Hofner Jazzica for a Peerless Monarch 17"?

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Jbuckin, did you keep the original pickup?

Oh yeah. I never toss pickups. I am planning to reinstall it in case I decide to sell the guitar.

**mr. beaumont** · 06-20-2016, 08:51 AM

I just wonder...if you installed it again, if after hearing the Zoller, you might hear things differently.

I only say this because it seems you like everything else about the guitar, pretty much. And you said you were looking for a darker tone...I think about back when Bobby Broom used a Jazzica, stock pickup...his tone was plenty dark.

So I truly feel like the sound is in there.

Now, again, nothing against the Peerless guitars--which I have played one of (a "Sunset," I beleive)

Very nice. But I don't think other folks understand just how good the Hofners are. Everything about them is world class, the finish, the feel, the carve of that neck. They're on par with independent luthier builds. (Hammertone, back me up here, these guys probably think I work for Hofner by now) So I kinda feel like you have one of the nicest guitars in the damn world right now, and I'd be thrilled if I could help you get the sound you want out of it.

So, even if you want to start a new thread...maybe reinstall the old pickup, and then let's talk some little things...EQ, strings, pick, they all make a difference. The guitar is a big part of the tone...but not the only part.

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 09:33 AM

I'm actually seriously considering keeping it. The Jazzica is such a unique design---there's really nothing like it to be found anywhere. I always get oohs and aahs when I take it out to a gig since it is visually so stunning.

So, like you, I'm thinking I should put the Diamond pup back on it. As great as the Zoller is, it's just not a good match for this guitar. Then, I'm going to try to embrace its distinctive tonal characteristics---I mean, why have a collection of guitars that all sound the same?

Here's a list of gear that I currently have, along with various settings:

Fender '65 DRRI: bright cap removed; Jan NOS 5751 in V2; Celestion Alnico Gold speaker. I always keep the treble on 0 and bass on 3. Seems to work for most venues.

Fender '65 PRRI: the same 5751 tube in V1; Weber 10F150. Definitely have to keep the treble on 0 with this amp. Bass varies from room to room.

Henriksen Jazzamp 110: no mods (yet;^): usually start out with the 5 eq controls set at flat, then tweak from there.

Early 80s Polytone MBIII

Strings: TI Swing .011s. May try .012s for the Jazzica. I used to only use 13s on my jazz boxes, but aging is a bitch!

Picks: D'Andrea 1.5 mm Pro Plec---small teardrop w/ rounded tip. Warmest, roundest, tone I've ever gotten in a pick. Almost sounds like Wes's thumb.

I'll post some recordings with the Jazzica A/B'd with other guitars so you can hear the difference.

Thanks for your concern! I love how passionate you are about this "problem". 🙂

**jazzimprov** · 06-20-2016, 10:51 AM

Well, if the Jim Hall sound is on your mind the Sadowsky Jim Hall is an option

.....take a listen to this to get and idea of the tone.

https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Gilmor...ords=lage+lund

**jazzimprov** · 06-20-2016, 10:55 AM

-----La Bella Electric Guitar Black Nylon Tape Flat Wound Light 6 String, .012 - .056, 800L--------

sounds interesting but some of the comments about them are concerning:

**"The G string is very light in tension, and the intonation is a little off"

**"Yes, you will have to adjust your truss rod, intonation and maybe the action on your guitar to dial your guitar into these strings"

**"if you like the sound and feel you will have to setup your guitar to use them"

**"12's were so loose and sloppy, heavy [14's] were so big you have to file out the nut. Nobody has mentioned that but if you don't want to alter the nut or adjust neck go with something else"

....any of this ring true to you?

**mr. beaumont** · 06-20-2016, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by jbucklin

I'm actually seriously considering keeping it. The Jazzica is such a unique design---there's really nothing like it to be found anywhere. I always get oohs and aahs when I take it out to a gig since it is visually so stunning.

So, like you, I'm thinking I should put the Diamond pup back on it. As great as the Zoller is, it's just not a good match for this guitar. Then, I'm going to try to embrace its distinctive tonal characteristics---I mean, why have a collection of guitars that all sound the same?

Here's a list of gear that I currently have, along with various settings:

Fender '65 DRRI: bright cap removed; Jan NOS 5751 in V2; Celestion Alnico Gold speaker. I always keep the treble on 0 and bass on 3. Seems to work for most venues.

Fender '65 PRRI: the same 5751 tube in V1; Weber 10F150. Definitely have to keep the treble on 0 with this amp. Bass varies from room to room.

Henriksen Jazzamp 110: no mods (yet;^): usually start out with the 5 eq controls set at flat, then tweak from there.

Early 80s Polytone MBIII

Strings: TI Swing .011s. May try .012s for the Jazzica. I used to only use 13s on my jazz boxes, but aging is a bitch!

Picks: D'Andrea 1.5 mm Pro Plec---small teardrop w/ rounded tip. Warmest, roundest, tone I've ever gotten in a pick. Almost sounds like Wes's thumb.

I'll post some recordings with the Jazzica A/B'd with other guitars so you can hear the difference.

Thanks for your concern! I love how passionate you are about this "problem". ��

Try the jimmy Bruno setting on the jazzamp (everything at 25%) and get some.012 gauge flatwounds.

On the fenders, try both knobs at "0.5"

**Hammertone** · 06-20-2016, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Hammertone

If only Hofner made the SAME thing but with a 17" body, with a carved top and carved back, 22 frets, 3" rims, floating pickup, that sort of thing. Hey, wait a minute….they do! How about that! They call it the Chancellor!

Originally Posted by jbucklin

Oh Hammertone, how often I have longingly gazed upon your exquisite photos, invoking the high and lofty gods of jazz, that they might summon a sympathetic benefactor to generously supply me with $5000 to make the Chancellor my very own possession!

Well, trades are always an option!

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Hammertone

Well, trades are always an option!

Okay! I'll trade my Jazzica for the Chancellor. 😏

**Hammertone** · 06-20-2016, 11:40 AM

Sure! The Jazzica and a bit of cash will be great!
Any other guitars that you may want to package into a deal would be worth considering as well.
Send me a PM or email.

**Jim Soloway** · 06-20-2016, 12:01 PM

Now that I have a bit of time here are a few more thoughts. This is based on the idea that you want a less bright sounding guitar.

First ... stay away from scale lengths longer than 24.75" (assuming that you use standard tuning). Added length means a brighter tone pretty much by definition.

Second ... stay away from ebony fingerboards. They produce a faster attack which the ear perceives as being thinner and brighter than rosewood. (And yes I know many people here think this is irrelevant. They're entitled to their opinions but I disagree with them)

Third ... stay away from guitars with a really loud acoustic tone that "cuts". It's generally the power of the high end that allows the acoustic tone of an archtop to cut and that means it's bright. Instead, look for balance and that's generally easier to achieve at lower acoustic volumes. 16" width and 3" or less at the rims is big enough for your purposes. Bigger guitars tend to have a bigger voice but that voice also tends to have a boomier bass and a barkier high end. Again, that translates as brighter.

Fourth ... go with top mounted controls and pickup. These reduce the acoustic content (read as acoustic brightness) without eliminating it.

And finally, as I said to you in the previous thread, a well built laminate may also be a good solution. It doesn't have the cachet of a fine carved instrument but that cachet is really about craft rather than tone in the broader sense. All other things being equal, solid wood guitars are likely to have more high end sparkle than laminate guitars. In a simplistic world, that's a fancy way of saying they sound brighter.

When I said much of this in the previous thread, you interpreted my comments as referencing a 175 but there are lots of other options that fit this description and some may actually be a better fit. But I think if you use this for a basic framework for making a list of alternatives, you're likely to come up with some really appropriate choices.

And FWIW, I'm not a fan of the idea of using an EQ or changing the tone controls to get rid of the inherent brightness of a guitar. It's a half measure that never seems to work out as well for me as simply playing a guitar that suits my needs from the outset.

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 12:46 PM

Thanks Jim, and others.

I have a VOS 175 with a Duncan Antiquity that is perfect. Also, the D'Angelico EXL-1 with a laminated spruce top and Zoller floater is exquisite. Also have a D'A EX-SS thinline hollow body with Lollars that is surprisingly fat and warm sounding.

I once tried a Sadowsky Jim Hall and really liked it. However, I never thought Jim got as good a tone on it as he did on the D'Aquisto it was modeled after. And, believe it or not, I never thought he got as good a tone with the D'Aquisto as he did on his 175 that it was modeled after.

Interestingly, In the late 60s Jim had Jimmy D. replace the rosewood fretboard with an ebony one. Also, I read in the booklet that came with the live duo album he did with Red Mitchell that he had Attila Zoller build a pickup for it. His modded 175 is one of the best sounding archtops I've ever heard!

**Jabberwocky** · 06-20-2016, 01:33 PM

Ibanez guitars can be found almost anywhere, even in Texas

. Going out on a limb and just for grins, try an Ibanez SJ300 and see if you like what you hear and feel.

Ibanez SJ300 - Dark Violin Sunburst | Sweetwater.com

**Jim Soloway** · 06-20-2016, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by jbucklin

Thanks Jim, and others.

I have a VOS 175 with a Duncan Antiquity that is perfect. Also, the D'Angelico EXL-1 with a laminated spruce top and Zoller floater is exquisite. Also have a D'A EX-SS thinline hollow body with Lollars that is surprisingly fat and warm sounding.

I know that what I'm about to say is considered sacrilege around these parts but when I see what you own, I would add an alternative: sell the Hofner and spend the money on a vacation, use it as a down payment on a car or just invest the money in a mutual fund. You have a lovely trio of guitars. Do you really need a quartet? And if you do need a quartet, how about something completely different like a classical or an OM steel string that you can play unamplified around the house?

**jazzimprov** · 06-20-2016, 01:48 PM

"sell the Hofner and spend the money on a vacation, use it as a down payment on a car or just invest the money in a mutual fund"

...............sure to make the wife smile......

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by jazzimprov

[COLOR=#0000FF]"sell the Hofner and spend the money on a vacation, use it as a down payment on a car or just invest the money in a mutual fund

...............sure to make the wife smile......

Exactly what I was thinking!

**jazzimprov** · 06-20-2016, 03:25 PM

Actually, I'm starting to think his wife hacked his posting info and is trying plant unnatural thoughts in our collective brains

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by jazzimprov

Actually, I'm starting to think his wife hacked his posting info and is trying plant unnatural thoughts in our collective brains

She's been known to do things like that!

Not really though. She's actually quite patient with my guitar addiction. Hasn't divorced me yet!

**jbucklin** · 06-20-2016, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

Ibanez guitars can be found almost anywhere, even in Texas

. Going out on a limb and just for grins, try an Ibanez SJ300 and see if you like what you hear and feel.

Ibanez SJ300 - Dark Violin Sunburst | Sweetwater.com

I actually had one of those for a minute. Sounded great for a $1300, solid spruce-topped jazz box!