The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I like my Hofner Verythin but I sometimes wish I could make it sound a little more like a hollowbody or get a mini humbucker tone... or both. Has anyone tried pedals to get a similar effect? Adding more reverb or chorus or playing with the bass/mid/treble can only go so far. I'm thinking of a couple of pedals before the amp...

    Like a 7 band EQ to tighten the humbucker tone to simulate a mini. Or a acoustic sim pedal (with a Body and Top level controls) to add a touch of hollowness to my semi-hollow. Just an idea.

    I know I could go full Line 6 Variax, but I really like the wider neck on my Hofner.

    I've seen a couple of pedals that sim other pickups. (1) The Keyztone Exchanger doesn't have the jazz pickups. Naturally geared for a wider market, I guess. (2) Another option is the Sim1 XT-1. It has an ES-175, Wes L5, ES-335 and Benedetto Bambino... and Tele, LP, Gretsch 6120, etc. Seems pricey at $600, but maybe that would be the best tone.

    Thanks for your feedback. I'm a frequent reader of the forum

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  3. #2

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    It depends how far you’re willing to go. You could split your signal with a Boss Octaver to have your lowest note be an octave lower, use a pedal like the Mel9 to simulate other instruments. The EHX Knockout is an EQ pedal that aims specifically to have single coils sound like humbuckers and vice versa. Also… you can get another guitar


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    Last edited by blille; 09-10-2021 at 04:26 PM.

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by jetrier
    I like my Hofner Verythin but I sometimes wish I could make it sound a little more like a hollowbody or get a mini humbucker tone... or both. Has anyone tried pedals to get a similar effect? Adding more reverb or chorus or playing with the bass/mid/treble can only go so far. I'm thinking of a couple of pedals before the amp...

    Like a 7 band EQ to tighten the humbucker tone to simulate a mini. Or a acoustic sim pedal (with a Body and Top level controls) to add a touch of hollowness to my semi-hollow. Just an idea.

    I know I could go full Line 6 Variax, but I really like the wider neck on my Hofner.

    I've seen a couple of pedals that sim other pickups. (1) The Keyztone Exchanger doesn't have the jazz pickups. Naturally geared for a wider market, I guess. (2) Another option is the Sim1 XT-1. It has an ES-175, Wes L5, ES-335 and Benedetto Bambino... and Tele, LP, Gretsch 6120, etc. Seems pricey at $600, but maybe that would be the best tone.

    Thanks for your feedback. I'm a frequent reader of the forum
    I always did well with my DRRI, my PRSCU24, and my Danelectro Daddy O. Three-band EQ, very touch-sensitive, cleans up nicely by turning down the guitar. Built like a tank.
    FWIW, some of Hendrix's finest cleans were with his silicon Fuzz Face with his Strat turned down to the sweet spot.

    My 2004 Gibson ES-175 ('57 Classics) just liked a little reverb. Note choice did the rest.
    Last edited by citizenk74; 09-12-2021 at 11:35 AM.

  5. #4

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    I got a chance to get a used Sim1 XT-1 for half the price of a new one and I couldn't resist. The tones are much better than I expected. The stock tones for the ES-175 and ES-335 really shine as well as the Benedetto. I also purchased the Wes model L5. Very nice. But what surprised me even more is the quality of the free community shared tones. There's a great '49 ES-175 with P90s, a Byrdland, a Godin 5th Ave., and an Epi Johnny A with Classic 57s.

    The downside is that there is a bit of a learning curve with the software. I wish that the amp sim had a mid EQ. It only has bass and treble controls. The other things I noticed is that it takes a long time to boot and the box and power supply get hot.

  6. #5

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    I would look in the direction of eq pedals and compressors. My absolute favorite EQ pedal is made by Bearfoot Fx, and is called the Sea a blue Eq. It’s got 3 knobs…..treble, bass, volume. It’s marketed as a “Neve channel strip in a box.” And I think the marketing accurately reflects what it does. If you’ve never recorded through a Neve console (or many of the other manufacturers of analog desks in the 1960s/1970s), then you probably don’t realize that they have a distinct sonic imprint that just makes everything sound subtly better. The Sea Blue EQ has a very powerful active Eq (unity is at noon on the knobs, and you can cut/boost from there). Your tone will sound more warm, sparkly, organic, and will punch through a bit better. It’s subtle, but noticeable….and has the most impact in the way you feel the notes when playing.

    Alternatively, I’ve been enjoying the Moog Minifooger Boost a lot lately. It’s like a “better” button that does a similar thing as the Sea Blue Eq, and also adds a subtle natural compression to the sound. It doesn’t add tons of boost (6db), as it is more of a tone enhancer than a volume booster.

    The point being, rather than effects that make your guitar sound like something else, you may reap the most benefit from getting your base tone in tip top shape.

  7. #6

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    Which Hofner Verythin?

  8. #7

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    I bought a really cheap acoustic sim pedal just to try on a lam archtop, but I haven't really put more than a few minutes in yet. It helps if you use a true acoustic amp like a Fishman, Genzler, Henriksen, AER, etc. Anything with a full range speaker combination.

    Amazon.com

    Here's a nice article:

    6 Best Acoustic Simulator Pedals In 2021 (Mini, Budget & High End)

    Last edited by Woody Sound; 09-20-2021 at 09:08 AM.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by citizenk74
    I always did well with……….my Danelectro Daddy O. Three-band EQ, very touch-sensitive, cleans up nicely by turning down the guitar. Built like a tank.
    I also loved mine…….but it only lasted about 20 years before dying peacefully in its sleep. Sadly, resuscitation was unsuccessful, and it never had any children.

    I can heartily recommend my recently acquired Wampler Tumnus Deluxe as a worthy successor. With 3 band EQ (B-M-T), it has a wide range of tonality that can add some sparkle or thicken it up, It’s a very very smooth and mild overdrive, and the gain control is actually a blend control between dry and driven. So it’s sensitive enough to add convincing tube-like saturation in the first few degrees of rotation.

    The Wampler seems to be made even better than the DaddyO.

  10. #9

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    I think the best answer is a modeler of some sort that can be programmed from your computer. Once you master the interface, you can experiment endlessly and quickly. There are lots of them available and while they may seem a bit expensive, it doesn't take a lot of pedals before you've covered the cost.

  11. #10

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    Is this for gigging, recording, or just playing at home? And you are right in that a lot of pedals are designed for guys who play out, and the majority of them aren't playing jazz.

    Roland used to make a pedal called the GP-10 that could simulate other pickups and other scale lengths as well (and a mountain of other synthy type things) but on the downside they required the Roland GP3 pickup. About half of the units came with the pickup, which I believe you could just tape on. I see used GP10s with pickups on reverb for about $300 or so.

    If you are thinking of a multi-effects as Jim pointed out, Fractal just came out with a new one (I think it is the FM9?) so lots of their older units (and Fractals are the best) will be dropping in price. I have an AX8 (which is big and heavy) I got for a short gig in a Dad band playing "the classic hits of the 80's and 90's" LOL and it is absolutely ridiculous overkill but at the same time, that's exactly how you sometimes get to that sound in your head - by having thousands of options.

    Line6's stuff definitely got better after Yamaha took them over (pre-Helix), and are basically now very close to Fractal quality sound but can be more expensive. Line6 has a bunch of different items in the Helix line though, so you aren't stuck buying their single top of the line offering like you often are with Fractal.

    Then again, you could always swap out your neck pickup, which would be an entirely different discussion

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammertone
    Which Hofner Verythin?
    Standard - CT in an antique burst like this one

    Pedals to expand the tone palette-eskoqmbgvu23yyyryvwg-jpg

    but I added a Chet Atkins wire handled B30 Bigsby that I keep tucked down by the tailpiece most of the time... I swear I do

    I only confess that guessing that 75% of the people here go when they see a Bigsby

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    I think the best answer is a modeler of some sort that can be programmed from your computer. Once you master the interface, you can experiment endlessly and quickly. There are lots of them available and while they may seem a bit expensive, it doesn't take a lot of pedals before you've covered the cost.
    Hi Jim - Would you consider the Sim1 a modeler? It is programmable realtime from PC, Mac or phone app. Just not as programmable as I think it should be. Maybe future firmware updates will allow for deeper edits.

    I agree that pedals soon add up. If I had just picked up a programmable EQ it would have almost reached what I paid for the XT.

    BTW, thanks for your input and posts. I admire your opinion and playing so much that I once bought a 5th Avenue after seeing your video

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by jim777
    Is this for gigging, recording, or just playing at home? And you are right in that a lot of pedals are designed for guys who play out, and the majority of them aren't playing jazz.
    At home... Jazz wannabe, but just a guy who used to play in rock cover bands. I've had a few Variax's but I prefer a wider neck. I do miss how I could octave drop on the E & A on those things so cleanly. I've also had a Roland with the GK pickup, but the tones seemed too synthetic for me... and soooo many tones it was endless... fun, but not improving my play, if you know what I mean. Sim1 page says "Just focus on your music, no worries".

    Honestly, I'm not trying to sound like the greats... I mean no one can sound like Wes, but it sure is nice to get something close to his guitar tone without laying out the money for his L5 model.

  15. #14

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    I recently retubed my old Acoustic G100T amp I've had for at least 30 years, and honestly it sounds better than my Boogie/AX8 combo. I don't know how much it weighs; it's over 80 pounds though and just sounds absolutely glorious. So maybe one of the new Fender Tone Master amps might do it for you? they should be easier to try out with your guitar than a lot of the various pedal options as well. And maybe just a better tube sound will do it for you.

  16. #15

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    I second the suggestion of an EQ if you are just trying to dial in a tone change. I have the Boss 7 band, modified by Analog so it sounds really clean. It allow me to fatten up a mini hum bucker, or thin a hum bucker if needed. Great addition.

    I recently got an Empress Compressor II, because I had a second string that is always louder than the other strings; that evens things out, plus it has a tilt EQ to fatten things up a bit.

    A little dirt doesn't hurt either and can give you a nicer semi-clean sound if you like. I use a King of Tone for that, other pedal do similar things.

  17. #16

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    I like these two:




  18. #17

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    The Orange Two Stroke looks intriguing. Im going to see if there's some good videos out there, hopefully with jazz tones

  19. #18

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    For me it's important to have control over a pretty precise spot, between 250-500K, for fattening up a jazz sound or thinning a muddy neck pickup. Many mid controls center higher than that for making a guitar wail in a rock context. Like where a tube screamer boosts.

    Mid controls on amps also seem to miss that range. It's also where BF amps are scooped. For me, BF amps sound good for comping but not for soloing in a jazz context. So having a boost and being able to fatten that range is really useful.

    It looks like that Orange pedal can get at that frequency from the bass control, though three band with parametric mids is sort of where it's at for EQ (Neve 1073 preamps etc).

  20. #19

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    What‘s a tilt EQ?


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  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by bluejaybill
    For me it's important to have control over a pretty precise spot, between 250-500K, for fattening up a jazz sound or thinning a muddy neck pickup. Many mid controls center higher than that for making a guitar wail in a rock context. Like where a tube screamer boosts.

    Mid controls on amps also seem to miss that range. It's also where BF amps are scooped. For me, BF amps sound good for comping but not for soloing in a jazz context. So having a boost and being able to fatten that range is really useful.

    It looks like that Orange pedal can get at that frequency from the bass control, though three band with parametric mids is sort of where it's at for EQ (Neve 1073 preamps etc).
    I use a JHS "Haunting Mids" pedal. It's sweepable and can cut or boost mids over a wide range. Amazing bit of kit.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by docsteve
    What‘s a tilt EQ?


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    Basically more or less highs... rolling down the mid all the way can make a mid focused tweed type amp sound like a scooped blackface.

  23. #22

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    Today, on this forum, I learned that a Moderna Booster is not a pedal.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gary J
    Basically more or less highs... rolling down the mid all the way can make a mid focused tweed type amp sound like a scooped blackface.
    That's not my understanding, I believe a tilt control adjust both bass and treble, so one way less treble more bass and the other the opposite. It works very well on the Empress. I didn't like it so much on a Nobels OD variant.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by blille
    It depends how far you’re willing to go. You could split your signal with a Boss Octaver to have your lowest note be an octave lower, use a pedal like the Mel9 to simulate other instruments. The EHX Knockout is an EQ pedal that aims specifically to have single coils sound like humbuckers and vice versa. Also… you can get another guitar


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    The Mel9 is awesome but mostly sounds like a Mellotron and not so much like the actual instruments it emulates. (Not a bad thing in my estimation, since I love Mellotron.)

  26. #25

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    I built a fancy pedal board a few years ago.
    All kinds of gourmet pedals -- fuzz, tremolo, wah, etc.
    But I got tired of that paradigm & sold everything except for the reverb pedal.
    Guitar into reverb into tube amp is my sound.

    I may have to invest in a nice delay at some point, but for now it's all good.