No progress in 80 years of jazz guitar building?

**StringNavigator** · 01-26-2023, 07:57 AM

Although this thread is about guitars dedicated to the Jazz idiom, I also play bass guitar and double bass and I can personally attest to the improvement made in amplifier speakers and string technology, not to mention pick-up design which has been covered here in depth already. Perhaps this applies in a less obvious way to guitars. Speakers and strings. Very important to the bass in playability and fidelity. But as far as acoustic guitars go, "the problem has been solved", as someone wrote earlier. Few of us exceed the demands of the guitar, with most barely worthy of a diddle string cigar-box.

Some will spend 20% of their time and effort in solving 80% of the problem. Others will spend 80% of their time and effort in solving the remaining 20% of the problem. Take your pick.

Another aspect of that hard to replicate "vintage sound" of the instrumentalists and vocalists of the mid 1900's was the microphone design combined with thermionic tube/valve technology which made everything sound "sweeter". Some even prefer the warm sound of an LP to that of a CD. In achieving clarity, we may have lost a little "soul". Even the acoustical properties of most rooms and halls can be dampened by seats, drapes and carpets.

Also, the physical effort and energy put into the guitar as demanded by a big band guitarist of the '40's is a core component of that sound, and it was required because of the lack of modern technology. Modern amplification tends to kill the swing feel. It's too easy, now.

But the real magic in advancement is that superb instruments are now available to the masses at affordable prices. I'm quite happy with my Epiphone Joe Pass. It's more quality than I deserve. If you're in the upper echelon of guitarists, then your take of the door guarantees you an expensive top of the line instrument, but amateurs, like myself, need to guard against being foolish in their choice of instruments, especially if a family man. The road to hell is paved with the bodies of over-spenders and credit-card abusers.

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**Vihar** · 01-26-2023, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by StringNavigator

But the real magic in advancement is that superb instruments are now available to the masses at affordable prices. I'm quite happy with my Epiphone Joe Pass.

I bet you're happy with it. Apparently though, it's about what is accepted by an elite crowd surrounding jazz.

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