Wylie

Currently working on the standard ballad In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.

On 14/11/2022 at 02:01, Fishfacefour said:

Thought this could be a good place to inspire each other with what we're working on at the moment.

 

I've been revisiting this Julian lage arrangement of an ornette Coleman song. This got me back in to playing guitar again back on April. The stretches were just too much. Since I got a 24" scale it's much more manageable.

 

 

Beautifully played.

5 hours ago, Crusoe said:

Mid-life crisis. I've had an acoustic for years but never really did anything more than strum a few simple tunes on it. Back in March, I saw people talking about Harley Bentons, on Basschat, so had a look. They had a TE-20, amp and accessories for £150 so I thought I'd take a punt. Six months later and I also own an Ibanez AS-73 and am taking lessons, hoping to do the grades.

I also was a strummer/picker for many years, strictly folk-style playing with one or two licks thrown in. Since beginning lessons two years ago (with a Covid-induced break) I have learned to read music; to play while reading, in position; to play riffs and licks in different keys; and scores of chords. In short, I've learned more in two years than in the previous forty. Really learning the guitar makes a big difference.

I came upon a very good offer for this Eastman guitar, saved my money (and sold a piece of unused gear, and a poem) and bought it. All but brand new. The guitar plays beautifully, with low action and a very slim neck. (Anyone reading this and expecting tech talk with be disappointed.) It's strung with D'Addario 10s, which seem just right; bendable, but also taut enough to stay in place with the right touch. A chord rings on this guitar forever. I use the neck pickup almost exclusively and the tone is mellow overall, and very responsive to variations in touch, which is great as I usually play finger style. It is a bit touchy to tune, but otherwise flawless as far as I can tell. I'm currently playing thru a Carvin MicroBass combo amp (don't cringe--it sounds great) because that's all I have, but I have my eye on a tube amp for the future.

On 01/06/2022 at 03:10, T-Bay said:

It is an easy adjustment to make, and return to where it was, so give it a go and see if you can find a sweet spot. Lowering it will drop the output and that could make it unbalanced with the others. You can either lower them all, or just accept that one is a little quieter.

Thanks, T-Bay.

I have a Korean-made Epi Sheraton with stock pickups. I bought it used, but I assume they're stock. The sound of the guitar, neck pickup, strummed or picked, sounds fine--a strong, balanced tone. But with fingers, not so good. I have long fingernails, so string contact doesn't seem to be an issue. The finger-picked sound is just indistinct and the top strings sound muffled.

I wonder if anyone can advise me on either raising or lowering the neck pickup (I am not concerned about the bridge pickup) to improve--or just change--the tone. I have read a few things online, but I would like to hear from someone who's had experience. Thanks. Wylie

On 04/05/2020 at 10:43, BaconLadOnline said:

 

Share your favourite YouTube channels!! 

My fingers are too sore to play at the moment and need my guitar fix!! 

Reinier Baas, contemporary jazz guitarist.

5 hours ago, ezbass said:

Is the 12” speaker you have the one you’re running your Carvin through, as it may not be the amp but the speaker that is giving you the harshness. If at all possible, take you guitar and speaker to a store and try a couple of amp heads and a combo. This way you can see if it’s the guitar, speaker or amp. I’ve done this in the past and if the store doesn’t like it, then they’re not worth any business you might put their way.

Thanks, EZ, I will do this.

Probably a very fundamental question for you guys . . . I play a Korean-made Sheraton through a Carvin amp, and while the sound is clear and clean, it is somewhat harsh, even on neck pickup alone. I would like a more rounded, jazz tone, and I've been looking at (and listening to demos of, natch) the DV Mark Micro 50-watt jazz head, and wondering if that would bring my sound to a higher level. I have a 12-inch cab to run it through. 

As primarily a bass player, I'm somewhat new to guitar and to the ins and outs of amplification. At root, I'm wondering if this guitar's sound can be improved and, if so, can an amp make that happen?

Thanks in advance!

Wylie

It's a little hard to understand your questions. First, why should classical guitar--and its associated music, which is largely serious music and also Latin music--"develop" on rock lines? The answer is perhaps self-evident. The classical guitar certainly makes appearances all over the place--for example, take a listen to John Scofield's album "Quiet!"--but a leopard is not, as they say, likely to change its spots.

5 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

Not had a chance to play one of these myself, but everything I hear whiel watching other players use them sounds excellent. I'm down with cheaper, lighter alternatives to a traditional tube amp; were I to start playing out again, one of these would certainly be tempting. I like the idea that they're so convenient, you could carry two (one back-up, just in case) to pretty much any gig, and either go straight into the PA or have a cab made for them. This would mean you could match the cab to whatever aesthetic you want (black tolex, stained wood, tweed....), which can matter. 

As things are now, I'm more tempted by the Mooer pre-amp pedal range in combination with the Mooer Baby Bomb 30w poweramp pedal - then with or without a cab. Two little micro-pedals... Worth trying this opposite the Vox if you can, see what you prefer. You can buy the Mooers on Thomann for around £65 a pop, so one preamp plus the poweramp pedal would be the same price as one of the Voxes, more or less. The preamps cover all the same territory as the Vox MVs, so it might simply come down to which sound you prefer, or whether you prefer the pedal form factor. The one big advantage with the pedals I supposed would be if you wanted to have two or three different ones - a Marshall, a Fender and an AC30 sound, say - buying the preamps as separate pedals to use with the same poweramp pedal would give you more variation in the sounds for less. Bonus ball: my understanding is that you can have several of the Mooer preamp pedals all linked together at the same time and switch between them, so if that's a plus.... Both options sound great, just different ways of doing it. 

Thanks, EM. I appreciate your taking the time for this.

Haven't found this elsewhere on the site, so I'll ask here: Has anyone used any of the new Vox MV50 "Nutube" amps? I am looking for an amp that will produce a somewhat smoother or more mellow tone than my current solid-state amp, and I feel the inexpensive MV50 Clean might be the one. I'd like to hear about some users' experiences before I buy. Any and all replies appreciated, thanks.

Wylie

I am wondering if anyone has tried or owns this DV Mark head. Does it do what it claims to do? Any report would be appreciated, thanks!

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

If you’re not looking channel switching or valve saturation, I reckon a bass amp is fine. Some of the best guitar tones I’ve heard have come from amps originally designed for bass. If what you’re hearing works for you, then you’re good to go. You can always stick some fx or amp modellers in front of the amp if you want to spice it up a bit. However, full disclosure, I own both bass and guitar amps. Having written this, I’m not sure why I have a guitar amp.

Thanks, EZ. And I might just take myself to a guitar shop one day and try out a guitar amp!

I am currently playing my Epi Sheraton (used Korean make, new to me) through my little Carvin microbass combo, 10-inch speaker. I am considering buying a DV Mark 50-watt jazz amp head, and I would play through a Schroeder 12-inch cab. As you can see, I have plenty of bass gear, and hardly any guitar gear--except for the guitar!

I've never played the guitar through a guitar amp; just haven't wanted to spend more money on more gear. But am I missing anything I shouldn't miss by using bass amplification and speakers for guitar?

Any thoughts?

Wylie

Thanks, Lozz.

I am looking for a new guitar to continue my instruction in playing jazz, and wondering if a Telecaster might be the way to go. If you look at YouTube, there seems to be loads of jazz players favoring Telecasters over hollow-body or semi-hollow-body guitars.

Any thoughts on Telecasters for jazz? Any and all thoughts, reminiscences, complaints, advice or warnings are welcome. I'm also curious about players' experiences with Teles equipped with humbuckers as opposed to single-coils.

Thanks!

Wylie

Pickup was an SD '59 model SH1-b. Just the neck pickup.

19 hours ago, ezbass said:

Well that’s annoying. Maybe the loom and its switching pots are robbing it of tone.

Don't know; but the work was done by a luthier I've known for years, and trust. So I think I will just live with it.

On 28/09/2019 at 09:06, ezbass said:

Cheaper than buying the Gibson version. Keep us posted on the outcome.

The outcome was--zilch. Replaced the crap pickup with a Seymour Duncan and the outcome was a barely marginal improvement. Never again will I buy a cheap guitar and expect it to do what it isn't designed to do, so it is my fault. I expected some mellowness in the neck PU and got nothing, even with the new SD. Total waste of money.

41 minutes ago, Musicman210 said:

Look on the creamery website. Jaime makes amazing handwound pickups. My jazzmaster cij replacements are second to non. Turned an average sounding guitar into the nicest jazzmaster I've ever heard

Thanks, man!

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

Cheaper than buying the Gibson version. Keep us posted on the outcome.

Will do.

19 hours ago, ezbass said:

A pickup replacement/upgrade is always worth it IMO, it’s the one biggest change you can make. I’ve done this many times and only once did I not notice an appreciable difference (a PRS SE Singlecut). If you like the way the 339 plays, I say go for it.

Thanks, EZ. I do like the way it plays, so I will go for the upgrade.

I recently bought an Epi 339 from an online dealer and was disappointed with the sound of its humbuckers, esp. the neck pickup, which has no distinctive qualities--none. I was hoping for a softer, rounder tone reflecting the higher placement. Now, I realize buying online was a mistake, but I did it after scouring the countryside here in Vermont for a jazz-type guitar.

My question: Should I replace the pickup? Can I expect it to make a substantial difference, or is the 339 limited in ways that would make a replacement superfluous? I have in mind the Duncan SH1-b '59 model. Sells for $99, which I would gladly pay if improvement was substantial. I should add, I tried changing to flatwounds, and this also failed to help.

My experience till now has been with acoustic guitars and the bass I currently play with a jazz trio, so I need your help!

Thanks.

Wylie

Great-looking guitar! Casino?