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I guess I would buy back all those guitars I had.
Better still, how about this for a one off...
Call one of the main guitar manufacturers and order your favourite design with something special going on.
Arrange a pick up date.
Two weeks before go on holiday/vacation in the Country/State of manufacture and on the final day of your trip go and collect it in person with a factory tour for good measure!
But with my luck and money I'd only be able to afford one of these!
(is this the musical equivalent of masterbating?)
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04-19-2016 04:07 AM
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Rio,
As many before me have mentioned - you need to decide what you want . But to me it sounds like you might be leaning towards a nice Luthier built instrument.
So, with that being said Bryant Trenier would be my choice.
In my opinion he is making some of the finest D'Angelico / D'Aquisto styled (sounding ) guitars that I have ever played- and in your budget.
My recent Broadway might very well be the best sounding guitar I have ever owned - and I have had nearly all of them - including but not limited to : D'Aquisto, DAngelico, Monteleone, Benedetto, Triggs, Buscarino, Comins, Lacey , Grimes, Campellone etc etc.
In any case- good luck with your decision and enjoy the journey.
I attached a few pics
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personally:
https://www.archtop.com/ac_10L4CES.html
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A vintage Gibson (one of the good ones, not all are equal) or a top luthier archtop like Buscarino or Zeidler (or many others). I would always play it first and wouldn't hurry, you'll know when you've found the right one and you have more than enough fine guitars not to hurry.
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i spent ten years looking (over a dozen boutique archtops and sadowskys)
now i have a brand new L5 CES - i got it because when i played one (in a local guitar shop) it blew everything else i'd ever played out of the jazz-water
very very simple
if i ever play an electric archtop that equals it (that is not a brand new L5 CES) i'll be a monkey's uncle
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This sounds like a great time to go out and try out as many archtops as you like. Take your time. Don't be in a hurry to spend that wad of cash, especially if you are considering buying new or a custom luthier instrument. The horror that comes from selling an instrument bought new that you cannot bond with is something that will not long be forgotten.
It appears to me that you want an electric archtop. I agree with Groyniad: if there is one quintessential jazz archtop, it is inarguably a great L-5CES. If I wish to trim the herd down to one, the L-5CES is the one I will keep happily till the end of my playing time.
The Super 400CES is too damn big. The ES-175 is always an econobox. The L-5CES hits the sweet spot in feel, balance, size, tone, styling, construction and desirability. Danny W has a whole harem of them. Ask Danny what he thinks about the L-5CES.
I'd look for one in a sweet unusual Honey Lemon or Sunrise Tea Burst.
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If I were in a situation like yours, I might consider one of the guitars in that book.
the blackguard
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Ha! Not sure everyone will agree with your inference that, because it is an 'econobox', it doesn't hit any sweet spots...certainly did in the past with a few players.
Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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Actually I would probably order a Slaman. Or something vintage with a p90 or CC.
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The best advice is that given earlier on, 'try a lot of guitars that appeal - vintage or not, until one speaks to you'.
For myself, I'd like a old L5CES like the 1951 I tried some years back, wow, that was a goody! - or possibly an old 16" Gibson L5 or D'angelico non cut-away. That Trenier Broadway looks v. nice. Or, being practical, a good Lee Rit L5, but there are none for me to try in the UK, that I know of.
I am also severely tempted by a couple of the archtop Grez guitars on their new website - http://www.grezguitars.com/Last edited by bananafist; 04-19-2016 at 06:54 AM.
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I've ended up with a couple of older Slamans, and a 50s L4C, after buying and selling 2 L5CES's and countless other Gibsons. But it's all personal taste, and trial and error, in the end..most of us have to try lots of instruments before finding the right ones for us.
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I like Jabberwocky's advice from post #32.
I'd suggest a weekend trip for you (and a significant other?) to a place where you can spend hours and hours in a great guitar store (and your significant other can spend hours and hours getting treated to something they like) and then spend the next day doing something relaxing with said other and letting the feeling of what you played the day before wash over you. And if that doesn't settle you on at least a style of instrument (i.e. L5CES/Wes/similar, vintage banger, luthier type, etc), then try again later.
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for me there isn't just one issue - namely - which guitar is the best for me?
there's always two issues intertwined - namely - which guitar that i can relatively easily find is the best for me?
this changes everything
if i could go on an archtop pilgrimage and try loads of fantastic ones that would be great
but what does 'trying an archtop' mean?
you want to play it in a whole bunch of gigs and for a whole lot of time on your own? or do you just need to play a few changes and a head or two in the shop?
----
my decision to go for a new L5 CES was based on the fact that i'd tried three and they were all tip-top, knew how to get one at a good price, and couldn't afford even to try one from 1953 etc. etc., and couldn't face waiting any longer to get my hands on a super-good mainstream jazz guitar
of course i'm not in a position now to know if it is the best guitar for me - and who could be?
one has a certain amount of energy for the hunt - and eventually one wants to settle down.
when one decides to settle down one wants to maximize ones chances of getting something that is at least, very very good (for mainstream jazz - or fusion or whatever you want)
going for a comins or andersen or buscarino out of the blue - is very unlikely to convince you that you've done that.
as our esteemed co-threader jzucker tells us - these guitars may be built great, but they tend to sound a bit funny to ears reared on mainstream jazz guitar....
that turned out to be the big thing for me - no doubt.
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Rio, Congrats on the house sale and profit! I sold a home this past year, and was KILLED by taxes, so no new guitar for me!
Whenever someone asks, "I want to buy a Gibson, but what other builders should I consider?" the answer is usually, "If you want a Gibson, just buy a Gibson." The reality, however, is that there are so many fantastic builders out there that could make you a perfect guitar -- especially for $10K! -- but you want a Gibson, so a part of you may not be happy, even with the perfect guitar. The reality is also that you probably won't be able to demo guitars from all the great builders out there, so you'd be buying on faith, which is scary for some people.
If I had $10K, I would not buy a Gibson -- I've owned a Gibson, so I'm not completely ignorant -- but I would look around for my dream guitar. Your dream guitar sounds like a Gibson, so go for it.
Enjoy!
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too bad about the top cracks: https://reverb.com/ca/item/1356361-k...a-1979-natural
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L5
k cya!
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I have to agree with Steve. Trenier is building some great stuff right now. That Broadway is to die for. If you are an acoustic guy.
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About 15 years ago at a guitar show there was a 1953 ES175 with 2 P90s that really hit me. Price tag was $3K. I was born in 1953, so when I started playing in the mid 60s it was either Fender or Gibson. My older cousin had an L5 back then. I started with a ES125 and continued to play Les Pauls and 335s. We were sort of a Gibson family, so a '53 175 has the right combination of quality, sound, and nostalgia for me.
Example at Reverb.com
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Is that one of those pre-war Strombergs with the split f-holes? Originally Posted by Hammertone
Sendt fra min SM-T810 med Tapatalk
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Gibson custom shop.!
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If I sold my house it would be a mint Johnny or an affordable Real D'A with a cutaway.
If I sold somebody else's mansion, it would be Johnny's D'A - and - I'd beg John Pisano to sell me Joe Pass's Custom 175.
I would need 2 more hanging wall cases and a couple of Hydra LG humidifiers (the best money I ever spent)..
And believe it or not, I would absolutely keep my Tal, HDA, DA Excel, JSjr and the JP20.
I would succumb to the pressure and also get a nice Tele.
I'd keep the Henriksen, Polytone and my Fender Georgie Benson.
Wake up Joe. WAKE UP!!
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I'd find a good luthier and have one custom made.
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If i was going vintage I'd get a Gibson Es-350T and if I was going with new construction it would be a custom more modern archtop and I'd have to talk to local luthiers and see who could do what I want. The whole custome luthier built thing scares me though because if you don't bond with it you are stuck with a guitar that has already lost a lot of it's value from what you paid, unless it is a monetelone or something.
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Looks like there are a lot of votes for L5s and Johnny Smiths, and I would not argue. I would go with the JS because it is a great acoustic and decent electric, while the L5 is a great electric and (in the ES version, anyway) a poor acoustic, but everyone has different priorities.
Sit and wait for six months and buy the first one that comes up as a smoking good deal (a really patient and lucky buyer could land clean examples of both for 10K total).
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For me it would be a Gibson L5ces. Any finish, though I'm in a sunburst phase right now. Originally Posted by rio
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