The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    I have 2 that are equally good, and both are better than any other electric I've played:

    1952 Les Paul
    1964 ES 335

    When I have one of these on a gig, the guitar disappears and I just play.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    so difficult... and so many factors that contribute...physical, mental and spiritual...

    i will just quote the great american (nj) physician/ poet

    William Carlos Williams, 1883 - 1963

    so much depends
    upon

    a red wheel
    barrow

    glazed with rain
    water

    beside the white
    chickens.


    cheers

  4. #28

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    It's probably impossible to say what's been "the best". There have just been way too many over the decades, but when push came to shove this is the one I've actually kept.

    Last edited by Jim Soloway; 07-22-2017 at 05:15 PM.

  5. #29

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    My Peter Hopkins Contessa 16" with floater which was built around 2006. I'm the 2nd owner and have had it for around nine months now. I've probably put 500 hours on it but it still sounds amazing - even unplugged - without a string change, and I use regular D'Addario rounds on this one. It is simply sublime. One of these days I will get around to doing a NGD.

  6. #30

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    I have had some good ones that I regret selling: A Campellone 16" Standard, a Fender Strat American Vintage 50th Anniversary that was really special (still kicking myself on that one), a nice Taylor Grand Concert w/ maple sides & back. But, the best I have ever played is my Hutchins era L5CES. I love that guitar, and it's one that I will never part with. It has the perfect neck and plays incredibly well. The amplified tone is everything that an electric archtop should be: smoky, soulful and rich. A friend of mine has a Tal Farlow that comes in as a close second to my L5 with the same perfect neck and a different, but equally amazing tone. I couldn't ever get him to part with it, though I have tried.

    I still pine for that Strat sometimes. It, too, was perfect for what it was.

  7. #31

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    When I lived in Eugene 20 years ago Bob November used to show me what was new and cool in his shop when I stopped by. One day it was a circa 1960 L5CT (the Gobel model). I was fractured, but it was way out of my price range; 25k even then.

  8. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
    You should have included a video, Joe, demonstrating what you are talking about, even if you have shared it elsewhere on this forum.

    For me, it is a copy of a guitar by Manuel Ramirez, circa 1908, made by the wonderful English luthier, Simon Ambridge, and complete with gut strings which I pluck with the flesh of my fingers rather than the nails. There is something more poetic about gut and flesh, rather than nail and nylon. It's how guitars used to be made and played. This guitar is a treasure, full of nuance, and warm, mellow and clear in all registers. Intimate. I might not have my dream jazz guitar yet, but in the meantime I am very lucky to have this beautiful classical.

    Here's a composition by Andres Segovia, who hardly ever performed his own music. It's a fine piece.

    Rob, you play the guitar like you are playing a piano. I can see why that guitar is your favorite. I immediately was able to hear the depth of sound, unlike any classical I've ever played. Outstanding Rob. As always, outstanding.

    Quote Originally Posted by vinlander
    July the 24th 2015, a Friday I recall, got home from work and unpacked what would be my Jazz guitar Epiphany!
    Attachment 44197
    It gives me everything I look for in an instrument, tone and playability in a gorgeous package
    Honeymoon is still ongoing and I can't see when it could stop; a keeper for life !
    vinny and I were talking on Friday and we were talking about ultimate guitars. If my Tal (BooBoo) was Viceroy and was missing the bridge pickup, it might have been my choice for #1. So I totally understand Vinlander.

    Quote Originally Posted by deacon Mark
    Maybe a photo will be in order.Made for Robert Lessey name on 17th fret 3rd NY listed.Attachment 44207Attachment 44208
    ok. That might be the most beautiful and desirable guitar ever. It looks like it was born a month ago. Unreal. Amazingly beautiful.
    You really have a special one there.
    Joe D

  9. #33

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    So one lesson of this thread is that jazz guitarists don't follow directions. "There can be only one..." A good try, Joe, but probably hopeless in getting us to comply.

  10. #34

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    My 1951 Gibson Super 300 acoustic archtop hands down. Confident clear and articulate tone horizontally and vertically across the fret board . There are a couple of areas in particular where the purity of tone really does sound like a hammer struck bell which I love.

    What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-willgibsonsuper300-1-jpg

    Will

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    So one lesson of this thread is that jazz guitarists don't follow directions. "There can be only one..." A good try, Joe, but probably hopeless in getting us to comply.
    i hear ya bro. we are just lovers at heart. We love em all.

  12. #36

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    When I was young, I hitchiked across the country. There were gov't sponsored youth hostels along the way that provided basic meals, showers and a place to roll out your sleeping bag.

    At the youth hostel in Montreal, a fellow - a singer/guitarist in town to perform IIRC - let me play his guitar - a small Martin, old even then. Lovely sound, lovely to play. Still in my mind 40+ years later.
    Last edited by Bach5G; 07-22-2017 at 08:22 PM.

  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    So one lesson of this thread is that jazz guitarists don't follow directions. "There can be only one..." A good try, Joe, but probably hopeless in getting us to comply.
    And here I was feeling good about limiting my choices to three. I could only manage that by excluding everything but archtop guitars.

  14. #38

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    Interesting all the Gibson J Smiths and LeGrands (the JS replacement) on this list. I will add a "me too":

    About 16 yrs ago I visited Mandolin Bros in Staten Island. They had 2 LeGrands on the wall. One was a great guitar, but the other was phenomenal.

    Pretty pricey so I could not take it home, but I always think about that LeGrand.

  15. #39

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    Late 30's blond L5. Played two, one with a cutaway. As I recall it, they were both so resonant it sounded like reverb, unamplified.

  16. #40

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    A very tough question, indeed. The Best Archtop would be my Unitys, all four. Same response with my American Eagle. Just the most comfortable necks, amazing to see and hear. Reverb galore.
    Flat top would be my K Yairi OY80 Leo, the one Customs wanted to keep. Has the easy neck of a Unity and is glorious in every way. Never had a flat top with such perfection. Strum or single notes all remarkably responsive to pick attack.

    What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-img_9680-jpgWhat is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-img_1645-jpg

  17. #41

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    Great guitars and great stories, wow!

    I haven't played so many jazz guitars that I could say I have met 'the best' yet, but 'the best so far' is my contemporary jazz guitar Gibson ES175 VOS 1PU 1959 Reissue. (After changing tuners, tailpiece, bridge and pickup.)

    But there is two solidbodies that made me think to sell everything else and concentrating in only one guitar. First one was the custom made Versoul Raya 6 of my bandmate. Played it just a minute in rehearsal but that resonance and responsivenes it gave were unique. And the pickups, oh my, so sweet and dynamic!

    Then my another pal gave me one of the first ever made Ruokangas Unicorns for a week to play. Sweet and dynamic guitar, perfection of what Les Pauls could have been. The spanish cedar and the handworked luthierity in it were so musical that it could play anything. Amazing.

    I played it for a week so it is the best guitar.

    Then I came back to my normal Lesters (R6 & R8). It is always good to have spare and with a Versoul and Ruokangas those spares would make a fortune.

    (See how sensible gray everyday thinking after going thru spiritual experiences!)
    Last edited by Herbie; 07-23-2017 at 12:24 AM.

  18. #42

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    Played a vintage Guild Johnny Smith Award at a shop in Westerly RI a few years back...outstanding.
    Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 07-23-2017 at 01:14 AM.

  19. #43

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    These three depending on situation...

    1990 S400 CESN great for solo work
    1940 Stromberg G1 with 70,s Fender SL Pickup fantastic acoustic tone and projection
    1966 Johnny Smith great for the big band swing and trad.

    At home I must admit that its the Stromberg that gets all the love.

    What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-img_1220-jpgWhat is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-img_1218-jpgWhat is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-img_1221-jpg

  20. #44

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    best or best for me? hard to say. i mod the hell out of my guitars. they are quite specifically tailored for me. so even if they aren't the most expensive or prestigious things in the world, nothing works better for me. conversely, you could hand me some vintage piece or some new custom whatever and it may be the greatest thing in the world, but not for me. most of my guitars are of similar quality from similar brands and plants.

    so for me, probably the elitist sheraton or the yairi masterworks 12 fret slope i have. that yairi may be the most luxurious thing i own. best ever? hard to say. if i suspect something will be that mind blowing, i'll purposely avoid it. i don't need that in my life right now. but if i got my hands on some higher end hofners or usa gretsches, i don't know...

  21. #45

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    It's not about prestige. It's about whether you've found an uncompromising instrument from a playability and musical expression perspective. Many people do find that exquisite guitars fit that bill. They aren't valuable just because they are pretty! But conversely, neither do beauty or cost guarantee a special playing experience. A humble Partscaster can achieve that just as easily if it speaks to you.

  22. #46

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    Yeah, there could only be one... (yeah right)
    This morning, I polished up on some small excerpts of arrangements that for some reason have erased themselves from my brain. I pulled out the 165 and after I was done relearning the parts I forgot in I Can't Get Started, I started learning Joe Pass's version of Billy Strayhorns Lush Life ( yeah why the hell do I do this to myself), and it hit me... I kinda love the 165 too. Everything is right there. It doesn't "hold up" quite as well as the GJS but it's darn close.
    So its:
    1. GJS
    2. Es165 ( until later, when I play BooBoo..)
    Last edited by Max405; 07-23-2017 at 11:23 AM.

  23. #47

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    There must be something in the NJ water. I was playing "I Can't Get Started" this morning as well...

    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    Yeah, there could only be one... (yeah right)
    This morning, I polished up on some small excerpts of arrangements that for some reason have erased themselves from my brain. I pulled out the 165 and after I was done relearning the parts I forgot in I Can't Get Started, I started learning Joe Pass's, Have You Met Miss Jones ( yeah why the hell do I do this to myself), and it hit me... I kinda love the 165 too. Everything is right there. It doesn't "hold up" quite as well as the GJS but it's darn close.
    So its:
    1. GJS
    2. Es165 ( until later, when I play BooBoo..)

  24. #48

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    The perfect guitar, number 1?

    I'm not quite there yet.

    I've spent a life time getting close though!

    25.5" scale is a must, single coil neck pickup and a rose wood fingerboard.

    I have 3 keepers at the moment that almost have what I need but something stops me getting that mind/sonic interface.

    The Squier Jazz Tele has the sound I want but the neck is 42mm nut width and quite thin. My right hand index finger mid joint compresses into an acute angle when playing double stops and is painful after a session. I'm going for a new neck on that guitar hoping it will settle in. If it does then this will be the 1.

    But then again the Squier JM Jazzmaster has shone in its role as a gigging guitar but a few things hold it back. It plays so well, 43mm width nut and a full thick neck and so comfortable to play standing up or sitting down. But the pickups are just okay and I need to find the right capacitor for the rhythm circuit. Once that is sorted out then that would be the 1.

    Ah, but then on the other hand my Epi Emp Reg with a 50 year old Vox single coil pickup has a lot going for it. But the tone stack needs addressing. Once this one is sorted out then this could be the 1.

    I guess I have a 3 horse race here with the odds being Tele evens, Jazzmaster 2/1 and the Epi Emp Reg at 3/1.
    Last edited by jazzbow; 07-23-2017 at 10:39 AM.

  25. #49

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    I got to use my teacher's Ruck at a classical quartet recital (I had a nut issue and kept breaking strings); it was amazing but it was so much more powerful than the other players I had to cut my attack almost in half.

    So that for classical, and my 2013 175 for everything else. I haven't played a TON of guitars though

  26. #50

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    Best "ever" would have a lot to do with what style I was playing way back then or now.

    Today, I have to say my Tal Farlow. There may be others out there that would be better, but ignorance can be bliss :-)