right around :45 seconds after the intro. That some graceful thunk when he states the melody.

[jzucker]

I'm a huge fan of his stuff up to '65 that he played the 330 on and I always associated that with thunk.

He might not be the thunkmaster that Pass is, but he had some thunk with that 330!

Right around :45 seconds after the intro. That some graceful thunk when he states the melody.

thanks for turning me onto that. What a dynamite group!

[rmpmcdermott]

Anytime I can get someone to listen to Grant Green is a good time!

And I mean...McCoy, Elvin and Cranshaw. You can't really go wrong.

[mr. beaumont]

Ah, Matador. The album I put on when somebody says "Grant Green could just blow over one chord" and say...

[vinlander]

Heck no! Love Marc.

Rene played a 150 in his more famous stuff, though.

agree I stand corrected, was thunking in any case

[Patrick2]

Anytime I can get someone to listen to Grant Green is a good time!

And I mean...McCoy, Elvin and Cranshaw. You can't really go wrong.

Now . . . that's jazz!!!

[Wes Green]

"Grant Green is my shepherd."

Thanks rmpmcdermott. I am a disciple and have been for years. It's the thunk, the joy, the easy going sound (not easy, but GG made it sound easy and he really made the music swing). He definitely had it going. I agree the early years were the best. Back to thunk, the attack and the mids really work for the horn like single note swinging style of GG.

[Marty Grass]

I think I hear thunk on this tune.

There are droning open notes. Please disregard them. The rest are thunky, or am I wrong?

This is not on a guitar known for thunk.

[vinlander]

One thing I realized this morning, gauge can also influence the amount of thunk on a given instrument.
I received my Tal strung with what I believe was TI JS112, Jack could confirm this.
I strung it today with JS113 since it is/was my way to go strings on my Epis and thought it would sound even bigger, but to my surprise it was not to the instrument benefit...
The increased tension and bigger 6th (53) made the guitar sound fat but more stiff and I feel it lost overtones.
I ordered sets of JS112 and will stick to them with the Tal at least, they really make it shine.

[jzucker]

they were indeed js112 strings.

[Patrick2]

I think I hear thunk on this tune.

There are droning open notes. Please disregard them. The rest are thunky, or am I wrong?

This is not on a guitar known for thunk.

Yeah, Mark. I'm shocked. But, it kinda sorta is thunkish. (wow . . it that a word??) The best I can make out of thunk was pretty acurately described by someone earlier in the thread. It said something to the effect of . . . it's a guitar sound aolmost totally devoid of any acoustic tone. That's what this flat top sounds like. Toneless. Just an amplified sound.

[Patrick2]

Huge Rene Thomas fan. And don't forget Marc Ribot! Is he too out for this forum? I sure hope not.

Attachment 22201

Gotta get this guy some fiber . . or Metamusil. Looks like he constipated.

[Patrick2]

@MartyGrass:

Here's what I was talking about. It was posted by vinlander. Great definition of thunk;

"Thunk is the sound of inefficiency, body not excited enough to fully resonate, strings not being plucked hard enough, all combined with the sound of a ported box, like bass reflex speaker cabinet. Any guitar will have thunk if you play it soft enough, just put a mic really close (adding some proximity lo freqs in the process) and turn up the volume on the playback end and you'll hear it. Flat wound strings do help a lot in reducing resonation and bringing the thunk into focus." (vinlander)

[destinytot]

@MartyGrass:

Here's what I was talking about. It was posted by vinlander. Great definition of thunk;

"Thunk is the sound of inefficiency, body not excited enough to fully resonate, strings not being plucked hard enough, all combined with the sound of a ported box, like bass reflex speaker cabinet. Any guitar will have thunk if you play it soft enough, just put a mic really close (adding some proximity lo freqs in the process) and turn up the volume on the playback end and you'll hear it. Flat wound strings do help a lot in reducing resonation and bringing the thunk into focus." (vinlander)

I think Vladan wrote that great definition.

[Vladan]

I think Vladan wrote that great definition.

Yes, I did. ,I'd not call it definition, but all the words and reasoning are mine.

[destinytot]

Yes, I did. ,I'd not call it definition, but all the words and reasoning are mine.

What I was trying to acknowledge is that you came up with this explanation of the phenomenon. I think it's great. It's helped me begin to get a better understanding of what's behind O'Donel Levy's sound (which I love) - thank you!

[pingu]

no opinions ?
i can't believe it !
come on
did Barney Kessel thunk ?
(on his es350)

[Patrick2]

Yes, I did. ,I'd not call it definition, but all the words and reasoning are mine.

My apologies, Vladan. All you guys with a name starting with a V get me confused! ;-) But, I think you nailed "thunk" on the head. With your definition in mind, why would so many jazzers seek out thunk? As you said, it seems devoid of any defined character. Yet, many including myself like it.

[Vladan]

Patric, no problem.

[Chazmo]

There has been a lot of Gibson '59 VOS ES-175 bashing on this forum. Too acoustic, not enough "thunk." In this video, the 175 sounds pretty much like my '59 VOS after you get through the fingerpicking part at about 0:22 and again at the end. Unfortunately for the purpose of this post, the Gibson guy talks over most of the middle of the video and the 175 sound is relegated to the background, but it gives an idea of what one sounds like. To me, there is some definite "thunk." What do you guys think?

[jzucker]

There has been a lot of Gibson '59 VOS ES-175 bashing on this forum. Too acoustic, not enough "thunk." In this video, the 175 sounds pretty much like my '59 VOS after you get through the fingerpicking part at about 0:22 and again at the end. Unfortunately for the purpose of this post, the Gibson guy talks over most of the middle of the video and the 175 sound is relegated to the background, but it gives an idea of what one sounds like. To me, there is some definite "thunk." What do you guys think?

I don't hear a lot of thunk. It also sounds very different from the '57 175 I briefly owned which did have thunk.

[Woody Sound]

I don't hear a lot of thunk. It also sounds very different from the '57 175 I briefly owned which did have thunk.

I thunk the way a person plays determines a lot of the think.