-
Eh, I don't know if its really that necessary. I have a jazz box and a les paul, overtime I've come to perfer the les paul, it is a jazz guitar, but you gotta back the amp volume off ten...it CAN be hard to get a fuller sound on the higher strings though. So without some amp fiddling the les paul will seem a lot more fiddle like and tingy. I have noticed that jazz requires an immensely lighter touch and perhaps a jazz box, will make this more obvious, as if you play with a heavy touch you will sound like crap quickly.
Originally Posted by Reg
-
12-13-2010 03:39 PM
-
i played gibson, ibanez, godin and heritage archtops...heritage sweet 16 was the best to me (floating humbucker)...now i play telecaster and very happy...strange but true...very nice jazz sound i get with super champ xd.....generally people search a mellow tone for jazz and this adventure might end with a muddy tone...i use tele bridge pick up with low tone its incredible...anyway personal preference...but i'd like to try a benedetto!
-
I was in Dublin, just off Grafton Street.
I tried a really nice Ibanez. The clerk
'locked' me in a room to practice on it!
They don't trust too many over there...
Suffice to say the surprise at the lock-in
took the edge off the buying experience,
and no, I did not buy it!
The best jazz guitar? I was recently at a
Mike Stern gig - great sound from his Tele
(major chorus & flange?) Also a Metheny
gig - again whatever f-hole he was playing
was pure magic.
I have a Korg AX3000G unit - modelling
guitar-effects - and can change the tone of
my inexpensive electric to "almost Stern" and
"near Metheny". Electronics makes the need
for a pure-sounding jazz-guitar less essential,
but I do want to play as Benson or Metheny,
Mitch Watkins, Frisell, Schofield or Stern, Greg
Howe, or even di Meola. Many sounds I can
replicate via the AX3000G, but if it was just
me my amp and a guitar, it'd have to be a Tele
and/or a good archtop - (prolly a 137). I must
try and borrow one, and see just what putting
it thru the AX3000G can do for it... am I alone
in believing that technology can make just the
one guitar more adaptable, to sound like almost
any other guitar?
-
I agree that electronics eliminate many of the differences in sound quality. But playability has always been the issue for me. Some guitars seem to lend themselves to fingerstyle jazz better than others...some feel better for lead playing. But that is a very personal decision.
Did you ever think that the lock in was so he didn't have to hear a bunch of begginers playing?
-
I've been using an Epiphone Joe Pass for about three years. It gets played a lot and as a result it has really mellowed out. A friend of mine plays a Gibson L5 and I find it sounds really thin. He loves the sound of my Joe Pass.
You can spend your whole life searching for the perfect jazz guitar.
I have four Gibson Les Pauls sitting beside me. I've also used all of them on jazz gigs and they also sound great.
Keep your pick on the ice.
-
I play on two Gibson L5 Studio and have become so accustomed to them that as long as they stay with me I don't see me playing other guitar. Also play a Martin Concept II gold. This being said, some years ago I had a natural Les Paul Custom with 013 Thomastik strings which sounded great and was the one I normally used to take out. If we remember Joe Pass playing on a Fender Jazzmaster, or Ed Bickert on teles etc. it is an accepted truth that mostly any decent guitar can do a jazz job in good hands, not to forget a classical one, now that some nylon string archtops are being produced. I remember in year 2000 when the great Oscar Peterson visited Buenos Aires (that was a comeback after a health problem had affected his left hand playing), he gave a concert before a multitude at a crowded theather. His guitarist for the venue was Ulf Wakenius, who played a black Les Paul Studio through a Fender Twin amp and produced a very convincing jazz tone.
-
ibanez gb10 or gibson 175.
-
seriously, back on topic, could it be possible for there to be categories for jazz guitars? Like, #1) traditional hollow-body archtops are the perfect jazz guitar... #2) Teles and semi-hollows aren't perfect but very good at jazz... #3) Strats and Les Pauls are capable of jazz, properly set-up and tuned... etc...
I'm no expert of course, just a random suggestion/idea.
Personally, I think the best way to get the sound you want is through study, skill, technique, passion, and a good ear. The instrument is important, but secondary.
Sure is a lot of hatred towards someone voicing a simple view around here. There's a lot more freedom and respect for traditional jazz on the Strat-Talk forum of all things. They have had much more civil and open discussions on what constitutes jazz there. You guys sound like a bunch of religious fanatics.... "you have the right to your beliefs and opinions... UNLESS IT DIFFERS FROM MINE!! Then you are just plain evil.". Give me a break.Last edited by Retroman1969; 04-08-2011 at 11:27 AM.
-
Although I do not have one, I like the looks and what I've read about Robert Conti's 24 Fret ebony board thin archtop.
I have an L5 and a Gretsch G6122-1959 both of which would be great jazz guitars should I ever find a great jazz guitarist to play them. The Strat doesn't cut the mustard, but the big Epiphone 200CE with stereo pickups setup running into the Bose L1 ain't all bad at all.
Big Ron
-
conti's guitar is a peerless.
-
L5 with floating pickup. Play it unplugged in your living room, turn on the amp for a coffeehouse gig, and stuff it full of socks for a festival gig. Plus it looks great!
-
What about the tone of my ES-175?
-
Really nice piece, very sweet tone and fantastic playing - congratulations! Originally Posted by Kataway
Is there a lead sheet or tabs available for that piece?
-
Great tone and expressive playing.
I probably enjoy listening to Grant more than any other jazz guitarist!
-
I have a Yamaha sa2200 and an sas15000 and an Eastman ar800 with lollar pickups i have all bases covered with these guitars.I must say the Eastman is very fragile finish wise and i am considering an Ibanez artstar 155 due to its reasonable cost and more durable finish for jazz gigs.I think Yamaha have the edge on quality of all the major guitar manufacturers.
-
I used to have an older yamaha SA 2200 and my biggest mistake was to sell it. Never sell your SA 2200!!! I now play a gibson ES 137 classic that I really enjoy, although the neck is quite chunky. really sounds good and the craftmanship is all fine IMO. I recently grabbed a 1980 yamaha SA 800 all stock and original but I am not too impressed by the PUs. Currently considering swapping them for smthg more convincing.
-
-
Perfection does exist.
This is the perfect jazz guitar, Collings Eastside lc.
-
Perfection or not, 5000 bucks or not, i don't understand the taste for those plastic knobs ...
To me just wood and metal is the best.
My AF105 may not be the most expensive but to me it's near ideal, looks, playability and sound.
i probably would change my mind if i had a Collings, Soco ... without those horrendous knobs !
-
I tried the Eastside at NAMM in January. I was expecting to be blown away because of my experience with their acoustics. Don't get me wrong, it was a fine, fine guitar. It just didn't feel like home to me. The shallow body, unlike the one above, might have had something to do with it. I like a slightly raw, slightly low-fi tone, which also might have had something to do with it.
-
The guitar above is the slim-version, not the deep-bodied one(they only made 4 proto-types). For me the size is just perfect. Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
I have been playing it for a little over 3 months and it sounds much better than when I got it, it has opened up a lot more.
It is a really great sounding guitar, both acoustically and plugged in and even with overdrive, and it keeps on getting better.
Everyone that tried mine seem to be really impressed with it, not only the sound but the playability as well. I had the action lowered and but on 12' Thomastik round-wound's on it, and it feels great! I welcome you to try mine anytime!
-
I think the article here
Jazz Guitars Buyer's Guide - The Best Guitar For Jazz [2020]
Should mention : Eastman, Peerless
These two brands provide a lot of bang for the buck.
I like my eastman AR371 CE a lot more than Ibanez Artcore in the same price range because of neck playability.
At this pricepoint it is perfect for a first archtop.
-
I won't say that an Ibanez PM35,for example, has a neck worse than the Eastman's you just mentioned (talkin' about playability),and the overall quality is even better,but again it's all subjective in the end
About Peerless,I had a Monarch,wich was nice to play ( even better after the pickup swap!) but in the long run,and comparing it to my PM 100 (laminate against solid top) I sold the Peerless,because I preferred a lot the Ibanez "tone" and feeling.It's just a matter of personal tastes.Last edited by peterpanico; 08-18-2013 at 05:47 AM.
-
As peter says, tone has a great deal to do with perfection. Originally Posted by peterpanico
I have spent much money and time finding the perfect guitar. A friend of mine who plays bought himself a really nice black Korean 355 Epiphone a while back, it is a real peach of a guitar. He's stopped playing it now and sticks with a MIM strat as it is 'More comfortable to play!' He can get loads of tones from it and doesn't feel the need for the cumbersome semi.
So comfort/ease of use/ergometry also factors in perfection as well as sound.
Now we factor in 'Looks'. Being programmed to pre-judge through visual stimuli the brain says 'I like the look of this' and we lust after an object (vis-a-vis 55 year old guys with Red Ferrari and 25 year old blonde bimbo).
So the perfect Jazz guitar/musical instrument should have;
- Tone shaping and sound
- Feel and touch
- Visual appeal
These three subjects are subjective to the individual. This is why we see a musician stick with one particular guitar, or brand, or many different types, all after that elusive 4th aspect of an instrument! The ability to convey musicality!
My perfect Guitar (notice I have left out the word 'Jazz')
Yep, a Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster! (JMJM)
The decision to buy the guitar went like this.....
I was looking to buy a Telecaster as an 'In-between' guitar as I was fed up of switching between a P90 rock guitar and a H/B jazz guitar. On the list was a Tele Custom.
The JMJM was just out and after trying a 'meh' Players Tele I went for a spin with the JMJM through a Blues Junior.
My first appeal factor was the look, I've always liked the Jazzmaster design but never really played one.
With time on my hands I tried to find its 'Voice'.
The next thing that struck me was its feel. Also the way its been designed to play, everything falls to hand really well. I've played a few Squiers over the years and for a while they were amateur quality, meaning built to a price point. Many players on this forum are fans of the new Squiers and with good reason as they are really good from all aspects.
Ignoring the lead circuit I went for the rhythm instead and I found it to be really appealing. The jazzmaster circuit is a real 'Hair puller' when trying to fix and understand, but I think the rhythm circuit feeds both volume and tone at the same time so you have quite a broad spectrum of tone. The lead circuit was very bright and brittle, it needed a lot of amplifier tone shaping to correct but the guitar can be tweaked to get rid of this.
So there I was plunking away on the rhythm circuit, quite happy, in my own world as it were, when this guy came up to me and started asking me questions about the JMJM. He thought I was demoing the guitar for the shop! Ego shock! Woah, cheers pal!
Still playing the JMJM I noticed a guy was trying out a Vox AC15 and couldn't get it to sound good, so I told him to try the Blues Junior I was plugged into as it had a good sound. We swapped amps and I accompanied him while we went through some 12 bar blues having found a usable tone with the lead circuit. That's when I realised it had a good basic tone.
The first guy was circling around itching to try the JMJM but to his chagrin the cash was handed over. At the same time the bloke trying out the Vox was buying the Blues Junior!
After replacing pots and caps and 2 fret dressings the last 20 months of ownership has left the rest of my collection languishing in their cases and me with a big smile
!
So for me, with good reason, I call this guitar a 'Musical instrument' and not a 'Jazz guitar' as it also has the most important aspect of perfection, the ability to convey my sound, an extension of my musical voice in any genre.
-
One thing I don't like about my Eastman archtop, I feel I need to handle it very carefully and clean it after each practice because this finish is so fragile so sometimes I don't even pick it up at all, especially If I have only a short time available.
If I had a solid-body I would be able to pick it up, play it then put it back on its support anytime, not even necessary to put it in a case.
So I think for a first jazz guitar, the solid body is probably a good option for easy maintenance.
I'm thinking a lot about buying a soloette as a second guitar so I always have something to play. I'm saving for the soloette actually or maybe one of those.
Reply With Quote
anyone selling an ibanez pm120?
Today, 01:33 PM in For Sale