The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #151

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    I should have also mentioned how like butter the neck is with oversized frets and ebony fingerboard...playing while seated is easy as is standing with a strap and its not overly heavy like a les paul or 335, but you can get those sounds out of it as well as strat and tele sounds...all in all a well rounded guitar that fits just about any style of playing.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #152

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    Hello Joseph Vocht,

    Good for us , you 73 and me 66 still playing and involved. Sorry, I never played a T-3 but given your experience seems like it should make someone's short list or at least list for folks seeking a jazz guitar. I never had a Tele but just ordered and received a G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy that has a Seymore Duncan Seth Lover in the neck position and a single coil in the bridge. Mine has the "F" hole but all of these models have two hollow chambers. Wow, I was blown away at the fat, rich, clear jazz sound played through my Roland Cube 60 .. Bought is from Rocket ( great service boutique dealer ) ..less that 1400 bucks and a very versatile guitar, equal or better than many sweet and way more expensive Gibson, Guild, and Ibanez archtops I have owned over the past 50 years. Yet another guitar that should be on the "list"
    Cheers, Peter

  4. #153

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    Quote Originally Posted by royswan
    There's something about Gibson pickups. I played many Eastmans, and loved the workmanship, action, etc. However, their pickups just don't (to my ears) have that sweet rich sound you get from a Gibson.
    I have an Eastman AR805CE, serial number 93, and it has some serious problems. For one it is not good plugged in. The pickup is really weak on the high strings and the low strings are really loud. Also, mine came with incredibly crappy Korean tuners that never ever seem to hold a pitch, and I've had to move the saddle so the nut to saddle distance (the "speaking length") is 24.75" on the high E and 25.25" on the low E. Weak. The intonation problem is probably the crap tuners, but the pickup is not great. The Eastman site now shows different tuners and different pickups on this model. This is a good thing. Eastmans are very nice looking guitars, but caveat emptor.
    I've found workarounds for the tuning problems, such as playing the bass notes a fret back and bending into the bass note, but I don't think this is a technique most players would want to employ on a regular basis.
    Also, the pickguard seems to really enjoy rattling around what I can only assume are the wolf notes of my particular guitar. Again, when I get near the wolf notes, I rest a pinky of my picking hand on the pickguard to deaden the vibration, but again, it becomes a lot to keep track of.


    Oddly, I love the sound of my Eastman unplugged and mic'd from about 12-16" away. Sounds great that way. Pencil mics and LDCs equally.
    Once I swap the pickup for something more balanced and install some better tuning machines, I have no doubt that this will be a much more giggable guitar. As it stands now I use my strat copy (pre-Colorado move Grosh) for my jazz gigs and I get very good tone.

  5. #154

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    I have an Eastman 810-7;
    The pickup is really lame. I will eventually get a American Kent Armstrong PU or a Benedetto, the tuners aren't the best. the intonation is good. It's a great sounding guitar acoustically but the plugged in sound isn't the same. I love the guitar and I'm sure that with a new pick up it will sound great. Right now the pick up doesn't get the low mids. For the money it is a great guitar. Saying that, these things sell for about $2200. That's not chump change. I think they should have just charged a little more and done it right. Every Eastman I've played sounded great acoustically, so I think they are doing something right. They are the only ones I know of that make a good 7 string in this price range. If Peerless had a 7 string I would probably look at those. I think it's a common complaint with the Eastmans, the pick ups suck.

  6. #155

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    This post ties to ones about pickups and guitars. Hoping someone will see and comment/advise. I love my PM-20 (Pat Metheny signature Ibanez guitar). I had it 'pleked' by Mike Lull, and it plays like butter (D'Addario flatwound 12s). The one thing I don't like about the guitar is the pickup. It's very very dull and very dark. I turn mid and bass near 0 and put my treble all the way up. I play through an AER amp with subtle digital delay and some reverb. It gives me a clean but present sound -- a bit Metheny like from ECM days. If anyone has heard Pete Oxley (at the Oxford jazz club, UK), it's a bit like his sound (not quite his chops, I'm afraid). I like his sound from say Trio Live, but also love Peter Bernstein's sound -- so a wide range. I am about to replace the pickup and have 3 questions. (1) I'm planning to try the Seymour Duncan Jazz in part because people say it's so bright. Is this a mistake? (2) My pickup abuts the neck. In photos of PM, I see a guitar that looks identical to mine but with pickup a cm or two from the neck. Is that a good idea? (3) Does anyone know where I would find the wood bridge to replace the brass (?) one. Or will that exacerbate the tone problem?

  7. #156

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    I played an Epiphone Elitist Sheraton - bought it! I played an Epiphone Elitist Broadway - bought it. They are beautiful, sound great play great. I have a Tal Farlow that will come to the grave with me though, its mine - don't know how else to say it. I've had LOTs of guitars 1950 ES 175; 60's 335; 1951 Broadcaster; Gretsches; Carlo Robelli (don't laugh - the Manhatten was a fine guitar; played a couple of D'Angelico (originals); a couple of D' Aquisto (thank you Jimmy I hope you're resting well you funny devil!) and many others. The Tal just does it for me. Wish I had the talent he had in one finger though! Man could he play!

  8. #157

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    Quote Originally Posted by mikeOnTime
    (1) I'm planning to try the Seymour Duncan Jazz in part because people say it's so bright. Is this a mistake? (2) My pickup abuts the neck. In photos of PM, I see a guitar that looks identical to mine but with pickup a cm or two from the neck. Is that a good idea? (3) Does anyone know where I would find the wood bridge to replace the brass (?) one. Or will that exacerbate the tone problem?
    I preface this by saying that I'm sure that you will receive other answers from guy who either play professionally or have be playing in any capacity for as long as I've been breathing. That said, here's my take.

    1. In modding my guitars, my intention was to do the opposite of what you'd like to do, i.e. replace bright pickups (particularly the neck) with much warmer ones. So, if you like a brighter tone, I don't see how replacing a warm pickup with a brighter Alnico V, ceramic humbucker or even a P94 (humbucker sized P90) would be a mistake.

    2. Again, I'm sure that you'll hear from an expert with the math to back up his claims... But until then, In my anecdotal observations, with all other things being equal, pickups mounted closer to the neck sound what I consider to be jazzier... which is the opposite of what you seem to want. I would think that a space between the neck and the pup would make it brighter along the lines of a middle pup in a 3 pup set-up.

    3. I can tell you from personal experience that a wood bridge/saddle yields a noticeably warmer tone. Or at least it did in my case.

    4. You might also want to check out Thomastik-Infeld Bebop Jazz strings. They are round-wound and brighter than my beloved Tomastik-Infeld Jazz Swing strings, but still have that sweet T-I sound.
    Last edited by Hoopskidoodle; 05-13-2010 at 02:47 PM.

  9. #158

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    Anyone with experienmce with the Godin CW Kingpin II (2humbuckers) which has good reviews as far as I read alsewhere ??

    Gerard

  10. #159

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    Colling soco deluxe!
    My favorite guitar of all time.
    I have a PRS hollowbody spruce that works well too, also my G&L ASAT deluxe semihollow.

  11. #160

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    Yeah, I know I'm resurrecting an ancient thread, but it caught my eye on an unrelated search...

    I think a good solid-body tweaked for jazz can sound nearly as good as an archtop. I have two amazing carved archtops that are all solid-woods, as well as a 2007 Buscarino "Jazzcaster" solid-body. Essentially, it's a tele shaped body made from mahogany, with a maple cap, just a neck humbucker (no bridge pick up), and rosewood fingerboard. Sound wise, it is excellent. However, I just can't get comfortable playing solid bodies. I'm talking in terms of posture. Seated, I hate playing solid bodies but I prefer playing standing, and standing I find solid bodies awkward. I think it's because solid bodies seem to put any given fret about 2 frets farther away than they'd be relative to my body if I was playing an archtop. I'm not sure if anybody else has experienced this? And yes, I've tried playing the solid bodies with super short straps so that they sit way way up high.

    If I could comfortably play my solid body, I'd get rid of an archtop and save myself some grief. However, as it is, I'm probably getting rid of the solid body.

  12. #161

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    I have a couple of Gretsches (Phoenix & Duojet), a Gibson Tal Farlow; Peerless Manhattan; and an Elitist Broadway & Elitist Sheraton.
    The Elitists are EXCELLENT guitars! I've had lots of guitars, 1950 ES175; 1951 Broadcaster; 1960's ES335 dot neck, etc., etc. The Elitists hold their own with ANY of the other guitars 3 times the price. By the way, the Manhattan is no slouch either. I would not hesitate for an instant recommending the Elitists, the Byrdland is quite wonderful too.

  13. #162

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    I just put Chevalier pick ups into an old Japanese Fender Strat that I had laying around. If I put the switch to have the neck and middle pick up on I get this really deep full jazz tone. I back off the volume to kill some of the high tones and put the tone to 8. The middle pick up was reverse wound so the two pick ups together are noiseless.

    The moral-any guitar can be tweaked to play jazz.

  14. #163

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    Quote Originally Posted by nic
    I just put Chevalier pick ups into an old Japanese Fender Strat that I had laying around. If I put the switch to have the neck and middle pick up on I get this really deep full jazz tone. I back off the volume to kill some of the high tones and put the tone to 8. The middle pick up was reverse wound so the two pick ups together are noiseless.

    The moral-any guitar can be tweaked to play jazz.
    There are some great players (Jazz) who have used Strats. Used them for years myself (a certainly not great player), but haven't touched my Strat in soooo loong!

  15. #164

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    For something totally different than anything posted previously - I love my new PRS McCarty for jazz.

  16. #165

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    I have Yamaha AE1200(Gibson L-5 copy)
    I think it's perfect for me.
    listen..


  17. #166

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    Quote Originally Posted by benzblues
    I have Yamaha AE1200(Gibson L-5 copy)
    I think it's perfect for me.
    listen..
    Great tone and fine playing. I've Been thinking about getting a Yamaha. What's your string set?

  18. #167

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    My favorite string set D'Addario flatwound string 13-56

  19. #168

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    Quote Originally Posted by benzblues
    My favorite string set D'Addario flatwound string 13-56
    Excellent choice - wish I could use 13's. All I can handle on my archtop are 11's

  20. #169

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    Quote Originally Posted by derek
    SRV played .13s on all his strats, though rounds not flats. The rule is pretty much, if you go up or down more than one size in strings, you will need to reset intonation and maybe nut slot adjustment.

    If moving only 1 gauge, if anything is needed, usually just a tweak of the truss rod.
    He also, don't forget, tuned down a whole step to make those bends with .13's.

  21. #170

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    When I used flatwound string I don't want to bends.
    But when I play blues I will play my stratocaster with 11's



  22. #171
    TommyD Guest
    I'm not going to read four pages (correction! 12 pages!) of posts to find out if this has already been suggested, but a guitar I'm beginning to love the sound of is the George Benson Ibanez. and I love its smallish size. It seems to garner enthusiastic reviews every time. I understand it's been on the market for 30 years. Hope they don't discontinue it until I get my hands on one! Wish it were cheaper.

    tommy/

  23. #172

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    Yamaha AE1200(Gibson L-5 copy) with D'Addario flatwound string 13-56

  24. #173

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    Oh my, I love these unanswerable questions!

    Perfect jazz guitar? Come on guys, there's no such thing.

    Perfect jazz guitar for me? For what I'm doing now? That's easy, it's a full-on acoustic L-5. Please, not to be confused with a L-5CES or a Wes Montgomery model, they're great, but they're not me.

    I need the long scale, the acoustic response and volume, the balance.. oh my, the joy.

  25. #174

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    Quote Originally Posted by kamlapati
    Oh my, I love these unanswerable questions!

    Perfect jazz guitar? Come on guys, there's no such thing.

    Perfect jazz guitar for me? For what I'm doing now? That's easy, it's a full-on acoustic L-5. Please, not to be confused with a L-5CES or a Wes Montgomery model, they're great, but they're not me.

    I need the long scale, the acoustic response and volume, the balance.. oh my, the joy.
    I agree with this. What makes the guitar perfect is so very, very personal regardless of musical style.

    For me, for jazz, it is my Heritage H575. Very much like the ES175 but with a solid carved top instead of the laminate and has a carved bridge instread of a TOM bridge.

    I have said on other forums that you can play jazz on any guitar, but not all of them will give jazz back what makes that last part is very personal. I really dig that old 40's sound so... the solid bodies like an LP or a Tele just won't do if for me regardless of how good other guitarists make them sound. It is like trying to talk with someone else's voice.

  26. #175

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    I tend to agree with using a jazz box for jazz... depending on what you call jazz. Many guitar players can cover a little jazz, like Les Paul, but I would not call them jazz players. There's more than just hearing jazz harmony, rhythm and melodic aspects, although it's pretty easy to hear whether one is a jazz or other style of player. But what I'm referencing is the physical response from playing a jazz box. Learning to play on one helps develop the jazz sound... Best Reg