The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
Reply to Thread Bookmark Thread
Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst ... 234
Posts 76 to 90 of 90
  1. #76

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Crm114


    The other that I’m really fond of is a 1969 Gibson Rosewood Crest Gold yeah it’s fully hollow and it’s built more like a 330 where the neck comes further into the body and it’s made of laminated Brazilian rosewood everywhere mahogany neck and this one’s been modified by the original owner - I bought it from his surviving son it’s got Seymour Duncan center it’s a really great
    I call that one my Johnny Rivers guitar

    Attachment 89142Attachment 89143
    I am extremely envious of that guitar. I remember when they first came out with them and wanted one so badly, but I was a poor ($) student.

  2.  

    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #77

    User Info Menu

    Love my Gretsch 5422TG, hollow-body, thin, great tonal variety, 24.6" scale. runs th gamut from a Jim Hall sound to a roaring rockabilly twang. Versatile, well-made, available used for around $600US, new at $899. look for a used Korean-made model for best bang for the buck.

  4. #78

    User Info Menu

    Guild Starfire IV ST Maple GRN




  5. #79

    User Info Menu

    The "logo tax" doesn't impress me on any brand, what does is what's IN my hand.

    I have an Ibanez AS-103 and a Yamaha SA-2100 as well as a Gibson 335 and they all do what I need them to do as long I keep reminding myself that the git V-T/ V-T and EQ on the amp are there for good reasons, otherwise they could have easily put fixed resistors there! Needing / wanting to morph into a purist is not a blip on my RADAR screen.

    Anyway I've had dud 335's, maybe more than other brands but the right one is worth the entry fee, and the journey to find it.

  6. #80

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by GNAPPI
    reminding myself that the git V-T/ V-T and EQ on the amp
    What's VT/VT?

  7. #81
    "The "logo tax" doesn't impress me on any brand, what does is what's IN my hand." GNAPPI

    When I started playing in 1968, it was on a $25 Teisco from Woolworths Dime store. Two years of savings later and my first "real" guitar was a $200 "AIMS" telecaster copy with a flamed maple neck. Funny, those "lawsuit era" telly copies go for $2,000 on reverb these days!

    In over 50 years of playing and working as a guitar tech, it all depends on the quality of the guitar in your hand! Period!
    When your in the Recording Studio, nobody cares about the name on your headstock (unless you can't play it in tune... loll)

    These days I own an upgraded USA Gibson HP Les Paul, 3x upgraded MIM Fenders, an upgraded MIM Martin, a highly upgraded INDY DAngelico, and an upgraded "hand crafted" CHINESE Hybrid Classical. They are all top-notch professional grade instruments, but a purist nob would say they're all crap (without even seeing them). His loss not mine!

    Last edited by Old Guitar Player; 01-15-2023 at 09:47 PM.

  8. #82

    User Info Menu

    I've had a Gibson ES333, decent guitar. Good guitar, but I sold it. Someone mentioned theirs was heavy. Mine was light. I did hundreds of gigs on that guitar. The 498t pickup that comes standard in the bridge is a rock pickup and less useful for blues and jazz. I pullled mine for '57 classics but the 490 in the neck is actually just as good IMO and I wouldn't change it if I did it again. Action couldn't get very low without buzzing out. Slim taper neck needed quarterly adjustments to maintain best playability.

    I had a Sheraton II Pro. Really nice guitar, great build quality. The 5 piece neck and action was incredibly stable and could be set extremely low and buzz free but like all chinese guitars it suffered from junk electronics, especially the selector switch and pots. The selector failed at a gig. Probuckers are decent pickups, a little hotter than a 57 classic. It had extreme neck dive thanks to the canoe paddle headstock so it was not comfortable to play standing. Thought about Bigsby-ing it to fix the dive but you wind up sinking more into the guitar than you paid for it so I also sold that one.

    Also had the Epiphone 335 Pro. Decent neck and action but exceedingly junky pots, same cheap selector switch as the Sheraton, worse pickups.

    If I buy anything China these days I just assume it will need upgraded electronics to sound good and be reliable. They aren't quality nor are they reliable from the factory. I would rather a guitar with decent stuff from the factory. I probably should've just bit the bullet and upgraded that Sheraton, it was a good guitar to mod to taste and the guitar itself was very well made and played impressively nice.

    Currently using an ESP/Edwards SA series. Excellent guitar. Duncan '59 in the neck but the sh-14 bridge is a too hot for my tastes. Has a solid maple top and mahogany center block, so, slightly different arrangement than a standard 335. Net effect is ultimately the same. Low, buzz free action. Already racking up gig miles on this one.

  9. #83

    User Info Menu

    VT means volume tone. They're talking about the 4 knobs.

  10. #84
    Quote Originally Posted by DawgBone
    I've had a Gibson ES333, decent guitar. Good guitar, but I sold it. Someone mentioned theirs was heavy. Mine was light. I did hundreds of gigs on that guitar. The 498t pickup that comes standard in the bridge is a rock pickup and less useful for blues and jazz. I pullled mine for '57 classics but the 490 in the neck is actually just as good IMO and I wouldn't change it if I did it again. Action couldn't get very low without buzzing out. Slim taper neck needed quarterly adjustments to maintain best playability.

    I had a Sheraton II Pro. Really nice guitar, great build quality. The 5 piece neck and action was incredibly stable and could be set extremely low and buzz free but like all chinese guitars it suffered from junk electronics, especially the selector switch and pots. The selector failed at a gig. Probuckers are decent pickups, a little hotter than a 57 classic. It had extreme neck dive thanks to the canoe paddle headstock so it was not comfortable to play standing. Thought about Bigsby-ing it to fix the dive but you wind up sinking more into the guitar than you paid for it so I also sold that one.

    Also had the Epiphone 335 Pro. Decent neck and action but exceedingly junky pots, same cheap selector switch as the Sheraton, worse pickups.

    If I buy anything China these days I just assume it will need upgraded electronics to sound good and be reliable. They aren't quality nor are they reliable from the factory. I would rather a guitar with decent stuff from the factory. I probably should've just bit the bullet and upgraded that Sheraton, it was a good guitar to mod to taste and the guitar itself was very well made and played impressively nice.

    Currently using an ESP/Edwards SA series. Excellent guitar. Duncan '59 in the neck but the sh-14 bridge is a too hot for my tastes. Has a solid maple top and mahogany center block, so, slightly different arrangement than a standard 335. Net effect is ultimately the same. Low, buzz free action. Already racking up gig miles on this one.
    I learned quickly in the 1970's that imports were not necessarily inferior instruments. In 1972 I had the opportunity to endorse Ibanez guitars (because of a friendship with someone at their USA facility) and I quickly realized that other than the electronics, the core quality of those instruments was as good (or better) than their big "name" branded competition.

    So, 50 years later I appreciate instruments solely for their quality and playability. So what that my Musicians Friend 2am "STUPID DEAL" INDY DAngelico SS arrived with a crappy wiring harness, and cheapish hardware. It did come with USA Seymour HOT ROD (SH2 & SH4) pickups and the craftsmanship was impeccable! So I invested $150 in a custom wiring harness, $150 for a TonePros Locking tailpiece and Locking Bridge, and $100 for a set of Grover Locking Imperial tuners. In the end a couple of hours on my bench dressing and leveling the frets, and replacing that harness and hardware, and I have a Semi-Acoustic Jazz box, that plays and sounds as good or better than an ES-335. It also has a 3 piece maple neck, so that if it slips off a stand the headstock won't explode! Plus, it's cool to play onstage (very retro looking) and I have less than $1200 in that guitar! Does someone really need to drop another $2500 just to say they have a Gibson ES-335? I think not!
    Last edited by Old Guitar Player; 12-01-2022 at 01:10 PM.

  11. #85

    User Info Menu

    Haven’t really bonded with Ibanezes. Probably better made than Gibson if you get a Japanese one, but those go for 2k up these days.

    I think they have a different sound, a bit smoother, less ‘nasal’… but the slight nasality of the Gibson is one thing that works great live.

    Be interested to compare with the Eastmans though …

    And this came up today on my YouTube recommendation. I think Sire have got some of that 335 quality tonally… although Jimmy Blue Note had some reservations about Sire build quality


    It probably depends on what kind of person you are - some people love to upgrade a diamond in the rough, others less so.

  12. #86
    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Haven’t really bonded with Ibanezes. Probably better made than Gibson if you get a Japanese one, but those go for 2k up these days.

    I think they have a different sound, a bit smoother, less ‘nasal’… but the slight nasality of the Gibson is one thing that works great live.

    Be interested to compare with the Eastmans though …

    And this came up today on my YouTube recommendation. I think Sire have got some of that 335 quality tonally… although Jimmy Blue Note had some reservations about Sire build quality


    It probably depends on what kind of person you are - some people love to upgrade a diamond in the rough, others less so.
    I've heard the SIRE build quality is pretty good (and I've seen several in person), but unless you're willing to put in some serious TLC on the frets/neck, upgrade the electronics and some of the hardware, out of the box it's nowhere near comparable to an ES-335. I'll bet you in the studio Larry is still breaking out one of his Vintage ES-335's. I know he plays a SIRE "live"now, but do you really believe that particular guitar came off of an Indonesian Assembly line?

  13. #87

    User Info Menu

    It seems that these Sire H7 have a narrow nut (41mm if I'm not mistaken)
    May be a deal breaker to some (to me at least)

  14. #88
    Most of my guitars are 42.5mm-46mm, but my Deluxe Strat is a
    "sort of" vintage 41.91mm/1.65 inch which I have grown to love!
    But, vintage strats were considerably narrower than that, as they
    also came with that "buzz friendly" 7 1/4" radius, which as a guitar
    tech I HATED to work on! In the 70's that's ALL I saw at the shop!
    "Get rid of the buzz, and replace my 3-way with a 5-way".

  15. #89

    User Info Menu

    Quote Originally Posted by Old Guitar Player
    Most of my guitars are 42.5mm-46mm, but my Deluxe Strat is a
    "sort of" vintage 41.91mm/1.65 inch which I have grown to love!
    But, vintage strats were considerably narrower than that, as they
    also came with that "buzz friendly" 7 1/4" radius, which as a guitar
    tech I HATED to work on! In the 70's that's ALL I saw at the shop!
    "Get rid of the buzz, and replace my 3-way with a 5-way".
    Only strats I ever liked were the vintage radius equipped models. I called them my rhythm machines because chords were so easy to grab, pure comfort compared to a 12" radius. Bends on the 25.5 scale and a direction change in the music i was making ultimately drove me towards shorter scale ES guitars.

    I didn't like the five way switch either because it doesn't detent as hard as the 3 way and I'd knock it out of place during aggressive funky chord strumming. Also, if you are into playing loud the heavy detent is noisier when thrown and can be used to goose the rig into feedback. I never cared for the in between sounds, neck and bridge were where I lived at the time. I thought a floated trem gave better tone but goodbye tuning if you break a string. Can't say I'd ever go back to strats but they do have their appeal.

  16. #90

    User Info Menu

    V/T = Volume and tone. Some think that a git or amp should be set at a neutral setting and magically deliver the tone in their head, IMO that's silly.