The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    My Eastman AR610 has the "antique" finish, definitely a acquired taste. But it sounds so good with it's mahogany body, that I'd keep it even if it were florescent pink...

    Enjoy yours Rob!
    Last edited by guido5; 09-20-2018 at 05:33 AM.

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  3. #27

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    Hey, neatomic, I've no problem with your comments. Tell it like it is, is always the best policy.

    It's funny, though. I got a message from a lute and classical-guitar maker today, saying how much he loved the "open pore" finish, which he has seen on a few high-end instruments, arguing that it really does allow the wood to breath more. It's the combination of open pores and violin finish that he likes. I've had an open-pore Ibanez acoustic bass for over a year, never in its case, and no problems whatsoever.

    Really, it doesn't bother me.

    But, you are right, I am very lucky to have the Big Elf. But as it was (until today) my only acoustic, I was using it in my teaching sessions at home, and four times it almost got hit by students who are not completely in control of their instruments! It was only a matter of time before one of them gave it a heavy dint. So, I was on the look out for something that was still a half-decent instrument, but one that I wouldn't mind getting bashed around a bit. I also fancied a GJ guitar, despite knowing that no matter how many years I put into GJ technique, I will NEVER sound like a gypsy player - I just have my own voice, and it comes out despite my best efforts to hide it ;-)

    I always appreciate your comments!

  4. #28

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    I think the popularity of Eastmans with pro jazz players speaks for itself.

    Guitars you can tour and bash around a bit, but sound great and have really good specs. Strong acoustic voice as well. You won't find that on any similar or cheaper priced guitars, apart from maybe Loar and I'd hate to know what you think about the finishes on those.

  5. #29

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    I think it sounds "right," and I like the antiqued finish...Altair does something kind of similar.

    I'd play that guitar anywhere, anyday.

  6. #30

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    Cheers, Jeff. I'm sure you'd make a better job of it than me, but I'm happy with it.

    Neatomic has a point that open pores and laminates could be a recipe for cracks and splits, though I've not come across that before, or heard of it happening, but can see logic in his argument.

    That aside, the guitar is beautifully put together. The frets are highly polished, the nut and bridge seem to have care taken over them. It's quite loud - not as full-bodied as the Elferink, but it's a different sort of instrument. Very light and resonant. The strings are poor - D'Addarios - rusting a little. I've ordered Argentines, as that is what one does with such instruments, though I've never tried those strings before.

  7. #31

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    I have open pore laminate mahogany on my LaPatrie classical. It's 20 years old, no cracks, and it's spent whole summers in a non air-conditioned classroom supply closet, and also spent three days trapped in a car trunk during a blizzard.

    I predict it will be a complete non issue for you too.

  8. #32

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    Hi guys! Doug Martin here! Yes I live in Beijing and work with Eastman and have been working with them on this guitar from the start. We have made several prototypes and we also had a Favino of mine here for them to study as well as a handful of other gypsy guitars that my students own, and of course the music of Django Reinhardt and my suggestions.

    Pretty much everything everyone has observed so far is true. These guitars are bright but they really have a lot of attack, crisp response, great volume, tight bass. They are a matte finish, BUT the DM-2 which was introduced in Summer NAMM is a French polish version. For those who find the DM-1 very bright, they will enjoy the antique varnish model, which is a bit more mellow.

    The workshop is stringing up a large batch of DM-1s right now and soon these will be sent out to both the US and EU so dealers should be getting these before too long. DM-2s will follow shortly! They are finally coming!

    I made a nice video to demo the guitars for Eastman last year in Pomona but as the guitars haven't hit the dealer shops yet, they haven't released it yet but will soon. In that video you can hear a lot more examples of the guitars being played in solo, rhythm, chord melody, etc.

  9. #33

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    Eastman strings up all their guitars with D'addario so naturally it's the same for the gypsy guitars. Of course guitar strings are cheap, no matter what they would supply the guitars with, we guitarists are usually gear junkies and string our babies up with what we prefer anyway before too long.

  10. #34

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    The DM2 is also oval hole (petit bouche). There are several ideas we are tossing around. Step by step though. We have to get the DM1 and DM2 models out in the world before we start seriously considering any new models. If people really like these guitars and want D hole versions or other variations, anything is possible.

  11. #35

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    Hi Doug! Great to have your input on this thread. Congratulations on the guitar, which I'm happy with for my level of playing in this style. I look forward to seeing how the series develops.

  12. #36

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    Our very own Doug Martin!
    This is so cool. I read through most of the thread last night and stopped before Doug posted. I even commented on my friend Rob's wonderful video.
    I reached out to Stringswinger to see if the "DM" referred to our own Doug Martin. And he told me yes. I was pumped.
    Nice going Doug. I am not much of a Gypsy Jazz player, but if I was, I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat. No doubt.

    I think Eastman is the perfect company to make one of these guitars. I am sure the guitar is vibrant, responsive and crisp. Not to mention light weight and manageable. And Doug, you deserve all the accolades.

    Last night, I checked Eastman's Artist page on their website last night and you weren't on it yet. But I am sure they will update it soon as the picture of your mug will be an upgrade over most of what's already there!

    Congratulations Doug. I am proud of you man.

    Joe D.

  13. #37

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    Lovely surprise seeing you here Rob, never a bad presentation from you.

    Funny enough despite listening to a good deal of it and letting it inspire my rock playing I've never thought to get a gypsy jazz guitar myself. I likely won't still to be honest but it's nice to see more adorable options being presented

  14. #38

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    Doh! I never connected Doug's initials with the name of the guitar. From the playing I hear on your website, Doug, you deserve it. Amazing playing.

  15. #39

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    Congrats Rob, the guitar sounds better in your hands than in the other demo. You are on your way to exploring jazz Manouche and have a very good tool with which to start. It sure sounds good to me.

    Doug knows Gypsy guitars as well as anyone and plays them better than most. He now owns my Favino and frankly, as he is a way better Gypsy jazzer than me, that Favino is in the right hands.

    Michael Horowitz's books on Gypsy picking and Gypsy Rhythm are well worth using to get a handle on the technique that will bring the best out of that guitar.

    May she inspire your playing for many years to come!

  16. #40

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    Thanks, Stringswinger. I have Michael's two books, and Stephane Wrembel's book, which covers improv. If I don't improve, it will be entirely my own doing. I've even got a Wegen pick, and a set of Argentine strings arriving today. I'm going to slick back my hair and grow a pencil moustache. There's no stopping me now!

  17. #41

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    Good points.

    I've now found I can get a relaxed tremolo for fast speed bursts by pointing the head of the guitar more towards the "audience" (currently three teddy bears, a highland bull, and two robots...those guys are very critical!) rather than across my body.

    I might be imagining this, but I'm now on the third day, and the guitar sounds different, less brash. Of course, the strings are dying - I'm waiting for the Argentines to arrive - but still, I'm really finding strength and sweetness while playing between bridge and hole, a little closer to the whole. And starting to get a feel for the rest-stroke technique. Early days, but I can see where this is going. Now that I'm getting more used to it, I can declare that this is a fantastic guitar!

  18. #42

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    I've been told they are shipping now to the US and Europe, so within a few weeks they should be in the stores, I imagine. But don't quote me on it.

  19. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmajor9
    Wow! A Daisy Rock Höfner! (apologies for the veer)
    Hello Kitty Höfner. I'm all about the veer. OK, back to the subject, Django would definitely have played one. Or one of these:
    Attached Images Attached Images Eastman 'Gypsy Jazz Guitar'-hof-mod600-74-jpg 

  20. #44

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    Hi Doug,

    I just wanted to say thank you for posting this. I actually found it on YouTube first, and then saw it when I came back to check on this thread here. It then took me a bit to realize that you are the same Doug Martin from which the DM nomenclature is derived!

    I appreciate the video and the side by side. The Eastman holds its own very well, in my opinion. I've been impressed with every Eastman that I've owned, and am glad that this seems to be another great option from them. I'm in the process of determining if I truly "need" a gypsy jazz guitar to accomplish what I would like to, but if I decide I do, this is very high on my list.

    Any word when the DM-2 relic/French polished version will be available Stateside?

    Thanks again!
    Last edited by backdrifter; 11-29-2018 at 03:04 PM.

  21. #45

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    Thanks for the response, Doug! I would really appreciate it if you could do the DM1/DM2 comparison video - that would be great! I prefer the aged varnish look of the DM2 (Selmer types just look "right" aged, like Teles!), and would love to hear the tonal differences.

    Thanks again!

  22. #46

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    I think you guys made the right decision in keeping the dot on the 10th fret. If you’re going for an “authentic” model, I think it’s important to follow tradition. It’s never bothered me on the Selmer-style guitars that I’ve owned in the past, though I can certainly see how it would bother some. Like you pointed out though, with a few stickers and a sharpie, it’s an easy fix if it bothers you that much.

  23. #47

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    Here’s a long read on my new addition: FV680CE, the Frank Vignola signature model! This was built in Oct 2018 and was a rarely-played demo guitar at Blues Angel Music. It looks and feels like a brand new instrument. I’ve only had about two hours of total play time, and I can already tell it successfully fulfills some of my goals for ergonomics and versatility:

    • smaller body size at 15 inches wide
    • shorter scale than traditional Gypsy Jazz guitars, with body connecting at 14th fret (hard to come by)
    • comfortable feeling neck profile (I don’t know the exact specs but will measure neck depth) - 1.75 in nut width

    Eastman 'Gypsy Jazz Guitar'-eastman-fv-small-1-jpg Eastman 'Gypsy Jazz Guitar'-eastman-vignola-small-2-jpg
    Overall, I think I play better on this guitar than my other acoustics. Challenging things seem easier to play. It’s a great physical fit. I wanted a versatile acoustic/electric that leaned toward Gypsy Jazz, and this guitar really does a lot of things well. It’s really responsive to change in picks, attack, and picking position. Old style acoustic blues is really satisfying to play, as is fingerstyle folk. The solo Django tunes come off well, sort of Gypsy Jazz/Classical hybrid stuff. The bass strings need to bring out more low end to be a real strummer, and while I don’t really ask that of this guitar I think different strings would help. I’d like to use this guitar to help expand my Gypsy Jazz and jazz standards range and technique.

    Positives:
    One positive surprise is really high fret access. I didn’t notice till recently but check out the placement of the cutaway--it's at about the 18th fret. I can comfortably reach much higher than on the Gitane Gypsy Jazz guitar. And notes still ring out beautifully up there. It’s musically usable and available space.
    Another great surprise is how versatile the Vignola is plugged in. There aren't many demos or videos that show this. I tested with a Yamaha THR10, and this guitar sounded great through a variety of amp models. Yes, for acoustic representation & mellow jazz tones but also blues overdriven tones. That Lollar Johnny Smith pickup can go from bridge-like bright and cutting all the way to traditional neck tones. I’m not sure about feedback with a larger amp and at higher volume, but my sense is that it can cover a ton of ground as an electric. I had a lot of fun playing the Stones’ “Midnight Rambler” and Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” plus some Chuck Berry tunes. Bluesy rock hollow-body stuff sounds great and feels great with the Vignola.


    Areas for improvement:
    One is that the tone wheel/pot has a very narrow sweep. Its bassy and muffled, a narrow sweet spot for mellow tones, and then just bright for most of the rest of the sweep. This does work kind of in combination with the volume setting, but overall I wish it had a wider gradual tone range. I guess one advantage to this is being able to quickly adjust tone, which requires more dexterity with the pickguard wheel placement on this model compared to a knob on the guitar top.
    Another is the fret end bevel. It’s slightly on the border of being too much angle for me. I'm not falling off, but they could have left more usable fret-end real estate. But the trade off is that the frets are super smooth.
    This guitar came with D’Addario NYXL 12-52 nickel strings (with a wound g), and they feel way more flexible than their gauge suggests. Strings in the same gauge that feel and respond tighter would be better for me.


    I’m going to try a few different types of strings on the Vignola also in the hopes of bringing out a bit more low end. It might be that the ones he reportedly uses, LaBella 12-52 nickel, are the best overall choice for acoustic and electric. However, I’m curious to optimize the acoustic tone since that’s primarily how I’ll be playing for now. I recently put Pyramid 12-52 silver-plated copper strings on my Eastman AC312 (pictured), and love the feel. They’re just like traditional Gypsy Jazz strings only in a standard gauge. I’m also curious to try Martin Retro (monel) strings, which I have enjoyed on my Gretsch Jim Dandy.

    So that's about it for now. I'll try to update this as I get to know this instrument better. In the mean time, it's a pleasure to play and seems like a great fit for me.

  24. #48

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    Congrats! May she inspire your playing for many years to come.

    My friend, Michael Horowitz (owner of Djangobooks.com) has a Benedetto Frank Vignola, which is one of Michael's few keeper guitars. Frank is an amazing player and does the Gypsy jazz thing in his own way (with a true American accent). I believe your guitar is a copy of sorts of the Thorell Vignola. Keep us informed as to your impressions.

    And

  25. #49

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    Good for you! I have one of these and I use it constantly. Great guitar indeed! I have Thomastik 12 flat wounds on it right now and I just love them. I had various round wounds on it in the past. No matter what I string it up with it sounds great. My go to guitar for traveling as well. I use it for GJ, swing, bebop, whatever. It's kind of a Swiss army knife guitar. All around an amazing instrument.

  26. #50

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    Congrats. Looks beautiful. Have endless hours of fun!