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A friend of mine who has a guitar store is a retailer for Eastman. I have played many Eastman archtops and they are well made guitars, they sound good, play well and feel right. I generally prefer vintage guitars but I were to buy a brand new one, I would not hesitate to get one of those. Very good bang for the buck.
Originally Posted by daveg
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02-17-2010 02:26 PM
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Just wait, guys. I've got something coming that I hope will take Eastman down a notch. (Not saying there is anything wrong with Eastmans...I own one and love it) But we can get equal or greater quality for less! Originally Posted by Eddie Lang
I say, "Solid Carved Archtops for all!"
Last edited by 82Benedetto; 02-17-2010 at 09:41 PM.
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I wouldn't have suggested such a thing a month ago, but now the "jazz" guitar that has captured my fancy is a Tele w/ 1 - 3 Lollar Charlie Christian pickups.
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are these the C90 pick ups?
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They are the same type of pickup, but they are made by a different company. C90s are made by a U.K. company. These pickups are made by Lollar, and they come in Tele (neck & bridge), arch-top and Humbucker size formats. Originally Posted by jackmac
I wouldn't mind having one in an ES-175 type guitar w/ a single neck pickup. That would be sweet.
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Both Lollar and Vintage Vibe make this Charlie Christian-style pickup for Teles, and that is what you see in that video. It seems to be popular -- there are quite a few examples posted on the Tele forum. Those pickup companies also make a more traditionally-sized version (boat anchor huge) for archtops.
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DBoth Lollar and Vintage Vibe make this Charlie Christian-style pickup for Teles[/quote]
I wasn't familiar with Vintage Vibe... so that's at least 3 companies making Charlie Christian pickups. Lollar seems to have the most variety--unless I missed something on the other sites--as they have versions for other form factors... plus, unless I was hallucinating when I watched the Youtube video, a dual blade humbucking version for the Tele.
Is that the one where the three height/angle adjustment screws stick up through the body halfway down the guitar? I believe that someone makes a guitar called a black beauty (correction: Slaman Black Betty) with one of those already installed. Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
As I said before, I've like one on an ES-175 type guitar, i.e. a poor man's Barney Kessel guitar (albeit, I am more partial to the florentine cutaway that Barney was.)
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There's a video on youtube where Barney talks about how his guitar came together. He has chicken neck knobs from an old radio on it!
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02-19-2010, 01:37 PM #34TommyD GuestThat's what my ES 165 has - a single neck PUP. Frankly, I never liked the sound of bridge PUPs on archtops, and I was happy when I got the opportunity to buy one without it. Come to think of it, I never saw any top jazz player who I liked using that bridge PUP! Originally Posted by Hoopskidoodle
The guitar is a Gibson Custom Shop ES 175 made to Herb Ellis's specs - an ES 165. I don't know what PUP they put on it but I know Gibson went out of its way to make the guitar sound good. Kinda wish I did know what PUP they installed.
The guitar has a rich, yet sweet sound - but it could be my old Fender Reverb or my Austrian strings. But IMHP, all ES 175s have a great jazz sound.
Tommy/
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You're preaching to the choir! Ideally I wouldn't have a bridge pickup on any guitar purposed primarily for jazz... but I suppose that it only matters acoustically (as opposed to aesthetically) on arch-top guitars... especially solid ones. Originally Posted by TommyD
That's a nice guitar, but it seems to be a semi-hollow body guitar (all descriptions mention a "maple center block.") Originally Posted by TommyD
It's also far too expensive for me to set about modding it w/ Charlie Christian pickups. If I go the arch-top route (as opposed to the Tele) I'd probably just forgo the cutaway and buy something nice and cheap, like a (purely acoustic) Godin Fifth Avenue, and take a router to it... and re-radius that 16" neck to something like 10" at the nut and gradually flattening down the neck.
I absolutely adore this guitar (w/ or w/ out the CC pickup.) And, call me a cheapskate but, I $500.00 is much more in line with what I'd be willing to spend on a laminated guitar.
Last edited by Hoopskidoodle; 02-19-2010 at 10:41 PM.
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Re Barney Kessel's ES350:
If you check the photographs of his guitar(s) over the years I think that you'll agree that he probably had more than one.
A mysterious third volume/tone control hole keeps appearing and disappearing.
My guess is that when one needed attention the other was brought out for touring etc.
DG
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02-20-2010, 10:39 AM #37TommyD Guest
Quote: "That's a nice guitar, but it seems to be a semi-hollow body guitar (all descriptions mention a "maple center block."
No, No center block. Not semi-hollow. The ES 165 is an ES 175 straight through, but with one pick up instead of two.
T/
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The older ES-165 had a Gibson PAF style humbucking pup and the new ones have a Gibson floating humbucking pup. (see pics) Originally Posted by TommyD
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I'm a "neck pup" only user, too, but I've heard some people say that even just the mass of the bridge pup changes a ES-175, for example, and makes it sound different and feed back less. So you may not use the pup, but it still may make the guitar sound different than a one-pup guitar. Food for thought, anyhowdy.
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Build your own special guitar
It's my dream...
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Did look at that option!
Build Your Own Guitar
However as a new comer to Jazz but experienced folk guitar player would be a 00 guitar!
Jack
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I also am a flat top refugee (Martin D-35, Taylor 810, etc.). I did pick up a ES-175 (circa 1960) on the way and really like it. Single neck PAF pickup. It sounds the way a jazz guitar should to me.
It has held up remarkably well. I had it re-fretted about 20 years ago. That's it. I assume the reissue models are built to the same high quality standard. A new one should fit your budget.
Perhaps you might agree since we appear to share the same guitar roots.
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Would love a ES 175 but thats almost twice my budget! Just borrowed a Yamaha AEX 1500, thinking about buying it, can anyone advise me about what strings to put on it? Acoustic, electric? Should I use an acoustic or electric Amp?
Jack
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No offense, but it's my opinion the type of strings you use on a guitar like the AEX won't really matter. If I'm not mistaken, the entire guitar is laminated, and it's not really sensitive to little nuances like different strings.
That's just my personal opinion, though. It's my own experience that solid wood, hollow guitars respond much more favorably to different strings...for example round, flat, half, and tape wound strings all sound unbelievably different on my nice archies.
I think there needs to be some kind of clarification with things like this...yes, guitars like the AEX and artcores are "hollow" body, but they are essentially made of plywood....you're not going to get responsive acoustic tones from them (which is typically the purpose of purchasing a hollow body) and they aren't constructed like Sadowsky's or higher end laminates that are capable of a nice acoustic tone.
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I might be misunderstanding you, but I just can't agree with this taken at face value. I have a laminated archtop, and you certainly can tell the difference between roundwound and flatwound strings say. I've also perceived clear differences in tone, both amplified and acoustically, between different brands of flatwound string. I don't think that different strings can fairly be described as a "little nuance" - quite a big nuance in my experience, and worth working on a little to get things how you want them. Even if you are a poor lowly laminated guitar owner like me! Originally Posted by 82Benedetto
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Sorry. I didn't realize how much the new ones were. I still thought they were reasonably priced. Originally Posted by jackmac
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What laminate are you using, because that really hasn't been my experience. I know this offends some people here, but I don't see any use for getting a hollow body unless it's completely carved and fully acoustic (ie, no pickups drilled through that gorgeous top.) If you're going to kill the acoustic tone like that, you might as well get a solid body. Originally Posted by Meggy
I might be misunderstanding you, but I just can't agree with this taken at face value. I have a laminated archtop, and you certainly can tell the difference between roundwound and flatwound strings say. I've also perceived clear differences in tone, both amplified and acoustically, between different brands of flatwound string. I don't think that different strings can fairly be described as a "little nuance" - quite a big nuance in my experience, and worth working on a little to get things how you want them. Even if you are a poor lowly laminated guitar owner like me!
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We'll just have to agree to differ I guess! Not that it matters specifically, but my guitar is an Ibanez Joe Pass model made in 1980 (complete with a hole drilled through the top for the pickup). I don't claim it to be the same as a carved top archtop guitar - clearly it isn't. It does sound noticably different to my solid guitars when amplified to my ears at least. I also might indeed agree with you that there is a certain complexity of tone which can only be achieved with a carved instrument. But perhaps there is at least something to be said for the benefits of a laminate top for amplification purposes? Originally Posted by 82Benedetto
Anyway, I do at least stick to my view that the string type does make a difference on a laminate top jazz guitar!
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its an interesting discussion, certainly i have went for solid top acoustic guitars, when researching archtops, albeit within my budget and limited knowledge, the solidtop peerless stand out, I can get one of them new for about £500. The same price as the AEX would cost me! The attraction of the aex is that I am a Martin Taylor fan, and as people will know he designed and played, and recorded with this guitar.
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Jack, watch the marketing on those peerless guitars.
It's a solid spruce top, but it's not carved and it's not tap tuned. Big difference. Their carved model is about $1000 more.
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