Cheap woody thunk guitar rec needed

**Greentone** · 08-20-2020, 07:49 PM

Gitterbug,

If you listened to Chris Whiteman play the same chart on a Gibson L-5CES (a SUPERB guitar) I bet that you would not hear the thunk that you hear on his ES-175. The carved body Gibsons get a GREAT electric jazz sound, but it isn't the attack that you hear on the laminates.

**Greentone** · 08-20-2020, 07:54 PM

**jzucker** · 08-20-2020, 08:54 PM

the other factor is feedback. I can play something like a kessel or 175 at fusion volume levels with hardly any feedback. Not so with a carved top guitar. It's not necessarily the construction though, it's the weight too. For example, I find the eastman 371/372 guitars super lively and feedback way more than a 175. They also don't have any thunk.

**medblues** · 08-20-2020, 10:14 PM

Here is an exception of no or little thunk with an ES-175: my interpretation is there is also fairly strong role of style, strings, picks and the amp.

**lawson-stone** · 08-21-2020, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by DB's Jazz Guitar Blog

Quite so. I wonder who coined that term. Was it Jack Zucker?

There are basically two guitar sounds on the extreme opposite spectrum. The opposite of Thunk is Plink. And there are sounds in between too but that gets kind of fuzzy. Personally, I associate Thunk with ES guitars and Plink with carved tops.

If there even is an in-between sound, it would be Plunk.

DB

Somehow I never liked "plink" for carved tops--good ones, that is. "Plink" always seems to me to imply a very weak tone, which I would not say for my L5ces. Often what I associate with the carved top, 17" type electrics I call "stroked" in that, like Wes' tone, it's strong, but it has a lush, sweet, soft feel even when playing fast and intense.

Maybe "plink' would be the undesirable version of this tone? I doubt many will go for "stroked" for a nice carved-top electric tone.

**jzucker** · 08-21-2020, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by medblues

Here is an exception of no or little thunk with an ES-175: my interpretation is there is also fairly strong role of style, strings, picks and the amp.

there's still thunk in that clip. I agree that old flats contribute though.

**John A.** · 08-21-2020, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

the other factor is feedback. I can play something like a kessel or 175 at fusion volume levels with hardly any feedback. Not so with a carved top guitar. It's not necessarily the construction though, it's the weight too. For example, I find the eastman 371/372 guitars super lively and feedback way more than a 175. They also don't have any thunk.

Maybe the ones you've tried didn't, and other people have reported the same, so I don't doubt that it's true to some extent. But a while back I played a 175 and 371 side by side, and the 371 definitely had thunk. Less than the 175 (which also had much louder and darker sounding pickups), but there was was some there. I was expecting the 371 to be a total dog based on some of the comments I've seen here (and a bunch of bad sounding videos on youtube), but it really was pretty good. That guitar with a better pickup would be a sleeper. Generalizations are always wrong

John

**lawson-stone** · 08-21-2020, 01:23 PM

The thunkiest guitar I have ever had, I must confess, is my Aria Pro II PE180. Built to the L5ces dimensions, it's got a 7 layer laminated body and pickups designed by an evil jazz genius. Just when I think I need to buy a Tal Farlow, I pick this guitar up and it just electrifies me. It's actually the Super V configuration--big headstock and it's quite heavy, but man it really does thunk to my ear. you expect the sophistication of the L5ces from its looks, but when you play it, you almost smell the smoke in the club.

**2bornot2bop** · 08-21-2020, 02:14 PM

A Tal Farlow won’t display the thunk of your Aria. In fact the TF would be a bit brighter sounding, imo.

**cherrick** · 08-21-2020, 02:27 PM

What ever Bucky played, that's it.

on the other hand, try an Ibanez, the model they designed for Pat Metheny.

**RyanM** · 08-22-2020, 02:02 PM

There are some Godin Kingpins with cutaway and 2 humbuckers.

**Chazmo** · 08-22-2020, 02:55 PM

I'm convinced that "thunk" is influenced a lot by the guitar set up. In particular, if the action is too low, any guitar loses that tone.

**myhandhurts** · 08-29-2020, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by Chazmo

I'm convinced that "thunk" is influenced a lot by the guitar set up. In particular, if the action is too low, any guitar loses that tone.

As well as the positioning of the picking hand and if an actual pick is used [or not].

**Triple_Jazz** · 08-30-2020, 09:29 AM

Great discussion going on here, thanks for all your input. I thought maybe I’d share a clip to show you my adventures in chasing thunk. Here’s where I spend my lunch break shedding tunes and have the occasional visit from the cook. If I could leave a cheap guitar here it would be great, I only own 2 guitars and both are over $1500. So this is my Monarch, I’d say I’m getting about 75% traditional thunk, would you agree?

**jazzkritter** · 08-30-2020, 10:28 AM

FWIW opinion follows.... I find I have a ‘comfort zone’ of thunk. I guess I have an internal idea of what my guitar should sound like to me. Because when I play an instrument too thunky or too bright I don’t feel comfortable and don’t play my best. Playing comfortable (enjoying my sound) for me is most important, it helps me along. But I have that luxury since gigging days are long over.

As an aside, as a (former) classical organist, In between a steady church gig I would substitute for vacations, out sick etc. wherever needed. That meant each time a totally different playing instrument that sounds totally unique due to acoustics of the building. Whoa does that mess with your head, technique, and ears. Totally the opposite of me wanting a particular sound on my guitar, I had to make the best of what I had. Interesting.

**John A.** · 08-30-2020, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Triple_Jazz

Great discussion going on here, thanks for all your input. I thought maybe I’d share a clip to show you my adventures in chasing thunk. Here’s where I spend my lunch break shedding tunes and have the occasional visit from the cook. If I could leave a cheap guitar here it would be great, I only own 2 guitars and both are over $1500. So this is my Monarch, I’d say I’m getting about 75% traditional thunk, would you agree?

I don't hear much think there, but that may be because the recording is picking up a lot of the guitar's acoustic sound, What I can hear of the amplified tone seems pretty bright. I'm guessing that what you hear in the room sounds different.

John

**Triple_Jazz** · 08-30-2020, 02:28 PM

I am only using the iPhone to record which really brings out the highs then what’s really there. The Monarch has some think, I was putting it at around 75% but maybe 50% is more appropriate? The low notes really get the sound but like I said it’s not 100% there, enough to make me happy though. Wish I could get this close with a $600 guitar.

**lawson-stone** · 08-31-2020, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by Triple_Jazz

I am only using the iPhone to record which really brings out the highs then what’s really there. The Monarch has some think, I was putting it at around 75% but maybe 50% is more appropriate? The low notes really get the sound but like I said it’s not 100% there, enough to make me happy though. Wish I could get this close with a $600 guitar.

I have that identical guitar except with the floater, and it's the "thicker" floater that was shipping on the Monarchs a few years back. Maybe they still do. Anyhow, I think my Monarch has almost too much "thunk" for a 17" archtop with a floater.

**zcostilla** · 09-01-2020, 06:59 AM

+1 on the Godin 5th Avenue, in any configuration, but I think the humbuckers will get you more thunk than the P-90. The P-90 is a mellow voice, but it’s underwound to get it that way, so less thunk comes through the amp unless you shim it up or lower the action to get it closer to the strings.