The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chazmo
    P.S. I play three versions of the 5th Avenue professionally all the time.
    I agree. But somehow it still gets knocked by “purists” as a budget instrument.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    I bought an Aria FA-71 about 15 years ago, set it up for 12 or 13 flat chromes and I've been very happy with it. It's got that whoop that I like and there is a fix for the howling if you want to plug the holes with an F hole shaped piece of wood on a drywall hanger assembly. But I only play in small little places so it's not an issue. I've been real happy with it. If I go to larger places or I'm playing in a group setting that's larger than the trio that I kind of work with on occasion then I will use either my Holdsworth Fatboy or tele that's heavily shielded.

  4. #28

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    Thin line... tone... build quality... budget constraints?

    I’d look for a Soloway on Reverb and JUMP on it. You won’t regret it.

  5. #29

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    The guitars you list are

    Eastman AR903 (?, I think you meant 905) --carved top with floating pickup
    D’Angelico EX-DH -- laminated top with 2 set-in pickups
    D'Angelico EXL-1 -- pressed top with floating pickup
    Epiphone Emperor Regent --
    pressed top with floating pickup
    Epiphone - ES 175
    laminated top with 2 set-in pickups
    Peerless Gigmaster -- laminated top with 2 set-in pickups

    On top of the differences in top/pickup differences there are also differences in other materials, scale length and body dimensions. You can't take that collection of models and draw any conclusions about a relationship between price and tone. I'd add that if you're defining quality in terms of durability (as you seem to be doing), they're all good guitars that will last as long as you're likely to need a guitar to last. These days, above a certain fairly low price point (around $400), there are no bad bad guitars. There may be guitars you don't like for various reasons and/or you may wind up changing some components on a guitar, but build quality is highly unlikely to be a problem.

    Keep trying guitars until you find one that has the right sound and feel for you. If it's $500, don't worry. If it's $1000, don't worry. Based on the sound you seem to prefer, stick to laminated tops with set-in pickups. I'd add Eastman AR371 and Ibanez Akjv90 (or 95, same thing with slight cosmetic differences) to the list. Both are great sounding, great playing guitars in similar tone spaces to ones on your list you say you like. I play a Godin 5th Ave Kingpin (great, absurdly cheap guitar).

    John

  6. #30

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    See if you can find an Ibanez AFC-95 to try. I own one and for $700 it's a good deal. Richie Zellon ranked it at #2 on his list of top 10 jazz guitars for under $1k. I purchased mine before he did his reviews. I have the natural finish model which has a flat finish and to me feels like a high quality acoustic with that warm natural feel. It has 2 floating pickups. It's not flashy looking, but it's nice. It has figured maple sides and back with a spruce top. It came with chrome 11's and I've moved up to TI Swings in 13. I play it through a 20 year old Peavey Classic 30 and I can get any sound I want or need. I believe there's a couple other members here who own one. It's a fairly newer model. I believe it debuted in 2017?

  7. #31

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    So I’ve made a purchase and I’m pretty happy so far. Thanks for everyone’s input, it helped clarify my decision process. I wound up with a Peerless Monarch. I found I love the tone from every clip I watched. While I didn’t play a Monarch before purchase, I played the gigmaster and Cremona while searching and the Monarch has the same feel they had. I found it used so it was right in my budget.

    In in the end it was a compromise, but not a major one. It doesn’t feel as perfect as some other guitars I own or have owned but it feels very good. It sounds absolutely fantastic, not amazing but fantastic. I think it comes down to doing your homework and finding the best deals!

  8. #32

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    I’ve been know to pimp the out of production but easily available used Ibanez af85.
    https://www.musicgoround.com/product...SABEgL76PD_BwE

  9. #33

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    I have a vintage ES-345 tdw that i never play, due to the neck feel and boat anchor weight. I also owned and fairly quickly sold both a Godin Jazz and an Eastman AR803ce-16. The Godin was beautifully constructed and felt terrific, but wasn't the right sound, for me. The Eastman was closer to what I was hunting for but still didn't quite deliver. After parting with those two, I took a chance on a used Epi ES-175 reissue (non Premium) and after a very budget-minded upgrade of wiring and PU, it sounds better and feels better than those previous two archtops for around a quarter of the price. It's not nearly as nicely put together as the Godin and it's not as sexy as the Eastman but it begs to be played. That's what matters to me. Price/Pedigree be damned.

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by whiskey02
    I’ve been know to pimp the out of production but easily available used Ibanez af85.
    https://www.musicgoround.com/product...SABEgL76PD_BwE
    Me too
    worked great