The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    None of them of course sounds as good as this 600 dollar Epiphone:


    PS: This is just a video I found on youtube when searching for Broadway demos. It's not me. Good player though.
    Last edited by Tal_175; 07-13-2019 at 07:39 AM.

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    None of them of course sounds as good as this 600 dollar Epiphone:


    PS: This is just some video I found on youtube when searching for Broadway demos. It's not me.
    I agree that the sound of that Epi is totally "in there" with all the high-dollar ones in the OP. Just goes to show you...

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by DMgolf66
    Didn't they all sound pretty darn good?

    Maybe it's my neophyte ears, but if I was listening to this guy live and he was playing any of these guitars I would never say "boy, nice player, but he sounds like doo-doo"
    Well, none of those guitars sounded like doo-doo but I have definitely been at a jam session and heard another player who had fantastic talent and but whose tone sounded like doo-doo. The crappy bit for me is when the midrange is so far peaked with tone rolled off that the amp is breaking up and those peaks are just irritating ones ear.

  5. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by ruger9
    I agree that the sound of that Epi is totally "in there" with all the high-dollar ones in the OP. Just goes to show you...
    I did not hear THAT much difference in the first place in the original clip.

    It's hard to judge the tone of a guitar from a Youtube clip. Apart from the guitar, there are many variables. (miked or direct recording, the amp, post processed or not, amp settings/ tonal preferences of the player, the pick used, the fingers or nails of the guy himself) The guitar is just ONE of them. Of course you can like or dislike what you hear but that does not mean that the guitar in the clip will sound anything like that in your hands.

    I could come up with a list of high end guitars that sound really bad IMHO and with a few cheapos that sound just fine.

    And then there's the holistic effect. Player and sound merge. MVI sounds great on a 125 because he is a great player, not because he is playing a 125 (which I happen to like too).

    Bottom line. I suspect judging guitars from sound clips is tricky, if not an illusion.

    A good player will always sound better on a crappy guitar than a bad one on an L5. Finally some justice in this wicked world after all ...

    Some say sound is mostly in the fingers.

    DB

  6. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by DB's Jazz Guitar Blog
    I did not hear THAT much difference in the first place in the original clip.

    It's hard to judge the tone of a guitar from a Youtube clip. Apart from the guitar, there are many variables. (miked or direct recording, the amp, post processed or not, amp settings/ tonal preferences of the player, the pick used, the fingers or nails of the guy himself) The guitar is just ONE of them. Of course you can like or dislike what you hear but that does not mean that the guitar in the clip will sound anything like that in your hands.

    I could come up with a list of high end guitars that sound really bad IMHO and with a few cheapos that sound just fine.

    And then there's the holistic effect. Player and sound merge. MVI sounds great on a 125 because he is a great player, not because he is playing a 125 (which I happen to like too).

    Bottom line. I suspect judging guitars from sound clips is tricky, if not an illusion.

    A good player will always sound better on a crappy guitar than a bad one on an L5. Finally some justice in this wicked world after all ...

    Some say sound is mostly in the fingers.

    DB
    Yup... that's what I meant when I said "just goes to show you..."

  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by DB's Jazz Guitar Blog
    I did not hear THAT much difference in the first place in the original clip.

    It's hard to judge the tone of a guitar from a Youtube clip. Apart from the guitar, there are many variables. (miked or direct recording, the amp, post processed or not, amp settings/ tonal preferences of the player, the pick used, the fingers or nails of the guy himself) The guitar is just ONE of them. Of course you can like or dislike what you hear but that does not mean that the guitar in the clip will sound anything like that in your hands.

    I could come up with a list of high end guitars that sound really bad IMHO and with a few cheapos that sound just fine.

    And then there's the holistic effect. Player and sound merge. MVI sounds great on a 125 because he is a great player, not because he is playing a 125 (which I happen to like too).

    Bottom line. I suspect judging guitars from sound clips is tricky, if not an illusion.

    A good player will always sound better on a crappy guitar than a bad one on an L5. Finally some justice in this wicked world after all ...

    Some say sound is mostly in the fingers.

    DB
    Correct. A compressed Internet clip is no way to judge a guitar. Even playing a guitar in a store, or playing a friends guitar will not do the trick. The only way to truly evaluate a guitar is to own it for a time, have it set up to your specs and use it with your amp in your usual venues (even if your living room is the only venue you play).

    While the 11 archtops in the OP video are a very cool collection, four iconic jazz guitars were missing, to wit, a Super 400CES, an ES-175D, a single pickup ES-175 and a L-5CES.

  8. #32

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    They all sounded good and I have my preferences too. But to me the question is... an hour after the taping, which guitar was a he still playing, and which were back in their cases? As some noted, it's in the hands -- and how the guitar plays is what the hands feel.

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    The only way to truly evaluate a guitar is to own it for a time, have it set up to your specs and use it with your amp in your usual venues (even if your living room is the only venue you play).
    Quite so. That's why it often goes wrong. You play a guitar in a store or at somebody's place, say for an hour and then you have to decide if you put in the big bucks or not. Then at home it sounds different and onyour first gig with it COMPLETELY different. I ended up buying a few guitars that I would have left alone had I had a longer try out period. But unfortunately sellers are not willing to let you try out a guitar for a month. At least, I have never met one.

    DB

  10. #34

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    OK.. fun video regardless of it's efficacy as a 'test'. And of course the answer is to spend weeks at home hands on with your own style, your own repertoire, your own strings, and your own amp going through a nice stack of $3000 to $8000 guitars to see which one suits you. I'll get right on that.

  11. #35

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    Seeing Makis’ comparison and these other fine players has been good for my soul. It has helped de-GAS me (for now) and send me back to the woodshed, where I should be focusing.

    Roli

  12. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by rolijen
    Seeing Makis’ comparison and these other fine players has been good for my soul. It has helped de-GAS me (for now) and send me back to the woodshed, where I should be focusing.

    Roli

    Haha...that's often how I feel after watching videos like this. I can't say it has helped me "de-GAS"--I felt there were subtle differences to be heard, and I came away GASing for an L-5 (already at the top of my wish-list), and any number of Heritage guitars, but that Sweet 16 --but it definitely inspires me to woodshed.


  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tal_175
    I've been wanting to get a cheap L5 copy for sometime. Not as a main guitar, but just for fun. I'm seriously impressed with D'Angelico Exl-1 in this video. I didn't consider this model because of the floating pickup going too far away from L-5CES design with two mounted humbuckers. I was considering getting a Broadway. But it looks like probably due to the less resonant laminated top, floating pickups do not sound bright or too "acoustic" on D'Angelico Exl-1. It's hard to be certain based on a youtube video. Does anyone have his model? How does it compare with Epi Broadway?
    I’ve had 2 of the Korean built EXL-1s and 2 of the more recent Chinese made Broadways.

    The EXL-1 is nice, well made guitar that is a good bit more acoustically responsive than the Broadway. The floating pickup actually sounds pretty good once positioned properly. While it’s a lovely guitar, a “cheap L5 copy”, it ain’t.

    The Broadway is very much an L-5 copy worth trying. I really like mine. However, both of the Chinese built Broadways I’ve had came with QC issues. The first one was wonderful sounding and playing but it would turn my fingertips black! I guess there was buffing compound embedded in the fretboard from a shoddy fret polishing job. Either that or the dye they use on the “ebony” fretboard is not very good. It was so bad, I returned it.

    But there was something about that Broadway that really clicked with me. A year later, I stopped in CME to try out an amp and there was a new Broadway hanging near the quiet rooms so I grabbed it and plugged in. I was floored with how good it sounded. Fattest L-5 tone ever. I immediately started GASsing for a Broadway again. A few weeks later I came across a mint used one on Reverb and pulled the trigger. Funny thing—It too made my fingertips black! I rubbed down the fretboard for a good while and, several ruined rags later, got all of the black residue off. Since then, it has been one of my “go to” guitars.

    Roli

  14. #38

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    Very nice comparison - I could discern (most) of the sonic differences on my laptop, but have yet to listen to the video played back via a better sound card/decent speakers. Looking forward to that; thanks for the post - Don

  15. #39

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    I have some experience with D'Angelico arch tops and from looking at the one in the video, it should be somewhere around $1500 (unless it's an original). Not sure if you'd call that inexpensive or not but hopefully that helps!

  16. #40

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    In general the 11 comparison did very little to make any determination. Fun to see the guitars but otherwise not of much value. You want to know how a guitar is..................get it and spend some time with it in many and various situations.

  17. #41

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    Well, listening to all 3 vids, I heard a variety of tones (on my computer with decent headphones).

    Variations were very clear. But the vid of MVI yielded the most velvety, deep tone. Also, noticeable is the different mixing technique - more room ambiance. The 11 guitar video seems to be miked right in front of the speaker cone, in comparison. And the Epiphone sounds great, but different player and different recording technique.

    Different players (hands and fingers) for sure. Overall, I preferred the Gibsons, one of the Eastmans, the Epiphone, and the DA plugged in, though when I tried one , not plugged in, I couldn't gel with its acoustic tone.