The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I am not at all worthy of a beautiful instrument like this, although my left wrist already loves it. Without getting too deep into some issues I've been having with the left wrist and hand, I knew that one important factor for me was the fretboard width and neck depth on my Eastman Jazz Elite 7. No other guitar I have causes me discomfort. I have always been much more comfortable with thinner necks, even on the 6 string. So I started looking around for a 7 that had a thinner neck depth and maybe a different profile. I reached out to Lou at Guitars 'N Jazz and mentioned what I was after. Lou said that he had this one Palen that definitely had a flatter profile at the back of the neck, but had the same nut width as the Jazz Elite. I asked Lou if he could measure the neck depth at the first, fifth and tenth frets to see if it was even worth the drive. I took the same measurements on the Jazz Elite as well as a couple of my favorite 6 strings, including my Benedetto Bravo Deluxe, which I am very comfortable playing. The Palen that Lou had, measured less in depth at all points than the Jazz Elite and was even less thick than the Benedetto at the 5th and 10th frets. The fretboard width of the Palen was narrower than the Jazz Elite at the 12th fret.

    From what I was seeing, the measurements indicated it would be worth the drive to Summit, NJ from CT to check it out and see what my hand said. I brought my Jazz Elite along for comparison.

    As soon as I got the Palen in my hands, I could feel that the neck was so much more comfortable. I knew the guitar had a much higher price than the Eastman, but I was not prepared for exactly how wonderful this instrument sounds, looks and feels. I am stunned. More on the sound later.

    According to Lou, this particular Palen is the last guitar that Nelson Palen made before he got sick. It's a 2013 and brand new. It's been curing. I was also expecting a standard TKL case. Not with this guitar. The case is an Ameritage case that I could live inside. I've never seen such a case. It's even got a built in humidifier.

    So there will be a firewood sale of several six strings to fund this once in a lifetime purchase. Here are a few quick pics:
    Attached Images Attached Images Palen 7 String-img_6634-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6633-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6632-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6631-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6635-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6636-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6637-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6638-jpg Palen 7 String-img_6639-jpg 

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Sorry the images are not upright. I don't know how that happened or how to fix it.

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Zigracer
    Sorry the images are not upright. I don't know how that happened or how to fix it.
    Beautiful guitar!

  5. #4

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    I wish I could "like" this more than once! Congratulations and may it inspire and delight you for years to come.

  6. #5

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    May she inspire your playing for many years to come. A super deluxe guitar to be sure.

  7. #6

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    Wow! Such a shame Nelson got sick. He really honed his craft. Enjoy!

  8. #7

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    I know that guitar - I’ve been to GnJ 3 times this year, most recently last week when I dropped off my Ibanez AF207 for fret work and setup.

    You scored a beauty! I hope your discomfort stays gone and you have a life long love affair with it!

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
    I know that guitar - I’ve been to GnJ 3 times this year, most recently last week when I dropped off my Ibanez AF207 for fret work and setup.

    You scored a beauty! I hope your discomfort stays gone and you have a life long love affair with it!
    Thank you, Dave! I mentioned you to Marc and he said he thought you’d be in that day for pickup. I can’t say enough about this Palen. The sound and feel is amazing. I saw this Palen there in January, but didn’t even pick it up as I was taking my first plunge into the 7 string world and I didn’t want to offload a bunch more six stringers just to afford an experiment. I sold a 335 and Tele to fund the Eastman.

    So now I need to decide whether to keep the Eastman as a backup and re-profile the neck, or sell it and hope I’ll stumble across something a little less expensive, but has a neck profile that suits me. I have the skills to do the job should I decide to undertake it. Or maybe just hold on to the Eastman on the assumption that some corrections I’m making with my technique and only playing the Eastman occasionally would not cause strain. I can certainly start there, but that means another six string has to go. I’m lucky to be in a position in life to ponder these things. There are so few archtop 7s out there these days.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Zigracer
    Thank you, Dave! I mentioned you to Marc and he said he thought you’d be in that day for pickup.
    That must have been the day I picked up my new Jazz Elite 16. Fortunately, I have long arms and hands, so the Eastman 7 neck profile (which, per Lou, is the same on all Eastman 7s) is great for me.

    You might consider a good AF207 as a second arched 7. It’s a 24 3/4” scale, but intonation is excellent and they were all from Fujigen. Even perfect ones aren’t worth over $2k in today’s market, and after 23 or so years with mine as my only gigging archtop, I can vouch for its quality and value. And if you’re going to look for another 7 with a slimmer neck, and a solid body under $1k sounds good, look at the PRS SE7.

    D

  11. #10

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    Another vote for the Ibanez AF207. If you can find one! I never should have sold mine. Great gigging guitar and more comfortable to play than the too-good Comins 7 String that I own now. That Palen is gorgeous. Hope you have a great time with it.

  12. #11

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    I'll keep my eyes out for an AF207. I've been looking for one on and off for a while based on some of the reviews I've seen here. Another idea I have is to build another 7 from a kit. Dale Unger offers archtop kits. I've contacted them and asked if they can make an archtop kit for a 7 with a cutaway. That way I can make any neck profile I want.

  13. #12

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    One more suggestion is a 7 from Matt Raines. I’ve had a Tele 7 for a few years, and it’s a very nice guitar with some fixable flaws. First, the neck is about the same width as an Eastman - but it’s a good bit thinner and the radius is bigger so the contour of the board is noticeably flatter. If you like the width of the Elite but need a thinner neck and don’t mind the larger radius, it’d probably be great for you.

    The Tele 7 was (at least according to Matt - I haven’t asked Chris) designed by Chris Forshage, and I can believe it from the wonderful body, neck, workmanship and feel. The wood is beautiful and all woodwork is equally fine. The hardware is not so fine, though. The bridge/tailpiece is a cheap brass piece so rough that I broke several unwound strings at the point of contact with the baseplate (emerging from the body). So I replaced it with a Hipshot.

    The pickups (described to me as classic ‘buckers “wound like a neck Benedetto and a bridge Bare Knuckles”) are cheap ($20 retail) builders’ grade Chinese units with far too much string pull to be as close to the strings as they are. And they’re mounted to the body, so they can’t be lowered without cutting into the body. I replaced them with a pair of Lace Alumitones, which are fantastic for all around use. Along with a Tusq nut, it now sounds and plays great. It doesn’t get quite as dark or thunky as some, and I may drop in a pair of old school HBs just to see if that’s the ticket to tradition. But it does woody with much of the character of an acoustic through a clean amp.

    Matt also sells a semi hollow 7 that I’ve never seen except on his website. All his guitars are apparently made on contract by a Chinese factory, which is not at all an indictment. The Tele body/neck (it’s a neck-through) is extremely well made and very comfortable to hold and play. I assume the cheap hardware was not spec’ed by Chris Forshage if he did have a hand in this guitar. It may also have been used by the contract mill to cut corners without Raines’s knowledge. But to be honest, he never responded to my inquiries about any of the problems I had - so I fixed it on my own because it’s a great guitar.

    So if you want an inexpensive project that’s purely drop in or bolt on, and the neck contour works for you, a Raines Tele 7 might be worth looking at.

  14. #13

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    That Palen looks stunning! I can see how you couldn’t resist it. Great purchase!

  15. #14

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    I play this guitar, it's cheap and good.

  16. #15

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    I'm late to the party but hope the guitar is treating you well. I've got a Palen 7 and I still love it as much as the day I received it.


  17. #16

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    Geez, those are beautiful guitars!