The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #76

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    A Dana Bourgeois A-350 - 16 3/4" x 3 1/8", 25.5, 1 3/4" nut

    Dana has built a huge following with his flattop guitars. This model from the mid 90's was built in very limited numbers. Although far from the perfect guitar, aside from my nylon string classical it's the only archtop I've experienced that was deserving of the phrase "lap piano."

    There have been some iconic guitars mentioned here that I and most others have never had the privilege to experience. You guys are extremely fortunate to have done so. Congratulations!


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  3. #77

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    I's been wonderin where you've been.. Thanks buddy.
    That 165 is a great guitar but your L5.. oh my god. What a beauty.
    JD

    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    For me it's really two guitars, perhaps a single musical soul inhabiting two physical bodies?

    Gibson ES165 Herb Ellis, bought from Joe D himself. His mojo is soaked into that guitar and so whenever I play it, it just sounds better than I am actually playing!

    My most recent: Gibson L5ces. This guitar fulfilled all that I ever hoped from an L5. It just "is" that beautiful playing queen of archtops.

    Both of these guitars sound way better than I play... I'm dating out of my league here, but I love it.

  4. #78

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    Joe,
    This required rethinking 38 plus years of playing and owning some fine instruments . To this day- the best guitar I ever played was Ed Bensons D'Aquisto (founded of Just Jazz Guitar Magazine) .

    I walked into Jim D'Aquisto's shop one day around 1989 and played Ed's guitar after it was recently completed. It was so amazing it became my benchmark for everything possible that an Archtop could be - it was just incredible and beyond words . The sound spoiled my brain for the next 26 years - and I compared everything to it . After that - even my D'Aquisto Excel ( 1991) , although fantastic - came up short compared to Ed's.

    When I met Bryant Trenier that all changed. One day I was at Bryant's shop for a fret dressing and I see this completed Excel he was shipping off to Gruhns - I picked it up and after strumming one chord - I realized I had found the clone to Ed Bensons guitar . I bought it on the spot - no hesitation.

    Shortly thereafter I loaned Bryant the guitar for the Woodstock show ( which I attended ) and I brought John Monteleone over to check it out with Rudy Pensa. He studied it carefully , looked at the arch, flexed the recurve area - studied the bridge , tapped the back then played it. He paused , looked over at Bryant and said " You nailed it". It was at that moment that Bryant's guitars were not only confirmed by arguably one of the greatest living luthiers alive - but it gave Bryant the nod of confidence - and his guitars continue to get even better.

    Like Lawson - I have to add another guitar and that would be my Trenier Broadway - my best new ( custom build) guitar day ever.

    I apologize for the long story.

  5. #79

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    Best guitar I've ever played is my Oribe Gran Suprema. I became acquainted with it several years ago and it took me a few years to buy. Spruce top and cocobolo back and sides. Brilliant from top to bottom with trebles that just bounce out at you. I'm not worthy.What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-image-jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-image-jpg 

  6. #80

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    Quote Originally Posted by destinytot
    I had to wait a while to get the best guitar I've ever played. Ten years have passed since then, but I still feel the same about my 18" Sonntag Augusta. (The only downside is the weight of its Calton case.)
    This thread has prompted me to re-think my priorities and tune the Sonntag à la Marty Grosz for tonight's gig. That guitar in that tuning tops anything I've ever played - or heard.

    I could weep for joy. But I won't - I'll just get on with the gig, and - I hope - have something to crow about tomorrow morning.

    (I'm feeling nervous and excited at the same time, trying hard to contain - not 'chord melody' - myself...)

    Thank you!
    Last edited by destinytot; 07-25-2017 at 07:40 AM.

  7. #81

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    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    I's been wonderin where you've been.. Thanks buddy.
    That 165 is a great guitar but your L5.. oh my god. What a beauty.
    JD
    I was in Israel for six weeks with students. We did 3 weeks of historical-geographical study and then 3 weeks working on an archaeological excavation.

    Since we're talking about favorite guitars, maybe this pic will legitimize my reply! Every where I go, I preach the Gospel of Gibson!

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

  8. #82

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    Those Fender folks would say Heresy! You found another one of those non canonical Gospel. I am inclined to say you are correct give me a Super 400c.

  9. #83

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    Blessed are those who own a fine Gibson archtop.

  10. #84

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    Oh man, that must have been a blast! I've never been there but I know people who have. They all say it is life changing and it confirms their faith 10 fold. That is great picture. You look really good Lawson.
    JD

  11. #85

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    Fly the flag, brotha.

  12. #86

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    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    That is great picture. You look really good Lawson.
    JD
    +1. Absolutely fabulous.

  13. #87

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    I'm a good hand with a shovel if you need help Lawson. And I can't lie though this has caused me enormous complications in life. For me my #1 is a 5 string violin.
    If I had to grab one guitar it would probably be the mutant reincarnation ES125 but in truth it takes a few guitars to cover the bases the 1 violin does. This lets me keep searching,

  14. #88

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    D'Angelico Style A. Played one chord and knew it was the best archtop guitar I ever would touch.

    Sigh...

  15. #89

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    Quote Originally Posted by Max405
    Oh man, that must have been a blast! I've never been there but I know people who have. They all say it is life changing and it confirms their faith 10 fold. That is great picture. You look really good Lawson.
    JD
    Thanks Joe. I'd say studying history, geography, and archaeology in Israel certainly informs one's faith; wither it confirms it or not kind of depends on the set of their sails. But it certainly gives a tactile, concrete quality to understanding all that ancient history in the Bible and other ancient texts. As for looking good, something about doing that stuff just lights me up, you know?

    I actually traveled with my Loar LH650 but only had time to sit down and play maybe twice. On the excavation I roomed with 3 other guys in a small apartment and there was no privacy, and I didn't want to intrude with my hacking around on jazz standards!

  16. #90

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    I could post a few pictures in the "everything else" or whatever section. The archaeological excavation was very productive, even if it did mean rising at 4:00 AM, working on the site until 12:30 PM by which time the temp was up to 104 F. a couple days! We'd then go back to the kibbutz, wash and sort pottery, attend a lecture, eat dinner, and by then it was about 9 PM and time for bed!

    Not once did I wear a fedora, carry a whip, or shoot a pistol, though I did hear the rumble of distant artillery fire several times from over in Syria.

  17. #91

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    I once picked up an old Martin D28 I found in Andy's off Leicester Square (now closed). It was beaten up, scratched, had dents and holes in it. But when you strummed it it went BOOM! Extraordinary. Turns out it used to belong to Pete Townsend.

    I asked Andy how much it was. £4,000. And that was 35-40 years ago. Oh, well :-)

  18. #92

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    I was fourteen. I just had started the guitar one year before and I used to play a beginners guitar. That kind of acoustic guitar with strings set up half a inch from the (wide !) neck, a guitar that I got from the local disk store. I was working hard on her although she was buzzing everywhere and stayed hardly in tune. Probably a nightmare made guitar but I didn't know that at that time. It was simply the best possible guitar from my village disk store, since they used to have only one at a time and always the same model.

    For my fifteen's birthday, my parents decided to buy me a real instrument. It was an Ovation, Legend model, narrow neck, fully acoustic. Man, this was the real thing. So easy to play with such a good sound. BAM!

    Since that time I've had many guitars and I know that Ovations are certainly not considered the best guitars around. But this feeling of getting the real thing in my hands for the first time, I got it just once, for my fifteen's birthday.

    Cheers.

  19. #93

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    Ironically ...the best Guitar I ever Played was probably the first Guitar I ever Played.

    When I was a little kid maybe 10 years old a friend of my older brother about 16 or 17 played a blonde Gibson Archtop into a Princeton or Deluxe - rounded cutaway *dual pickup...probably an L5.

    *May have only had a neck pickup but definitely gorgeous Blonde Wood all over..

    He showed me a few things and even left the Guitar at my Dad's house for me to play one night- amazingly.

    Pretty sure it was an L5 ..I remember the flatwounds were easy to press down not much finger pain at all....

    I played it unplugged and it had a full round warm tone.

    Another Candidate would be an amazing sounding Martin D 28 a friend of mine had..

    I had a Gibson J50 which was pretty good and also stable intonation and Tuning but was smoked by every Martin...but this D 28 smoked other Martins . It was not old - It was like a mini Steinway Piano .
    Incredibly wide bandwidth and response- you could bash it and it was super loud or play really quiet.
    I was in my 20's and played Acoustic pretty well so I knew this was a freak D28..lol.

    It sounded better than Albums- I wasted time on it just listening to chords ringing...
    Last edited by Robertkoa; 07-30-2017 at 12:37 AM.

  20. #94

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    By far, my 2002 Heritage 575 Mahogany/Spruce | 4pt. HRW. Better than the 1977 Gibson Johnny Smith I played for 25 years and the Benedetto Bravo I bought in May and got rid of yesterday. Very light --- love the feel of the resonance against my tummy. I really love all mahogany guitars with spruce tops. Plus, the neck has the feel as if --- it plays itself. It is so easy.

  21. #95

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    I don't have a definitive answer, since there are many I've gotten to enjoy. I do know, however, it happened at Rudy's and it was at least $10k over my budget.

  22. #96

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    Also though I have not played one I suspect for what I do now musically ..

    The Marchione 25.5 " Scale Semi Hollow would be the best I ever Played- kind of a Morph Between an Archtop and a Strat ..but not enough Strat to mess up the Resonance or Sustain...

    Also as someone else mentioned this one is way over budget .. but spectacular for Modern Music of all types on the Guitar.

  23. #97

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fred Archtop
    For my fifteen's birthday, my parents decided to buy me a real instrument. It was an Ovation, Legend model, narrow neck, fully acoustic. Man, this was the real thing. So easy to play with such a good sound. BAM!

    Since that time I've had many guitars and I know that Ovations are certainly not considered the best guitars around. But this feeling of getting the real thing in my hands for the first time, I got it just once, for my fifteen's birthday.

    Cheers.
    I started late playing guitar. I was 22 and working and my first guitar was an Ovation I purchased a deep bowl Ovation Legend from Paulus Music in Jacksonville Fl in 1973. Fred Paulus the owner let me buy it on credit and I was happy as a clam. It was a great playing guitar.

    Now has far as the best archtop guitar I have ever played would be Scott Chinery's Monteleone Blue guitar. Knowing what I know now, I should have scraped together the money and had Monteleone make me one at that time.
    Last edited by rob taft; 08-15-2017 at 11:27 PM.

  24. #98

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    I think the best guitar I have ever played is the archtop I had built for me. It certainly is the most playable.

    But I reserve a fraction of that for the best sounding guitar I have ever played - which is a '59 ES 175 (with the neck hummy) owned by a friend of mine across the ditch...he paid about 3 grand for it - and it is a stunner.

    Those things just seem to come his way....

  25. #99

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    Some of my guitars are the best guitars are mine including my shelley park gypsy jazz guitar modele encore & G & L ASAT Sparkle tele.

    What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-nufvsinaty8er107x1fh-jpg

    What is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-15370133_10154455642678381_6622689916289413012_o-jpgWhat is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-15369946_10154455642803381_8519509301888526996_o-jpgWhat is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-15392828_10154455642703381_6683090910276459570_o-jpgWhat is the best guitar you've ever played? There could only be one..-15304105_10154455643113381_8744184544094065335_o-jpg

  26. #100

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    Quote Originally Posted by rob taft
    I started late playing guitar. I was 22 and working and my first guitar was an Ovation I purchased a deep bowl Ovation Legend from Paulus Music in Jacksonville Fl in 1973. Fred Paulus the owner let me buy it on credit and I was happy as a clam. It was a great playing guitar.

    Now has far as the best archtop guitar I have ever played would be Scott Chinery's Monteleone Blue guitar. Now what I now now, I should have scraped together the money and had Monteleone make me one at that time.
    Wow Rob. Now that's one I didn't expect. That must have been really special.
    Can elaborate a little on what made it the best guitar you've played? I need to live through you a little.
    joe D