The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi everyone, I am quite new in the guitar journey and at the beginning in the jazz guitar Journey.
    Up to now I have only nylon string guitars (1 classical, 1 classical short scale, 1 silent, 1 Guitalele) and I am thinking to buy and try a steel string one. I was thinking about a solid body, since I will use it quietly and mostly with headphones in the late evening. I will use it for play standards with no distortion, I would like clean an sweet.
    My budget is quite low, around 150 to 450 euros.
    I was thinking about a squier telecaster cv, but I am not sure due to my big hands... all my nylon strings ones have nut width varying between 52mm to 48mm; instead the tele has only 42mm.
    I was also quite attracted to some semi hollow, like gretsch 2655; but I still open to any suggestion for my first bite on steel strings guitar.
    Thanks in advance for your help
    Cristian

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Solid body electrics almost never have wide nuts. The only affordable ones I am aware of are made by Big Lou.
    Big Lou Wide Nut Electric Guitars | Wide Neck Guitars for Bigger Players

    If you think a wider nut is essential and you really want an electric solid body then you might think about getting a 7-string or 12-string and getting a luthier to convert it to a 6-string with a new nut and losing the extra tuners. Although I suppose you might then need to replace the pickups too? Someone more technically minded could advise.

    If you start looking at hollowbodies then there are more options. Godin, Loar and Hartwood have affordable slightly-wider nut models. Maybe Gretsch too? Not sure.

    You might consider getting a steel-string Gypsy jazz acoustic guitar too, and getting a pickup fitted. They usually have wider nuts. Obviously a very different sound there to what you're asking for of course.

  4. #3
    Thanks for the suggestions.
    About the wider nut, I do not have experience, I only used guitars with a wide nut, never tried 43 or 42mm. So my concern, due to my big hands, it is if I will be able to play a guitar with 42/43 mm wide nut or will be very difficult?

  5. #4

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    What are coronavirus restrictions like near you? Can you go to a music shop and just try out a Telecaster or a Strat or a Les Paul?

    I play wide-nut acoustic guitars most of the time and I do find the 42"nut on my Squier Jagmaster electric a bit cramped. But I usually find I get accustomed to it after about 20 minutes of playing.

  6. #5
    Hi, you are right, I plan to go and try different guitars on a store at the end of October.
    In the meanwhile I would like to grow a clear idea of which guitars I will go to try. If solid, hollow or semihollow; now my list comprehend Squier tele CV HH, Gretsch 2655 Jr, Jazzmaster affinity HH, ...I am also thinking at some Harley Benton or even Squier mustang...this because I do not know if I will like the steel strings. Sure when I listen jazz guitar video on youtube, I love the tone....

  7. #6

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    Welcome! I'd go for a semi-hollow, which gives you enough acoustic tone for noodling without an amp. For affordability and comfort, Epiphone ES-339 (humbuckers) or Casino Coupe (P-90s) might be a starting point. Ibanez has cranked out a legion of budget-priced semi-hollows. Which side of the pond are you on? Thomann (Harley Benton) and Gear4Music (Knoxville etc.) offer surprisingly good house brand instruments at very low prices, but getting them over to the US isn't free. I'm not familiar with their US counterparts. I have a Harley Benton Les Paul clone and a 12-string Knoxville Tele clone, and they're spot on after some fret work. However, if you end up not liking steel-string/electric guitars, Epi and Ibanez may have a better second-hand value than those house brands.

  8. #7

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    the gretsch streamliner series is real nice..some good bargains in there...they have full body archtop thats nice too g2420



    cheers

  9. #8

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    I play a wide nut classical and narrow nut electrics, for me it's an easy adjustment.

    For quiet practice I like a semi-hollow electric guitar. Can't go wrong with Ibanez semi-hollow. You'll have a lot to choose from:

    Ibanez Semi-hollowbody Guitars | Sweetwater

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    I play a wide nut classical and narrow nut electrics, for me it's an easy adjustment.
    Yeah, for me when I'm playing an acoustic guitar I really need a wider nut, I just find it irritating to play an acoustic guitar with narrow spacing.
    But for some reason I don't mind as much playing with a narrow nut on an electric. I mean, i'd prefer slightly wider, but it's not a deal-breaker. I play a bit of mandolin too, and obviously I manage to cope with the dimensions there because that's just how mandolins are.

  11. #10
    Thank you all.
    In a month I will be in Italy, so Thomann is suitable.
    After your advices, I almost rejected the Squier Tele idea and now I am considering: Harley Benton HB35, Ibanez AM53, Gretsch 2655 without trem, Ibanez AF55, and Gretsch 2420 without trem.

  12. #11

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  13. #12

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    You'll get used to it.

  14. #13
    Thanks, so from now I assume that 43mm nut width will be ok.
    .....after listening quite a few videos on youtube (quite a few also from this forum users) I start to add another uncertainty for my next purchase: is it true that I will play mostly in the late evening, but is also true that I have already the silent nylon string guitar from Yamaha and so could be not a bad idea buy a fully hollow body as a first jazz guitar.... at the end if I will play gently, will not be so loud...
    For now I start to like the Ibanez AF55, it is the entry level from Ibanez....
    Ahahaha, what an interesting journey buy a new guitar :-)
    By the way, yesterday I tryed to roll down the treble knob and roll up the bass knob on the Yamaha SLG200N + plus a very little of reverb.... result: the tone at my hears sounded very pleasant and "jazzy"
    Last edited by Cri75!; 10-02-2020 at 07:06 AM.

  15. #14
    After find a good setting for my Yamaha slg200n, I am quite satisfied. Now I do not need a new guitar, but I still want it .
    It is not decided yet, but I am interested in the new: Framus Vintage Series 5/51 Studio.
    Has been presented at Namm 2020 last January, but still not available, they tell 4 weeks, but it is the fourth time that they write this...
    who knows, maybe I will be able to wait enough.

  16. #15
    Thought of the day:
    Since I do not really need a new guitar, since the Framus studio probably will continue to extend the dead line for the availability and since seems that everyone that want to play guitars, need to have a Telly..... I will buy a telecaster .
    I think that it will be one of those: Squier classic vibe, a squier contemporary, thoman fusion HT...