Best Jazz Guitar Under 1000€/1500€

[TOPGUN860]

OK, the Wes Montgomery tone is not that dark. He used the thumb, yes, but he was typically known to be searching for a brighter sound to cut through the mix. When you describe a "dark" sound I think of latter-day Pat Martino rather than Wes Montgomery or Joe Pass.

If you really want to go for the Wes Montgomery kind of sound, you're going to want to look at something like an L5 with a carved spruce top and pick up set into the top rather than a floating pick up. And that's going to be hard to find in your price range. The likeliest candidate is going to be some of the Eastman guitars, although they are designed more towards the modern Benedetto sound than towards the old Gibson tone.

Since you're in Europe, it might be also reasonable to look towards European manufacturers such as Höfner, which might reasonably be found in the used market. They make some excellent jazz instruments.

And of course a major factor in this is going to be amplification. If you're using a Fender amplifier with the typical mid frequency cut, getting a dark fat jazz tone takes a little knob twisting.

Yep, you really centered the problem. That's really hard for me.. I'm searching a lot... Don't you know if Epiphone Broadway would be good for this sound or not...? Which amplifier do you advise for reaching in a better way Wes tone? I also knew that Wes didn't like his sound. But I really like the one he had in his 1965 live in Belgium. Even the one from the album Back on Indiana Avenue.

[gitman]

What exactly is your point of reference when you talk about the "Wes sound" ? He used a couple of different guitars throughout his career and on some recordings his sound is really bright with lots of string noise (from an action that was too low) and on other he sounds lush and totally smooth... Do you play with your thumb like he did ? To come close to that sound with a pick is very tricky if not impossible.
This :
https://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm...id6939618.html

would be an excellent choice , it's capable of any classic jazz tone, with a superb build quality and very good resale value. If you can work out a deal with the seller re a try-out period or visit for a hands-on test you should jump now.

After listening to this :

it might be less difficult to come to a decision ...

[MikeTT]

For a 175 kind of tone I'd seriously look into a Korean made Guild CE100. I'm quite impressed by their electric range (played the CE100, the bluesbird and one of the semi-hollows, all great for the price, better workmanship/materials than new Epis in my opinion).

[TOPGUN860]

What exactly is your point of reference when you talk about the "Wes sound" ? He used a couple of different guitars throughout his career and on some recordings his sound is really bright with lots of string noise (from an action that was too low) and on other he sounds lush and totally smooth... Do you play with your thumb like he did ? To come close to that sound with a pick is very tricky if not impossible.
This :
IBANEZ PM100 PAT METHENY SIGNATURE, 1998, MADE IN JAPAN - #6939618 - su Mercatino Musicale in Chitarre Elettriche

would be an excellent choice , it's capable of any classic jazz tone, with a superb build quality and very good resale value. If you can work out a deal with the seller re a try-out period or visit for a hands-on test you should jump now.

After listening to this :

it might be less difficult to come to a decision ...

Yeah okay I really like the smooth and lush sound but I would like to have a guitar capable of having both that and that sound, but I think I'm more into the smooth and lush and darker sound. I really like also the recordings from this pieces (I'm constantly listening this masterpiece, every moment of the day):

I think that this pieces have the sound of hard bop guitar mixed up with more peaks on mid-hi frequencies. I would like to get close to this sound. Just for giving an example. Epiphone ES175 Premium is really dark and smooth in the video you linked me just with a change of pickups. I think at this time, of going to the Epiphone Broadway with a change of pickup to Gibson 57 Classics. If you have any other guitar to advise, let me know.

[TOPGUN860]

For a 175 kind of tone I'd seriously look into a Korean made Guild CE100. I'm quite impressed by their electric range (played the CE100, the bluesbird and one of the semi-hollows, all great for the price, better workmanship/materials than new Epis in my opinion).

Thanks for your answer, I will check them out but I have to say that I don't like Guild aesthetically

[TOPGUN860]

As alternative I could buy an Eastman AR372CE, switch the original pickups with Gibson Classic 57's and restring it with 014 gauge strings. Let me know what do you think about this thought

[gitman]

Yeah okay I really like the smooth and lush sound but I would like to have a guitar capable of having both that and that sound, but I think I'm more into the smooth and lush and darker sound. I really like also the recordings from this pieces (I'm constantly listening this masterpiece, every moment of the day):

I think that this pieces have the sound of hard bop guitar mixed up with more peaks on mid-hi frequencies. I would like to get close to this sound. Just for giving an example. Epiphone ES175 Premium is really dark and smooth in the video you linked me just with a change of pickups. I think at this time, of going to the Epiphone Broadway with a change of pickup to Gibson 57 Classics. If you have any other guitar to advise, let me know.

Well, you seem to know exactly what you want and what you don't want so go out and play as many different guitars as possible. Only you with YOUR fingers, your choice of pick and your own amp can get a true and lasting impression of a guitar's tonal possibilities when you actually play it. You seem to be on tight budget and € 1500.00 is really not a whole lot when you want a fine archtop guitar so you should not rely on someone else's description of tone- BIG chance that you mean two totally different things while using the same vocabulary and that way you might loose a lot money.
What you describe as a smooth and dark tone and refer to with the recordings I personally would never describe as such. I also think that you are much too caught up in all the little details like pickups and what frequencies you hear in these little clips - what you do not mention is this : the strings on the guitar, the pick, the amp, the speaker, the microphone and the PLAYER !

[TOPGUN860]

Well, you seem to know exactly what you want and what you don't want so go out and play as many different guitars as possible. Only you with YOUR fingers, your choice of pick and your own amp can get a true and lasting impression of a guitar's tonal possibilities when you actually play it. You seem to be on tight budget and € 1500.00 is really not a whole lot when you want a fine archtop guitar so you should not rely on someone else's description of tone- BIG chance that you mean two totally different things while using the same vocabulary and that way you might loose a lot money.
What you describe as a smooth and dark tone and refer to with the recordings I personally would never describe as such. I also think that you are much too caught up in all the little details like pickups and what frequencies you hear in these little clips - what you mention is this : the strings on the guitar, the pick, the amp, the speaker, the microphone and the PLAYER !

I completely agree, but I wanted to be more clarifying with these examples from youtube. Anyway in this period, the downside is that I can't go to play different guitars at the shop. So that's why I'm listening to youtube videos just to judge only from the sound because that's the fundamental thing for me (apart the measurements and comfort of the instrument as paradox, I'll get used to it). That's also the reason of this thread.

[John A.]

I completely agree, but I wanted to be more clarifying with these examples from youtube. Anyway in this period, the downside is that I can't go to play different guitars at the shop. So that's why I'm listening to youtube videos just to judge only from the sound because that's the fundamental thing for me (apart the measurements and comfort of the instrument as paradox, I'll get used to it). That's also the reason of this thread.

Youtube videos are of very limited value in judging how a guitar sounds. What you hear in the video is not what you'll hear with the instrument in your hands. So bottom line, you've gone as far as you can go with questions here. All you can do is try things.

If you can't literally try out guitars now, all you can do is buy one from a seller who allows returns and take it from there. Asking more questions here will not get you closer to a decision.

You seem very focused on the Eastman ar371/2. They're good guitars. They're not expensive and are widely available. Buy one. Will you like it and get the sound you seek with one? Only you can answer that. Asking others to answer it for you is a waste of time.

Alternatively, stick with what you have until you can try others. There's much less difference between your Gretsch and other low to mid priced archtops than you think.

[TOPGUN860]

Youtube videos are of very limited value in judging how a guitar sounds. What you hear in the video is not what you'll hear with the instrument in your hands. So bottom line, you've gone as far as you can go with questions here. All you can do is try things.

If you can't literally try out guitars now, all you can do is buy one from a seller who allows returns and take it from there. Asking more questions here will not get you closer to a decision.

You seem very focused on the Eastman ar371/2. They're good guitars. They're not expensive and are widely available. Buy one. Will you like it and get the sound you seek with one? Only you can answer that. Asking others to answer it for you is a waste of time.

Alternatively, stick with what you have until you can try others. There's much less difference between your Gretsch and other low to mid priced archtops than you think.

Mh, I have to say even that there aren't shops in my area that give opportunity to try out these archtop guitars. Anyway what do you mean saying "low mid priced archtop guitars"? Do you think that Eastman AR372CE or Epiphone Broadway are included in this term? Anyway, I know very well my Gretsch G2420T and I don't really like its sound for the old school jazz, a little too trebly, especially in the high strings, even with a good amp emulation. They are too shiny. That's it. So I think I will wait for buying these guitars.

[John A.]

Mh, I have to say even that there aren't shops in my area that give opportunity to try out these archtop guitars.

I live in NY, and even here, where there are a lot of instrument shops it's difficult. Most shops don't have any, archtops, and the ones that do (except one shop at the very high end) have only a few. I've managed to try a lot of archtops, but that's over a period of many years in many shops.

Anyway what do you mean saying "low mid priced archtop guitars"? Do you think that Eastman AR372CE or Epiphone Broadway are included in this term? Anyway, I know very well my Gretsch G2420T and I don't really like its sound for the old school jazz, a little too trebly, especially in the high strings, even with a good amp emulation. They are too shiny. That's it. So I think I will wait for buying these guitars.

I mean low- to mid- priced. In the US market, I would call "low" a range of about $500-1000 and "mid" about $1000-2000.

I actually tried one of those Gretsch Streamliners, and I found it quite decent. I could certainly make it work on a jazz gig. But that's my ears and my hands not yours.

[TOPGUN860]

I live in NY, and even here, where there are a lot of instrument shops it's difficult. Most shops don't have any, archtops, and the ones that do (except one shop at the very high end) have only a few. I've managed to try a lot of archtops, but that's over a period of many years in many shops.



I mean low- to mid- priced. In the US market, I would call "low" a range of about $500-1000 and "mid" about $1000-2000.

I actually tried one of those Gretsch Streamliners, and I found it quite decent. I could certainly make it work on a jazz gig. But that's my ears and my hands not yours.

I think I will wait for purchase an archtop at this price. I found an Eastman AR580CE that has a very nice Wes sound but it is out of budget again. Which strings did you use on the Gretsch you played? And which amp? I think that the problem of Gretsch Streamliners, for me, is the pickup choice, I don't like at all the broadtron pickup for an hard bop jazz guitar. Okay after this I don't have any other question. I have only to wait or to choice the 175 style guitars.

[DanielleOM]

The Eastman AR503CE is the archtop in the Eastman line that I consider to be the best value. (Carved top with laminated back and sides) I have several Eastman archtop guitars here for comparison and a Benedetto Bravo, but it's the AR503CE guitar that I normally reach for.