Frameworks Jazzframe vs Tele vs Gibson L-5

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 09:54 AM

Dear friends,

with long sundays and bad weather there is some time to play around. There was some interest here on the forum for my Frameworks Jazzframe guitar.

The Jazzframe has been my main travel guitar for quite a while and has at least been five times around the globe, seen all continents, "talked" to an undisclosed number of suspicious custom officers, has been squeezed into countless overhead lockers, been on buses, cars, has been moved around by hotel room cleaning personnel - and doesn't have a single scratch. It really is not only virtually indestructible, it also is an amazing electric guitar in its own right.

The forum colleague normally plays a telecaster. So I thought, I could record the Jazzframe and compare it to a tele and a Gibson L5 as familiar reference points.

I have tried something that I haven't tried before which is to record with two microphones - a SM57 close to the speaker, slightly off center and a Rode NT1 a few inches off to better capture the room sound. The amp is my twin reverb, no pedals, no effects apart from a bit of amp reverb. I guess the mic's are clipping at some point, but I noticed it only when it was too late. Sorry for that.

My playing is what it is ... still trying to learn.

Hope you enjoy this:

**kris** · 10-29-2017, 10:15 AM

Hi Frank,
Are there the same amp set up for all guitars?

Best
Kris
ps.
nice work

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by kris

Hi Frank,
Are there the same amp set up for all guitars?

Yep, same amp, same settings, same everything. Only the guitars were changed.

[/QUOTE]
Best
Kris
ps.
nice work
[/QUOTE]

I am having so much fun trying to learn how to shoot and edit video.

**kris** · 10-29-2017, 10:26 AM

Frank,
I am interested how sound Jazz Frameworks playing fingerstyle....

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 10:31 AM

Dear Kris,

I am the opposite of a finger style virtuoso ... or a virtuoso in the first place :-)

I can record a little thing in the next few days, no problem. It is actually made for finger style players I believe since the nut is a little wider. The guitar in the backing track is the Jazz frame and I played with my fingers - but I am happy to do something in addition.

I know that you have the classical version of the Frameworks and you sound great on it!

cheers and thanks for your interest!
Frank

**kris** · 10-29-2017, 10:44 AM

Thanks Frank,
Jazzingly
Kris

**Rob MacKillop** · 10-29-2017, 10:52 AM

Well, surprise, surprise, they all sound different

Do you have any problem resting, or not being able to rest, your RH pinkie with the Jazzframe?

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 11:03 AM

Yes I do Rob. It is the one disadvantage I see. I had been thinking to ask a luthier to make me a finger rest that I can attach. I do not anchor strongly but I want a point of reference.

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 11:21 AM

I guess the purpose of the exercise was:

1) have fun
2) have some more fun
3) show that a guitar with almost no wood and no resonant body can have a full fat jazztone that is different from but not inferior to established tones

... I definitely succeeded with 1) and 2) but whether I succeeded with 3) is on you to decide ... if you wish to do so.

cheers,
Frank

**rlrhett** · 10-29-2017, 12:42 PM

I still don’t understand how or why, but the L5 sounded so much better to my ears even though we were hearing a magnetic pickup through the amp.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**bananafist** · 10-29-2017, 12:46 PM

I for one, was surprised how similar they all sound, given their differences. Damn, I want a Jazzframe now!

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 12:47 PM

The Gibson L5 just is that unbelievable guitar. A big, heavy archtop with almost no acoustic sound but plugged in there is nothing like it. I am not sure the video is really capturing what I heard in the room. But I understand what you mean. I did not mean to imply that the Jazzframe blows a L5 out of the water - far from it - more to give a sonic point of reference.

**kris** · 10-29-2017, 01:22 PM

My Framework modern classic is one of the best guitar I ever own.
I/ve played a lot of gigs on it.Very comfortable to transport and very light.
Kris

**coolvinny** · 10-29-2017, 02:32 PM

I think the Frameworks are very cool guitar, however in the video the L5 sounds the best by far, then the tele (I'd trim back the reverb though...) and then a distant, distant, very distant third is the Frameworks.

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 02:42 PM

Cool, thanks for the comment Vinny!
We all hear differently.
Btw, the reverb is the same on all guitar tracks.
Sure, less would be possible. I kind of like it though.

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by bananafist

I for one, was surprised how similar they all sound, given their differences. Damn, I want a Jazzframe now!

I more and more appreciate how big of a component the amp is in the overall sound. Perhaps even more than the guitar. I have yet to plug into a solid state amp that I am crazy about.

**Frank67** · 10-29-2017, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by coolvinny

I think the Frameworks are very cool guitar, however in the video the L5 sounds the best by far, then the tele (I'd trim back the reverb though...) and then a distant, distant, very distant third is the Frameworks.

The way I am hearing it, the L5 sounds the best, then the Frameworks then the Tele - and I am not listening with my wallet :-) The Tele sounds a bit thinner and brighter than I intended. It is a lot brighter than the other two and I probably should have rolled off even more of the high end. It also has far and away the weakest pickup of the three. That is not a bad thing of course, just an observation. I mean, any of these tones will do given my limited abilities; It is just fun to play around :-)

Happy jazzing everybody!

**2bornot2bop** · 10-29-2017, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by FrankLearns

I more and more appreciate how big of a component the amp is in the overall sound. Perhaps even more than the guitar. I have yet to plug into a solid state amp that I am crazy about.

Tubes rule. Stay warm Frank!

**WillMbCdn5** · 10-29-2017, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

Well, surprise, surprise, they all sound different

Do you have any problem resting, or not being able to rest, your RH pinkie with the Jazzframe?

I had the Frameworks Classic nylon and found not having something to rest my right hand pinky or fingers upon very annoying. That said it would be easy to attach a nice custom wood fingerboard to solve that. They really are amazing guitars , beautifully made just too wide a neck and string spacing for my liking. I traded mine for a 17" cutaway archtop with a single floater pickup that way better suits my interests. I found my Frameworks languishing in a second hand shop for sale at the cost of a good leather guitar strap, it sounded great with TI classic S rope core strings into an Empress Para EQ and Peavey Red stripe bandit 112 with a Eminence Legend 1258 speaker.

Will

**citizenk74** · 10-29-2017, 06:17 PM

Cool video! Nice editing and effects. The L5 reigns supreme (as it should) your build sounds great and the FWs acquits itself very well, IMHO. Thanks for posting this, and for your fine playing!

**Rob MacKillop** · 10-29-2017, 07:06 PM

Maybe you should highlight each guitar at its best - the optimum settings for one instrument might make another guitar sound poor.

**Frank67** · 10-30-2017, 12:42 AM

It is a good point Rob. I guess I wanted to make things easier to compare. On the guitar controls, they were set to taste.

In terms of amp settings, I guess that most jazz people like it if their amp has pretty much flat frequency response. For a twin (or most blackface Fender amps) this happens when bass and treble are fully rolled down and mids a full up. That is how I normally set my twin (or mids slightly lower, like 7-8). Now, the L5 has such an unbelievable bass response that it was on the verge of feedback on the bass notes. I would have liked to turn the bass further down but that is not possible without an eq pedal.

There was one thing I would change: I accidantely left the bright switch on. Just forgot about it. Normally I would not do that.

Cheers and and thank for the feedback everyone,
Frank

**Frank67** · 10-30-2017, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by citizenk74

Cool video! Nice editing and effects. The L5 reigns supreme (as it should) your build sounds great and the FWs acquits itself very well, IMHO. Thanks for posting this, and for your fine playing!

You are a very gracious man citizenk74! Thank you very much.
I am currently trying to teach myself recording and video editing using Finalcut Pro. That is a very powerful program and I am having so much fun with it. It is still beginner stage of course and everything takes me forever, but it is fun nonetheless.

**jzjazz** · 10-30-2017, 03:21 AM

Hi! Thanks for the video. I would definitely remove the frameworks comping guitar for two reasons: 1. If a piano player is comping, it's usually best not to try to comp along. You'll have your chance when he's done

2. The comping is sometimes to loud and makes it harder to hear the solo guitars.

Have you had the tone knob turned up on the L5?

For me the frameworks and tele sound the way I expect them to sound but the L5 sounds pretty poor (sorry!). Pretty dark and muddy. And I'm saying that as absolute L5-lover.

**Frank67** · 10-30-2017, 03:59 AM

Hi jzjazz,

thanks for the pointers. You are completely right about the comping being too loud and interfering with the piano. Me bad; I should have paid more attention to that.

Yes, the tone knob was fully open on the L5 but the volume was fairly far rolled down.

I'll try to improve next time :-)

Cheers,
Frank