Solid-body jazz guitarists.

[Jazzpunk]

It is imposible to play loud on hollow-body.
This is a big problem!

Kris, can you clarify what you mean by 'impossible'? I'm wondering how the players I've seen live recently (Bernstein, Lage, Kreisberg, Burrell, etc) have managed to get through their sets with no feedback issues. Bernstein played a fairly large theater (with Sonny Rollins) and stood 5 feet from a Super Reverb and he plays a floating pup archtop I believe.

Maybe Bernstein just works out stage placement before each show? Just wondering what makes the impossible possible for these players.

[cosmic gumbo]

Maybe Bernstein just works out stage placement before each show? Just wondering what makes the impossible possible for these players.

The whole band is miked through the front of house pa, so the stage volume level is not loud enough to create feedback.

[docbop]

I remeber seeing prog rock band "Yes" live back in the 70's. Steve Howe played an ES175 (and still does) - very, very loud ! I guess he did use the feedback sometimes, but not too much, and it was very controlled.

I crewed on a YES tour back in the 70's and their stage volume wasn't that loud the house level was much louder. I had to make a music store run in a small town and found a 175 cheap and bought it. Howe was frustrated I beat him to it, he played it and said was a twin to his 1961 175.

[kris]

Kris, can you clarify what you mean by 'impossible'? I'm wondering how the players I've seen live recently (Bernstein, Lage, Kreisberg, Burrell, etc) have managed to get through their sets with no feedback issues. Bernstein played a fairly large theater (with Sonny Rollins) and stood 5 feet from a Super Reverb and he plays a floating pup archtop I believe.

Maybe Bernstein just works out stage placement before each show? Just wondering what makes the impossible possible for these players.

I mean "rock loud" staff it is imposible to play on hollow-body.
I think a lot of fusion players use semi-hollow or solid-body guitars for louder staff.Good arch-top jazz guitars with great wood have more feedback if you play with louder drumer or bassman.Ofcourse good PA may be help.

[JakeAcci]

I owned a 1960's Blonde L5 with a Florentine cutaway in the 70's...I recently saw it at a Guitar Show with a price tag of 30 K.....I loved that Guitar more than I realized. Sold it at a time when I needed the bread for survival...Hard times as they say....The 175 is cool but it is a plywood instrument and sounds like it...An L5 is a Cadillac.....Feedback problems occur with players who do not take the proper precautions: Get your amp up off the floor, Don't face the Bass Player or his amp.....There is no need to stuff the F holes with all that Junk....I used my L5 in a fusion band and never had any Feedback problems...

-Vic Juris

[markf]

By the way, Kris, I've been looking at some of your videos with that violinist.
Holy shit, man, you guys are terrific.

Bill

yes they are.

[markf]

I crewed on a YES tour back in the 70's and their stage volume wasn't that loud the house level was much louder. I had to make a music store run in a small town and found a 175 cheap and bought it. Howe was frustrated I beat him to it, he played it and said was a twin to his 1961 175.

great story.



some guitar players are good at finding deals like that.

[kris]

-Vic Juris

good guitar and good player...:-)

[daveg]

Billy Butler and Clint Strong also played L5s (solid).

Butler had a Low Impedance while Strong was seen with a High Impedance.

DG

[kris]

yes they are.

Thanks
Jazzingly
Kris

[Georgebenson&hedges]

I'll add Dave Cliff. Plays a variety of solid bodies

A few wise words from Dave

"Getting a new instrument has never been the answer, it’s just down to me playing it right.”

[kris]

Nice!
Thanks

[P.J.]

Certainly, there are many of us that do not adhere to traditional "standards."

I am currently playing on a stratocaster, an instrument not immediately associated with jazz music. Does this make what I am playing less "jazz" because of its shape and design? I also have a very non-jazz tone coming from my amp, which I think makes my compositions a tad more interesting.

I guess it just depends on what school of jazz you come from. If you play Pass/Montgomery tunes all the time, I can see why solid body instruments would not appeal to you.

If you write your own material, you're more likely to explore other sonic possibilities to enhance your compositions instead of the tried-and-true clean jazz tones of the past 70 years.

I would imagine that more people play jazz on strats than any other guitar just because strats are more popular than any other guitar.

PJ

[matthewmo]

I play jazz on Les Pauls and Telecasters. I think you have to play on what you makes you comfortable. Archtops sound great, but I am just not comfortable with hollow body archtops. Just too much guitar for me.

[2bornot2bop]

1. They sound good when set up the right way
2. No feedback problems
3. Much more rugged and roadworthy
4. Often more comfortable to hold
5. Takes op less space (may with luck be taken as hand luggage on air planes)
6. Often cheaper than hollowbodies
7. Did I mention, they sound good when set up appropiately?

Here's my Warmoth "jazzcaster":

http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/..._NDC8217-2.jpg

Biltoft HCC PU, TI 13-53 flatwounds, not too low action.

I'm not a fan of jazz tele but I know a beautiful guitar when I see one. That a CC pickup? First I've seen on a tele.

[2bornot2bop]

It is imposible to play loud on hollow-body.
This is a big problem!

But isn't that the point. Jazz isn't rock.

I've yet to hear a single tele player express that wood-airy warmth...with tempered amplification of course. The closest I've heard come to a tele tone I could handle was when Ulf recorded live with Oscar in Vienna...and even then one can tell blindfolded he was playing a tele...but very soulful playing nonetheless.

I know it's simply a matter of personal taste. I prefer acoustic natural tonality as opposed to synthetic electronics 7 days out of 7. I've seen many a Les Paul I dig to look at, but LP's don't move me like my lady Rose 18" SE.

[monk]

The closest I've heard come to a tele tone I could handle was when Ulf recorded live with Oscar in Vienna...and even then one can tell blindfolded he was playing a tele...but very soulful playing nonetheless.

He isn't playing a Tele in that video. Looks like a Les Paul or LP copy.

[Space Pickle]

oh no you didn't

[GodinFan]

He isn't playing a Tele in that video. Looks like a Les Paul or LP copy.

It's actually an Aria Pro II LP copy.

[kris]

Ulf playing nice...but I am not big fan of this sound/ ala Pat Metheny on solid body/..I newer seen him with tele.

[jbervar]

Don't forget Ted Green.

[monk]

Don't forget Ted Green.

See post #6.

Jumped right in there and posted without reading the thread didn't you?

[oldane]

I'm not a fan of jazz tele but I know a beautiful guitar when I see one. That a CC pickup? First I've seen on a tele.

Well, it's not a tele. If anything it's a Strat. But it's not that either, it just has strat shape. Both the neck and the body is solid mahogany which is rather un-strattish. Then the PU - a Biltoft HCC - is unstrattish too. So it should sound quite unlike a Strat. Does it? No. When set up withe same strings, action, amp etc. and picked with the same pick, it sounds almost indistiguishable from my stock Strat Highway with stock PUs, ash body and maple fretboard. The guitar itself often means less to the sound than we may think. The setup and playing style is everything.

The writer says: "Nice camera you got there. I bet it takes wonderful pictures."
The photographer answers: "Nice typewriter you got there. I bet it writes great novels."

- you get the idea.

[daveg]

Ulf has been playing that same Gibson Les Paul Studio for many years now!

DG

[cpike]

Saw this over on TGP, maybe it's been posted here before. James Muller (middle) sounding good on what appears to be solid PRS. To me, all three of 'em sound pretty good, but I think the other two guys are playing semis...