The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi guys

    Noob here

    Got my first Jazzer a week or so ago and it arrived with a great set up (Eastman 403ced) and played well

    As expected, after a settling in period in my home the set up could do with some tweaking.....

    The strings (12's) are now clanging a bit off the fretboard. I have noticed there is no neck relief to speak of, hmmmmm

    So my question today is; do the jazz guitars benefit from the same set up guidance rules/specs as the Les Pauls and Teles of the world?

    2/32's treble and bass side for action and around .010 for neck relief. This standard action spec suits me OK on my regular electrics OK, will it be fine to shoot for that on the Eastman?

    oh, BTW going for a try out on a set of 11s roundwound

    Many thanks

    John
    Last edited by Hoots; 03-02-2021 at 12:12 PM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2
    John and to JGO!

    Sorry, but I'm a Gibson guy and consequently, don't know very much about Eastman's.

    Like a lot of things, it's a matter of personal preference, so I would suggest that you try your normal setup and see how it plays. If it doesn't feel right, adjust the relief/action accordingly.

    I like a straighter neck, with very low action, but for some reason, I can't seem to get the action on my WesMo L-5 as low as I can on my Les Pauls?


    Good luck and

  4. #3

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    ta MB

  5. #4

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    To answer your question yes, if the frets are level. If you put 11s on you will have more reason to add some relief. In the end it just has so much to do with how you play. Not sure what kind of job Eastman typically does in the fret work department these days. Very few production guitars have bang on fret work so that will limit your possibilities.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hoots
    Hi guys

    Noob here

    Got my first Jazzer a week or so ago and it arrived with a great set up (Eastman 403ced) and played well

    As expected, after a settling in period in my home the set up could do with some tweaking.....

    The strings (12's) are now clanging a bit off the fretboard. I have noticed there is no neck relief to speak of, hmmmmm

    So my question today is; do the jazz guitars benefit from the same set up guidance rules/specs as the Les Pauls and Teles of the world?

    2/32's treble and bass side for action and around .010 for neck relief. This standard action spec suits me OK on my regular electrics OK, will it be fine to shoot for that on the Eastman?

    oh, BTW going for a try out on a set of 11s roundwound

    Many thanks

    John

  6. #5

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    It's not really a jazz thing. It's an intensity thing. If you play forcefully any style you'll get string slap or even buzzing.

    Some people like those sounds. Many blues players have string slap.

  7. #6

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    Setting up a guitar depends on things for sure. One thing is not to level the frets or do any fret work if it is not needed. Normally you might see a high fret or as the case maybe a low fret. Eastman's generally these days come in the ball park but not specific to the player. You seemed to have some good concepts like neck relief and you have measured the action. One theoretically should be able to match the action of a jazz guitar to that of a Les Paul however they are generally played different. Much more tendency to dig in on rhythm playing on an acoustic archtop or really any archtop compared to a solidbody. Never take metal of frets if not needed as you can only do that so many times before they need to be replaced.

    Specifically you ask compared to a Fender and for me that is really a hard comparison. I am not a Fender person at all. They allow for lots of tweaking and doing things that you cannot do on set neck solid bodies. I also think that is the worst enemy of Fender guitars the bolt on necks to me are just not as stable. In my book a Les Paul is way better instrument and I seem to be able to do set up work on them better than Fenders.

    On an acoustic archtop with a floater I like 5/64 on bass and 4/64 on treble. It can vary but if a person really digs in playing they might need to take the action up a bit for sure. I have seen and can get 4/64 and 3/64 on guitars at times but on an archtop it chokes the sound and you lose much. However sometimes with big strings like .14 to .56 it works. The bigger the string the more tension and sometimes that allows lower action. Flatwound's also allow lower action. The best way to get your guitar the way you like it is to take it to someone who can see how you play the guitar. Your touch and playing can tell me much about how to set up your guitar.

    In the many years I was with Bill Hollenbeck he always wanted to have a player play the guitar as they normally do for him. Then based on that and input from the player he could zone in the proper action and adjustment. In fact when he sold a player a new guitar he would try and have them play it before he made an final adjustments. This happened a few times when he sold guitars at guitar shows. He had the person play it and if they wanted in tweaked he would start tweaking on his mini workbench.

    Personally I don't like much neck relief it is not usually needed. However many old Epiphones have a bit more relief that modern guitars but they can still be set up about the same. Your Eastman is a modern type archtop and most I have worked with are fine and dialing in action no problem. One thing to be thankful for is that you got an archtop because with a flattop guitar problems are multiplied by the design and limitations of a flattop.

  8. #7

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    Thanks for that DM

  9. #8

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    My archtop's setup is about the same as my solidbodies, the action is maybe even a touch lower. It's certainly as easy to play.

  10. #9

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    Otto D'Ambrosio of Eastman has a video on Eastman's Facebook page where he sets up an archtop. Long and short of it, he sets relief between .005 and .010 inches at the 5th fret with the e strings held down at the 1st and 12th frets. A neck at .005" is very little relief and is fine for players with a light touch. D'Ambrosio sets the action at the 12th fret "shy" of 2/32" on the high e and "proud" of 2/32" on the low E. Don't forget string height at the nut.

  11. #10

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    Eastman player here. I gotta take pictures of my beast of a guitar. Mods up the wazoo, but I love her all the same.

    I had taller frets installed. Forgot the gauge... I could check. And I like the bridge raised high--not to the point that it cuts out the sustain, but high enough that I can still dig in without the rattle. Helps me get the dynamics and accents I want to make my single lines pop more. My mentor suggested the fret work. Had to get used to it, but now I can't play any other setup. Had Carruthers do my frets when I was back in LA. Wish I could have him make me one of those custom pickups... way outside my budget. Anyway...

    I also have an "odd" string setup. 14's up top, and 52's on bottom. D'addario XL Pure Steel from high E to G (wound) and John Pearse Bronze from D to low E. Seems like it wouldn't work. But you know what, I love the sound that I can coax outta it.