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A lot of folks post here looking for their first jazz guitar and amp.
Tonight, I was hanging with my Littles in the living room and playing my Godin Kingpin thru a Fender Champion 600 (the cheap reissue) and I thought, really, this sounds great. As good as I'd ever need, really. And under $1000 total, easy.
So I thought, hey, we should have a thread where people post good sounding recordings with relatively cheap tools, and then people looking for that first guitar and amp will have a resource, sounds to check out and maybe choose from.
Anyway, here's what I recorded.
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02-12-2017 09:19 PM
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Nice playing, Jeff! And your noir cinematography allows us to concentrate on tone....
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Sounds great as always Jeff.
I personally think everyone who says they want to get into jazz should be required to buy a Godin Kingpin as their first guitar. It's that good. Then you can get into the esoteric stuff.
I've never had a Champ but it seems to fit the bill. Another cool amp I had awhile back is the Epiphone Valve Jr.--usually available for ~$100. One of my current amps is a Fender Super Champ XD--a used XD or an X2 would be another good choice.
But really the Kingpin is going to sound good through most amps...
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I had a bud visit a couple of years ago from out-of-state toting a 339 and a C600. The guitar wasn't bad -- though the frets were like speedbumps, even to this old shredhead -- but I hated the amp, boxy and nasal.
Gotta say, you really milked yours for what it was worth and then some. The sound of your child in the background only made the music sweeter, bud.
Play on!
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Love that tone (and playing, of course). I've used a Champ 600 a couple of times, and they're great. Tried a Kingpin recently and was quite impressed. The only thing stopping me from getting one is lack of a cutaway.
Here are a couple of mine. The first is a D'Angelico EX DC (a bargain used, if not cheap new) and a Fender Champion 20 on the BF Deluxe setting. Tone in the room is a lot fuller than this (recorded with my phone). The amp is $99, super portable, and loud enough for jamming with a drummer. The second is an American Std Strat and a Roland MicroCube. The MC isn't loud enough for groups, but sounds like a real amp and runs on batteries. In good weather, I practice in my neighborhood park to get away from a crowded apartment, and it's perfect for that.
John
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the screaming fans were certainly into it
Originally Posted by citizenk74
Nice playing, Jeff! And your noir cinematography allows us to concentrate on tone....
maybe he can play some selections from the third man next.
if you're only playing for yourself, at home, you don't really need to spend all that much money to sound decent. a helpful reminder here. thanks!
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John very nice tone and executed great, I listened to it with my first cup of coffee, great job
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John, both of those recordings sound great to me. The microcube is a crazy little box--it's perfect for doing quick phone recordings...sounds like a much bigger amp recorded.
Feet, exactly. Well, truthfully, yes, the C600 isn't going to work outside of a living room or really quiet coffee shop, but the Kingpin is a good enough guitar that I would gig it without hesitation, anywhere. So if you're starting out and going to jams and stuff, if there's an amp already there, you really are covered.
I find I don't miss the cutaway all that much. You can still get up to the 15th fret or so no problem...I mean, how often am I really needing more than that if I'm playing straight ahead stuff? For giggles, I checked the frets on my 575 above the 15th...I'm not sure I've ever played up there, they look brand new
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Indeed, the MC does record well. I actually used it once at a coffee house open mic accompanying a couple of singers. It was a quiet setting, and it worked for that. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I guess I should try one out again. I have a dreadnought-sized acoustic that is too big and loud for my needs, and have been looking for something smaller and "jazzier". Really want a cutaway, but maybe not necessary. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Feet, exactly. Well, truthfully, yes, the C600 isn't going to work outside of a living room or really quiet coffee shop, but the Kingpin is a good enough guitar that I would gig it without hesitation, anywhere. So if you're starting out and going to jams and stuff, if there's an amp already there, you really are covered.
I find I don't miss the cutaway all that much. You can still get up to the 15th fret or so no problem...I mean, how often am I really needing more than that if I'm playing straight ahead stuff? For giggles, I checked the frets on my 575 above the 15th...I'm not sure I've ever played up there, they look brand new
John
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Kingpin P90 ? Yeah that sounds great Mr B ! Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I've been wanting an ES125 type guitar recently
ie. an electric archtop with some acoustic vibe
to it ....
What are these like unplugged ?
I'd like a box I can play unplugged too
ie. a bit more sound than an Ibanez AF type guitar
Do you think a kingpin p90 might work for that Mr B ?
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They don't sound half bad unplugged. Certainly not as loud as a solid wood archtop, but a lot better than most of the thick-finished Epiphones, Ibanez Artcores, etc.
I'll do a quick video tonight.
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That's very kind ... thank B ! Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Mr.B from day one of my joining you said that crazy little box is the way to go in certain situations.JohnA just nailed it.Thanks JohnA nice playing!
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I Originally Posted by EarlBrother
bought the Microcube when I was teaching out of people's houses, travelling. I thought, bam, this is the easiest way to do things.
Turns out, it's always the easiest way to do things But it actually sounds decent. And since I'm not leaving my "good" amps out and about this house with my 5 and 3 year old explorers, that microcube (and this little Champ) get a whole lot of play.
The Champ, by the way...funny story how I even got one. My wife (who pretty much refuses to take requests for birthdays/Christmas, etc., she loves to hunt down the "perfect surprise"--and she does great) overheard me talking about getting a "Champ" with a buddy of mine.
Now, I was thinking a Silverface VibroChamp. But she went to Guitar Center, asked about Champs, and they sold her this lil guy. Christmas morning--surprise!
I wasn't expecting much, but the thought was so nice, I gave it a go, and really liked it. It sounds pretty much like it should. And she'll let me keep it in the living room because it matches the decor. It also paved the way for me to think a little "bigger" when I bought a Silver Face Fender--and that's how I ended up with my Princeton. Ain't it funny how stuff like that works out?
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I've heard nothing but good things about Godin guitars.
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You're too kind (one of these days I'll play a decent solo arrangement of something ...) In the meantime, let's hear some more cheap rigs, fellas. Originally Posted by EarlBrother
John
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So I have two combinations that fit the "Cheap Rig" category. The amp is a Polytone Baby Brute that I think I paid about $200 for. The guitars are an Epiphone MiK (Peerless) Broadway with a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickup, and the other is an Epiphone ES175 Premium "stock." Both guitars under $500 though the Broadway has more money in it due to the pickup replacement.
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Both sound really nice. Cool arrangements, too. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
John
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A pair of under $500 guitars. Played through a $400 DV Mark Little Jazz, which is a little higher end but still affordable, very small and light, and loud enough for a small gig. Or can power a bigger cab or be mic'ed
Yamaha Revstar rs502t (scored one used for $450)
Ibanez artcore as83 (disco'ed model but similar to the 73 with fancier appointments. $300 back in the day)
Just random recordings I had accessible.
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Loved both of your clips, but I really grooved on this, John. Seemed to me like being in the park loosened you up? I could hear more grease in your groove, and you really hit the hot spots. Originally Posted by John A.
Great stuff to my ears, brotha.
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enjoyed summer time very much,mi have played it in a bit, you played it well, loosened up I see before your solo, sounded really good Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus
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It has that perfect, slinky feel that that song should have.
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Amazing playing, Mr Beaumont! (Can I call you Jeff now?)
Here's a fairly inexpensive rig. An Eastman and a $400 50's tube amp (1951 Valco Oaho, which is the same as the Valco Supreme).
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Sounds great. Very cool voicings. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
JohnLast edited by John A.; 02-14-2017 at 03:01 PM.
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This sounds great. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
Those Oahu's are super cool amps.
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