The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I am happy for anyone who plays guitar. I am happy if they own any guitar that works well. (I am not happy to see kids with guitars so poorly built, that it is difficult to play).

    I myself will only buy guitars that should be replaceable without too much pain. Somewhere around $2000 used. When replacement is more difficult, I start to worry. The guitar becomes more of an “in home instrument”.

    However if I think about, I have had only one really bad fall with guitar. (The guitar is a beast, so it survived… no Gib would have, and I would not make any assumptions about Fender either). I have also only had one guitar stolen. (A custom LP… I loved that guitar).

    I try to always make it a one trip in and out for setup. If I really need more gear, and it is worth all the effort, I have rock-n-roller for that. (I still have to carry stuff up stairs).

    I have enough worry with my “vintage” no longer made guitars. However, none of them are close in price to a handmade archtops. (If I had that money, I would have to buy a car).

    How and why do you (most excellent) musicians experience what would worry me endlessly (even if I had insurance… does insurance even really work that well?) I am just curious.

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  3. #2

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    Speaking for myself, I would have no problem gigging any of my instruments. For years I gigged with vintage Fenders and Gibsons with no problems. I kept my eye on everything of course. Maybe now I would feel different, I'm not really gigging much at present, and a lot of it would depend on the quality (or lack thereof) of the places I was playing.

    But I have always used a very good insurance company (Heritage) for professional musicians, and it relieves a lot of the worry. I would not feel that way if my gear was on a household policy, which doesn't usually cover professional uses anyway.

  4. #3

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    Add a little perspective here. A dear friend is a concert violinist. Every time she goes to a gig, indoors or out, she uses the same rig. 15K for the bow and 50K for the fiddle.

    As I have posted many times, I can't imagine not gigging with my 1990 Bob built Benedetto Cremona. I adore the instrument, it's my voice. To me it would be shame to keep such a magnificent guitar at home.

    It loves singing to the trees at 7500' on a beautiful Summer day.

    Guitar cost and use thoughts…-fb_img_1659565313777-jpg

  5. #4

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    Not here often but happened upon this post and thought it was very interesting.

    I moved from a professional instrument to something that can be considered expensive (def for my means) It's a special instrument. I've insured it but it's out with me on the frontlines lol!
    I'm careful with it of course but not much more than I am with most of my guitars, has a few dings here and there of course but I think it's wonderful, all the gig we play together, how much i bonded with it. Pete Bernstein has been lugging that Zeidler around the world for 15 years now, it's beat but it looks gorgeous. The marks tell the story of their relationship.

    We do what we can to take care of them but I got this instrument, I wanna play the hell out of it!
    Just my take of course, to each their own, and as long as you're enjoying your instrument at home or on the gig all is right!

    This is my baby at a (very dive bar) 55 Bar (RIP) playing Adam's Apple by Wayne Shorter (RIP)




    Happy playing All!

  6. #5

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    Nice Allegro!

  7. #6

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    The whole point of playing jazz is to take the instrument out of the house and play it with others. I don’t happen to own any worth more than $2k, but if I did it wouldn’t stop me.

  8. #7

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    My 330 lay under my dad's bed for over 20 years. It's an heirloom. I'm nervous about playing out with it but still do occasionally. My playing is largely in church, so the biggest threat to my instruments is small children running around after the service.

    Worry caused me to buy a $700 knockoff of the guitar I really wanted. I feel sorry for the knockoff, as we've never really bonded, and I suspect it shows in my playing. This, of course, provides an excuse to go out and buy the real article!

    GAS. The struggle is real.

  9. #8

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    I don't like sentimentality, it's just tools. I would gig a 7 or 8k instrument but it's not really necessary for getting work done and more money than I can really afford to have sunk into a single instrument. A couple grand is a good limit for a hard gigging instrument 150+ dates per year because much of that for me would be gigging outdoors in the south which is pretty rough on a guitar. Outdoors in TX means real hot 90 100 or cold low 50's 40's. I once played a gig where the weather changed 30 degrees in 30 minutes. Lol, canceled after that. I salute anyone who would subject their expensive 10k jazz box to those conditions. You are a warrior for jazz and gear that has been played into the ground is always cooler anyways.

  10. #9

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    Today's budget guitars are far superior to those within the same real price range a generation ago. I do most of my (admittedly modest) gigs with a 500€ Ibanez AFJ-91, which has a wonderful neck and a set Super 58 PU in the neck position. Had to replace the tailpiece, which was prone to breaking. Ibanez still makes a wide range of archtops, and all of them can handle a gig. Sure, there are occasions where I prefer my ES-175, but that's more due to peer pressure/looks.

  11. #10

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    I still take my high dollar guitars to gigs. They are insured (Heritage) and I am as careful about them as I can be. My preference is to buy used guitars that already have an imperfection of some sort. That way when the guitar gets a ding or a scratch while I am using it on a gig, it doesn't keep me up at night.

  12. #11

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    When something is so expensive, precious or delicate that you won't use it, why even have it? It might as well be a $3000 Hermes suede umbrella; if you get it wet you'll ruin it..so why buy it?
    I go to museums to look at beautiful things. Trader Joe's sometimes too

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    I still take my high dollar guitars to gigs. They are insured (Heritage) and I am as careful about them as I can be. My preference is to buy used guitars that already have an imperfection of some sort. That way when the guitar gets a ding or a scratch while I am using it on a gig, it doesn't keep me up at night.
    Yes, I once had a vintage telecaster that was super clean, I was afraid to take it out of the house! Luckily I had one that was beat but sweet, and that's the one I kept. Still a valuable old guitar, but one where I don't freak out if I bang it against something. It's had plenty of that already!

    I am more aware of this because I recently got a custom made arch top. I've had it for 1 1/2 years and still no dings- I'm starting to think maybe I should put one in it intentionally so I can stop worrying about it!

  14. #13

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    I’d never hesitate an expensive guitar out. Use it for it’s intended purpose, while you’re alive!

  15. #14

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    And if you do have, say, an original sunburst Les Paul worth $300k, you can always just overspray it with a nice thick coat of polyester, and never worry about dinging it again …

  16. #15

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    I started playing when I was really young and went out frequently to see bands. After watching The Jeff Beck Group one night I struck up a conversation with JB. He was playing a '59 Les Paul Standard with an insanely flamed top.....the most valuable [electric] guitar around [it still may be]. After a few minutes we went into the band's dressing room to avoid the crowds and the noise. Without missing a beat he grabbed his LP by one of the tuners and DRAGGED the guitar to the dressing room on the floor [which was cement]. It bounced and scraped along the floor for about 100 yards until we arrived at the room whereupon he tossed it on a sofa. We continued talking as if nothing happened. This not only demonstrated a basic trait of his personality [couldn't care less about stuff] but proved that his creative output was not dependent on his tools. This has served me well throughout the years because I did manage to own and use lots of amazing and valuable guitars.........except only a few of them actually sounded and played great.
    I had no compunction about taking valuable guitars out to gigs or studios . The search goes on with the knowledge that it may just be that "cheapie" that does the job.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammertone
    Nice Allegro!
    Ah an eagle eyed forum member here! Thank you, its a killer guitar!

  18. #17

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    While you are at the gig playing your second-best guitar, a burglar breaks in to your home and steals your best guitar.

  19. #18

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    Years ago, when vintage ES-175 prices started to climb, I bought a modern guitar to take to gigs. I ended up realizing that by not playing my favorite guitar, I was not experiencing as much joy as possible. Moving forward, I stopped worrying about what could possibly happen, and played the guitar I wanted to. I’m cautious, but no longer consumed with worry. Life is too short. Play what you love, and enjoy it.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by SierraTango
    Add a little perspective here. A dear friend is a concert violinist. Every time she goes to a gig, indoors or out, she uses the same rig. 15K for the bow and 50K for the fiddle.

    As I have posted many times, I can't imagine not gigging with my 1990 Bob built Benedetto Cremona. I adore the instrument, it's my voice. To me it would be shame to keep such a magnificent guitar at home.

    It loves singing to the trees at 7500' on a beautiful Summer day.

    Guitar cost and use thoughts…-fb_img_1659565313777-jpg
    Judging from the pics you post it appears you work mostly low risk gigs

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by customxke
    Years ago, when vintage ES-175 prices started to climb, I bought a modern guitar to take to gigs. I ended up realizing that by not playing my favorite guitar, I was not experiencing as much joy as possible. Moving forward, I stopped worrying about what could possibly happen, and played the guitar I wanted to. I’m cautious, but no longer consumed with worry. Life is too short. Play what you love, and enjoy it.
    This. I get guff from some guitar players when I bring my old L-5 to gigs in the ghetto but why would I want to play something inferior for fear of getting a ding. As long as I keep an eye on it on breaks I'm fine. 99.9999 % of the patrons don't know what an L-5 is anyway.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    Judging from the pics you post it appears you work mostly low risk gigs
    That is true, however the rough venues around here want classic rock or country, so that pretty much takes us out of the picture.
    Also, if the event seems questionable due to weather or other issues, I'm more than happy to leave the BC at home and play my 05 Pisano 880.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by SierraTango
    That is true, however the rough venues around here want classic rock or country, so that pretty much takes us out of the picture.
    It’s not just dicey joints that pose risk. I’ve been the house band leader at a small club for several years. The stage isn’t tiny, but it’s grossly overcrowded. There are huge floor to ceiling speakers for the house sound reinforcement system, a triamped floor to ceiling bass rig with a 21” driver in the bottom bin plus a 4x10 midrange and a multiple tweeter array, multiple monitors (footers plus stand mounted units next to the keyboards and the drummer), a full size Hammond XK5 with a Leslie 3300, a Nord Stage 2 88 key board, several backline amplifiers, multiple stand mounted mics over and around the frame mounted drum kit, low floor standing mic stands for all the amps and the Leslie, 4 boom mounted vocal mics, multiple stools and multiple music stands. There are also multiple stage light arrays overhead that I’ve hit with a headstock many times trying to avoid banging a guitar on all the crap scattered across the stage.

    Navigating this maze without losing a kidney is hard enough. Avoiding damage to my guitars borders on mission impossible. And more than one musician (usually a drummer) has tripped over a stand or the drum frame and fallen on or next to my guitar (which I put on a stand at the far back of the stage during breaks and when I’m playing keys). A wonderful vocalist we love did a header off the front of the stage during her first song at one show because the monitors and house speakers crowd the front person to the edge of the stage, and it’s so dark at floor level during a show that the edge is difficult to see. Having those huge ceiling mounted spots and stage lighting in your face makes it even harder to move around safely during a show.

    I won’t even bring my carved 17” archtop there. When a drummer fell on my Ibanez AF a few weeks ago, I started looking for an AFJ957 and have used a solid body for most shows there since then. For me, a decent beater is a necessity. Solid bodies are safest, but I really do miss an archtop when playing anything else.

  24. #23

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    You should talk to Jamey about that. I used my L-5 on the jobs I subbed for you and might have lightly hit it against something, but even though I'm very careful w my stuff I just don't have a heart attack if it gets a minor knock, bleep happens. I don’t use new guitars so I'm never the first, besides as I've said before the most soulful guitars ime show a lifetime of being played, none of the best guitars I've owned or played were closet queens. I dig that venue and Jamey seems like a great guy but you're right, that stage is full of land mines. It's not even just instrument safety, having people fall off the stage is, um, dangerous. There's enough juice on that bandstand to power Woodstock, take 1/2 of it away and you and everyone else would probably feel less claustrophobic.

  25. #24

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    I enjoy expensive guitars most at home where I can really hear and appreciate the nuances of their tone.

    When I'm playing out (which isn't much) seems the setting is usually better suited to something less acoustic-ly subtle and more electric with clarity. In that situation amp and pickup count for a lot so I guess that's an argument for less expensive guitars. And yet, in practice, I often go out with expensive guitars. Saxophones as well.

    Going to enjoy nice guitars and don't need to rationalize it much. Hmm.. kind of like the inexpensive ones as well. They are all different and if I'm playing them, there is something about them to be enjoyed. Just don't think the audience usually has the opportunity to hear it like I do at home and wish they could.

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    You should talk to Jamey about that. I used my L-5 on the jobs I subbed for you and might have lightly hit it against something, but even though I'm very careful w my stuff I just don't have a heart attack if it gets a minor knock, bleep happens. I don’t use new guitars so I'm never the first, besides as I've said before the most soulful guitars ime show a lifetime of being played, none of the best guitars I've owned or played were closet queens. I dig that venue and Jamey seems like a great guy but you're right, that stage is full of land mines. It's not even just instrument safety, having people fall off the stage is, um, dangerous. There's enough juice on that bandstand to power Woodstock, take 1/2 of it away and you and everyone else would probably feel less claustrophobic.
    Once you watch someone fall onto your instrument, you see things differently. I’m very careful with equipment, whether mine or someone else’s. In over 60 years of gigging, you can count the number of guitars and amps I’ve damaged on the fingers of one foot. My stuff shows all the usual signs of use. I don’t polish guitars obsessively - I just wipe them with a clean soft cloth before putting them away. I don’t polish metal parts and I don’t oil my fingerboards.

    The carelessness and stupidity of others has caused 99% of the injuries my stuff has suffered. I leave my guitar on a stand that I carefully place right against the front of the Leslie. I move the mic stand for the Vibrolux as far back and out of the way as the boom will allow. But in a split second, one clumsy fool drummer decided to get behind the kit from my side, didn’t watch where he was stepping, tripped over the ride cymbal stand, and dropped like a rock. Everybody steps on the snakes’ nest of cables on the stage floor. I’ve watched several guitars tumble when someone tripped over the cable still plugged in at both ends. One moron guitar player dumped a beer on the Hammond - we were without it for weeks and repairs cost almost $2k.

    It’s those fools to the left of me and jokers to the right who threaten good equipment. Playing in a club whose owner (who is, as you point out, a very nice guy) thinks that we need a sound system too big for Yankee Stadium doesn’t help. So I’ll play my good guitars at home and in venues where they’re relatively safe. I applaud those who use great stuff everywhere- but my heart isn’t strong enough to watch careless fools damage stuff.