• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: TYPICAL JAZZ AND BLUES GUITARS: THE BEST BRAND?

- I was surfing again, and this time I found some guitars, hollowbodies. I own 1 hollowbody: an Epihone Sheraton, also quit expensive.
Some questions:
- An Epiphone Sheraton versus Gibson 335, I know that my Sheraton plays great, but versus an amp, a lot of disturbing feedback, if used on my Fender Cybertwin, less on my 100W acoustic Marshall amp.
I never got the opportunity, because my solid body obsession, to compare it with A Gibson ES 335, a Gibson ES-345. What's the difference between those two?
an Ibanez George Benson.
I found some brands, completely new for me, like STROUP guitars, they look great.
Can we add in this list: GRETSCH?  RICKENBACKER?
- I found information, concerning EPIPHONE. They seem to have amazing hollowbodies. Guitars who are, except from my Sheraton, really good looking. If the sound is equal to the looks, waw.
WHO CAN HELP ME HERE?:
- EPIPHONE = (FIRST what are Epiphone Dot Studio guitars, and what about the sound) Sheraton, Epiphone Elitist 1963 ES-335 Dot Electric Guitar, an Emperor (I noticed already laminated Top, Sides and Back) Epiphone Revolution Casino Electric Guitar (2550$) and 2 single coils. There are a lot more, even looking as an acoustic guitar,  thick body, and a lot more other hollowbodies.
WHO HAS EXPERIENCE WITH THESE HOLLOWBODIES EPIPHONE BRANDS, GIBSON, IBANEZ and a lot of other hollowbody brands??

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • Kahuna
  • Kahuna
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2006-07-12
  • Posts: 290

Re: TYPICAL JAZZ AND BLUES GUITARS: THE BEST BRAND?

doc,

I was reading some recommendations from people about Jay Turser hollow body, and decided to check it out.  Well, needless to say, I went ahead and got a brand new jazz hollow body for around $260 (JT-139).  It's similar to the Epi Dot or Gibson ES335 (from the hardware perspective.)  But, the aesthetics and refinements are of course, nowhere near an Epi or a Gibson! 

After having it set up, it played quite well!  It comes with quality P90 (dog ear) pick ups and nice chrome bridge tail.  The sound (from what I heard) is quite good.  Again, I would love to have a nice ES335 or a Sheraton.  But, for the amount of money, the JT brand would do well on gigs or as a back-up guitar. 

Just my two-cents worth.  Link is below.

www.jayturser.com


gitaardocphil wrote:

- I was surfing again, and this time I found some guitars, hollowbodies. I own 1 hollowbody: an Epihone Sheraton, also quit expensive.
Some questions:
- An Epiphone Sheraton versus Gibson 335, I know that my Sheraton plays great, but versus an amp, a lot of disturbing feedback, if used on my Fender Cybertwin, less on my 100W acoustic Marshall amp.
I never got the opportunity, because my solid body obsession, to compare it with A Gibson ES 335, a Gibson ES-345. What's the difference between those two?
an Ibanez George Benson.
I found some brands, completely new for me, like STROUP guitars, they look great.
Can we add in this list: GRETSCH?  RICKENBACKER?
- I found information, concerning EPIPHONE. They seem to have amazing hollowbodies. Guitars who are, except from my Sheraton, really good looking. If the sound is equal to the looks, waw.
WHO CAN HELP ME HERE?:
- EPIPHONE = (FIRST what are Epiphone Dot Studio guitars, and what about the sound) Sheraton, Epiphone Elitist 1963 ES-335 Dot Electric Guitar, an Emperor (I noticed already laminated Top, Sides and Back) Epiphone Revolution Casino Electric Guitar (2550$) and 2 single coils. There are a lot more, even looking as an acoustic guitar,  thick body, and a lot more other hollowbodies.
WHO HAS EXPERIENCE WITH THESE HOLLOWBODIES EPIPHONE BRANDS, GIBSON, IBANEZ and a lot of other hollowbody brands??

  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: TYPICAL JAZZ AND BLUES GUITARS: THE BEST BRAND?

Dear KAHUNA
I went visiting the Gibson plant in MEMPHIS, TN. You pay 10$ and a limited group up to 10 people, can go inside. I had some luck, we were 5 to see the "making of.."
This was a real "highlight" to see the people working, starting with wood, cutting it, adding lacquer, just like they do if they need to repair and repaint. I know nothing about how other brands are made, but there I started to understand why Gibson is more expensive.
- US workers = a pretty high salary compared to those who make Epiphones. They are used to see visitors, but Jesus, the people working there do it with happiness and they have to be very careful, patient, each person has his/her duty. When they worked very good, they get each year a brandnew GIBSON hollow or semi-hollow guitar. They produce the Gibson 335, the BB King Lucille serie, and this is really sad: a few people, probably very skilled guitar players, perform the ultimate test: sound, testing pick-ups, mainly play this Gibson 335. ON 10 GUITARS PRODUCED, BEFORE THEY ARE SHIPPED, 7 PASS THE TEST, THE OTHER 3 BEEN DESTROYED.
That is for me an unanswered question, if 70% pass the test, the price will raise too. So about the GIBSON ES 335 ==> LACQUER + 70%+US salaries explains us why they are so expensive.
Isn't there a solution, in stead of destroying these 30%, because of a visible fingerprint, or a little scratch, to bring them on the market as a GIBSON 336, 50% cheaper?

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

4 Reply by cytania (edited by cytania 2008-01-29 15:25:29)

  • From: Nottingham, UK
  • Registered: 2006-08-08
  • Posts: 690

Re: TYPICAL JAZZ AND BLUES GUITARS: THE BEST BRAND?

You mentioned jazz Phil, can get Jazz archtops which are purely acoustic, cutaways and f-holes but no pickups. For some jazzer's the sound they are after is very mellow. The next step is one humbucker at the bridge, often with the tone/volume mounted not _in_ the body but out on the pickguard. Not common but new ones are still made in tiny quantities. Next stage along is two pickups and controls in the body but no centre block or sound posts.

Most guitars can give a jazz voice. Simply roll the tone control right back till the thin strings sound muddy. Then roll just a bit forward, so those thin strings are just a bit trebley but nothing like full on.

Blues is a different kettle of fish. The sound of blues can be evoked from crude, nasty, primitive equipment - I did that this weekend with my £30 amp. Did the tone trick on the guitar set the amp tone to just off halfway, turned gain to nil but left circuit engaged turned volume right up (only 8W amp) and then eased the guitar volume in from nothing till it just bit. Pure blues. What this tells me is that if you want a blues guitar low output pickups are the thing.

I'd love a BB King Lucille, this has the resonant body and weak pickups but to eliminate feedback BB specified no f-holes, any you can see are fakes (early pictures of BB will be pre-signature guitar though).

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: TYPICAL JAZZ AND BLUES GUITARS: THE BEST BRAND?

Your right cytania, I forgot to mention the almost "acoustic" sized guitars, used in jazz.
I based myself on what I saw, playing jazz/blues using a semi-hollow body. About Jazz, I love it, but I hate those freaky jam sessions.

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website