Peerless Monarch

[Kluson]

I am new to jazz, and would like to buy an archtop. I like the look of the Peerless Monarch.

My worries are:

1. the lack of a tone control, although I saw the guitar in the states with a tone control!, Is this same guitar available in the UK?
2. The floating pick up and solid top, does anyone have feedback issues, I don't want to play to loud , but heard that some people had issues even at lounge levels

Has anyone replaced the pick up with the shadow Attila Zoller floating jazz guitar humbucker?

Any comments on this guitar very welcome cheers

[Meggy]

I have also always liked the look of the Peerless Monarch! I can't talk from experience of actually playing it but just for what it is worth, if everything else about the guitar seemed to be right, I personally would probably go ahead and get one. You could always look to adding a tone control on the fingerboard at a later date. If you're just going to use it for solo playing at lounge level though, I would guess that you could pretty much get the tone you need just with the amp controls.

But my (I admit limited) experience has been that for archtops, if the guitar has a poor tone acoustically, then this will have a negative impact on the amplified sound, and having, or not having, a tone control will do nothing to rescue the situation. So I guess what I'm saying is try to play the guitar a lot before you buy, and if everything else is good i.e. tone, playability, looks, quality, then it is a go-er, and if you want a tone you can always put one on later.

The Shadow pickup looks nice, I'm sure someone have some info to give you on that one!

[fep]

I recently was exploring buying an archtop. I orginally had my heart set on a floating pick-up and solid carved top. It just made good sense to me to let that solid top vibrate unhindered.

But...

I tested a bunch of archtops side by side thru the same amp and it turned out I didn't like the way the ones with floating pickups sounded when they were amplified. Too bright, too brittle for me. yomv

So my advice is to make sure you play a bunch of guitars side by side. Until you do that you really don't know what you'll prefer.

[Meggy]

I would agree with this advice totally - the amplified tone is important. When I say that the acoustic tone has to be good, I don't necessarily mean it needs to be loud, just good. And this should be reflected in the amplified tone, so of course this should be checked as well. And of course what fep says about the differences between floating and built in pickups is true too. There is no right or wrong, but different designs do have different qualities, so try a few guitars out to find out what sort of thing you like - this also applies to the carved vs. laminate top debate. I still think the Monarch is a nice looking guitar though!

[FWBO]

Hi Kluson,

it seems a shame to buy a midpriced jazz guitar expecting to have to swap the pickup out. I have a Vintage VSA 750 - and depending on who you talk to it is the same guitar out of the same factory - albeit with a tone pot.

The sound of my Brooklyn is thinner than my humbucker loaded Ibanez and on most amps I play the Brooklyn with the tone rolled off. That was until I got a Jazz King. It suits the Brooklyn better than the Ibanez.

It really depends what floats your boat. All I would say is the Brooklyn is more prone to feedback with a small amp. 200watt Kustom, 50 watt Sound City and Cube 60 it is fine with - Marshall MG 15 DFX and it howled like a good'n.

If it has to be a full humbucker then why not go for the Jazz City by Peerless?

It's 25.5 scale length but that isn't much of a problem for most and it does have a tone control

[Aladin111]

Peerless produce fine guitars - last year i bought a Renaissence and a Jazz City. Decent quality.
Distribution nevertheless is very poor. Since a couple of months there's a new uk distributor ( Euromusic ) - but strange : almost no Peerless guitars in stock. ( some shops in the Uk even banned them )
Service is also very dramatic.( one guy asked for a replacement : his guitar
is still on the way, after TEN months )
What started as a fairytale ( good sales ) is beginning to look like a nightmare.
Peerless Korea ? ? ? ? : are they aware of the problems? ?

[jazzizgreat]

I bought a Peerless Monarch a month ago and can't fault it, probably the best value for money today.

Can't comment on any feed back, don't have an amp yet - still looking, ... any suggestions ??
André

[mangotango]

I tried a Peerless Monarch a while back and couldn't really find any issue with it, apart from the lack of a tone control. I hadn't even thought of a guitar with a floater before that.

[Tarek]

Peerless guitars are great value. They play very smoothly and they are priced right. I own a Monarch and GigMaster and I love both guitars but they are not 100% perfect. However, the imperfections are minor flaws in the finish, materials or construction that mostly do not affect the playing of the guitar. I recommend Peerless archtop guitars to anyone who is looking for a good sounding and a good value archtop guitar. I am likely to buy one or two more Peerless models. However, I am urging the Peerless company representatives, if they read these threads, to pay more attention to details when it comes to finish and construction and not get sloppy.

[jayx123]

I have a monarch - great guitar for the money, regarding the feedback there is a sound post which is there to prevent it by syncing the vibrations of the top and the back. The stock pickup is a little hot but you can get a really good sound tweaking the amp.

[kambor]

I've tried the monarch and the manhattan side by side. My advice is to save up the difference (not many bucks) and go for the manhattan. It really sounds better, despise being laminated.

[RuffRider]

Would anyone care to comment on the differences in the sound of the "Monarch" as compared to the "Imperial"...I'm considering getting one or the other and there's no chance for me auditioning either one. I'm aware that one is laminated and the other is carved.

[benjazzman82]

Hi there.

I play peerless guitars exclusivly after finding them 2 years ago. The 2 models i own are the Manhattan and the Jazz City. They are fantastic guitars. The pickups are not too bright IMO. Just some clever tweaking on your amp should dial out any unwanted high frequencies. I am sure that i will be buying another when the tine is right...most likely the gigmaster jazz or the cremona...or the monarch.
Bottom line... They are the best new guitars under £1000 IMO....although mine are bith second hand. Both of mine ae superb to play.
Type in peerless manhatten into youtube and you can see a clip of mine in action.

Best of luck

ben

[gianluca]

good morning from italy

I found this about peerless monarch

and my question is:
is the monarch tone exactly like what I heard on this video?
or is the great touch/technique of this guitar player to make this guitar sound so good?

I own a gibson 175 that I love but I found the tone of this monarch really nice even if much different from my 175.
maybe because the mine is laminated and the monarch is solid?
or is the guitarist touch to make the difference?

gianluca

[Philco]

Ah yes the Matt Otten clips. He does get a good sound out of the Monarch and also from other guitars he plays. If you go to his site you can read a description of how he got the sound. There is no amp involved. He goes from an interface straight into his computer. A touch of reverb and there you have it.

BUT note well where Matt places his pick. Right above the pickup. The sweet spot. He also has a particular picking style. Quite even. This creates the sound as well.
I bought a Monarch a couple of weeks ago and can plug it straight into my Deluxe Reverb and get the same sound.
They just sound great.
It's a big guitar though. 17" That's the style.
I really don't like it because of this.....even though I'm over 6' tall. I just find it cumbersome and awkward to reach the top frets.
The build quality on my Ibanez GB10 is much better so I also didn't like the step down in quality. But the Monarch eats the GB10 for tone.

I'm going to sell this Monarch if any list members in Australia are interested.
It's been played for 10 minutes!!
Asking $1250 AU. with case.

[tonyknight]

In reading this thread it seems that the sound and playability of the Peerless guitars is generally very highly regarded, although the finishing quality seems to be sadly lacking (which might make it a great gigging guitar for the price).

If this is the case, what guitars can be recommended as alternatives to the Monarch (for example) which might well be more expensive, but which offer the perfection of build quality as well as the tone that many of us are looking for?

I, for one, am certainly looking for a guitar that will live with me as long as I continue to play guitars and am considering selling a very prized Collings (which is just stunning in every way - except it's no longer suited to my style) in order to help pay for an archtop.

[RobJazz]

Guys,

Haven’t posted before but thought now was the time to say “hello and thanks ” to the Forum which I have followed for many many months.

Have played since my teens and have, and still enjoy some classic guitars, my beloved “73” Strat and Les Paul Standard in particular. However I have always loved the voicings and chord melody which we associate with Jazz and felt an archtop in my “later“ years was long overdue.

With heavy heart and to fund the next stage in my never ending guitar journey, I sold my Martin D28, a beautiful instrument, however one which deserved more “employment”. I will regret its departure but cash ain’t what it was!

With my thanks to the Forum, I concluded that Peerless, and in my budget, the Monarch could be the one for me. I had tried a number of different Archtops , Ibanez Artcore range in particular. However , If The Monarch was good enough for Bill Nelson , who was I to argue?

Problem was, like so many, finding a retailer (when based in the Scottish Isles) “wisnae easy” as we say in this part of the world.

By good fortune, CC Music in Glasgow appeared to have the Peerless distribution in Scotland sorted. Steve Caban and his team are simply brilliant. Steve sourced one for me (without obligation) and as soon as the case was opened, I knew The Monarch was mine.

Standard 17” x 3” with floating pup. Bang it through my new AER 40 (the balance of the D28) and I have never put it down.

Having read many posts , some thoughts on common threads..

Volume control on the p/guard - How convenient.

No Tone control - No need, roll volume back a tad and tone softens beautifully.

17” lower bout - Snug as a bug in a rug. Body depth is less than 3"

Wouldn’t have known about Peerless without the Forum.

Great stuff guys and hats off to Peerless.

Just have to learn A BIT MORE jAZZ

Have a great 2013

[jazzuki]

Welcome to the Club! I have had a lot of archtop guitars during my playing life( I am now 82 yrs)- Gibson -Epiphone-Guild Borys-right back to my first which was a Hofner "Committee" circa 1949 @£65 inc hardcase brand new! I am a committed Peerless fan as to my mind, construction wise- materials-build quality- playability and above price/value are practically unbeatable. So enjoy your Monarch (of the Glen) as I am sure you will have many great days playing it.By the way I have had a "New York" for about 4yrs now.

[kris]

Peerless are great jazz guitars.
I use my D'Aspiranta model New Yorker/Peerless factory/ over 6 years.
Very nice jazz box!

[2bornot2bop]

Great buys and very solid players those Peerless are. Enjoy yours!

[RobJazz]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Jazzuki, we have some more in common. My first axe was also a Hofner - a Galaxy - thought that was some time ago

Away for a wee play - again - Must take a duster to the Strat & Les Paul !

[jazzuki]

Robjazz. Woodshedding doesnt mean sneaking away for a" wee dram"to see the Monarch I hope?

[RobJazz]

Jazzuki,

Wouldn't you ?




RobJazz

[peterpanico]

Good choice.....about the Monarch,I own one,great stuff! I made a little change,put in an Aaron Armstrong pickup,now it's even better!!

[RobJazz]

peterpanico,

Cheers my man,

I hesiatte to change something I'm enjoying so much but we all seek the Holy Grail as it were .

What did you feel the Aaron Armstrong brought to the sound ?


RobJazz