I was just wondering how much the heaviness of strings and/or brand of strings has to do with getting this type of sound. I know most jazz players use heavier strings. Right now the sound I'm getting is too 'snappy', not necessarily too bright, but not the mellow sound I'm going for. Most of the problem is probably that I'm using a stratocaster rather than a hollow body jazz guitar. It has a rosewood fretboard and I did replace the neck pickup with a mini humbucker.
Smooth jazz sound
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Aaron Cheney
Favorite Chord: C 6/9
guitarist said:
Bingo!!
With a strat you are only going to come "so close" to a hollowbody sound. Use heavy strings (11's) and a very heavy pick (try a Dunlop Jazz III), and turn your tone knob half-way down.
On the other hand, strats have offered up some great jazz tones in their own right. Let your playing define you, and the tone will take care of itself. The best way to get the things you want is to work with the things you have.
Aaron
www.aaroncheney.com
cstockdale
supafly killa homey
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grinder said:
Yes, he does.
The mini-humbucker will help, but they do not pick up as much of the string as a real humbucker. .011's or .012's will help, though the guitar will need to be setup for them. A big pick will also help. The Dunlop Jazz picks are nice, Dunlop purple Tortex picks, or Fender extra-heavy picks are all good choices. I also do not use the pointed end of the pick, but one of the more rounded corners. Even better than a pick is to learn to play with your thumb, ala Wes Montgomery.
The truth is, though, if you want that Wes or Joe Pass type sound, you need a big empty box with an arched top.
Not really apropos, as I think this is still our of your price range, but I just want to give a strong endorsement for Heritage guitars. They are making the arch top guitars Gibson should (and used to) be making, in the old Gibson factory, with the old Gibson employees. Gibson has the name, Heritage has the guitars. My Heritage Golden Eagle is the only factory built guitar I have ever owned that I wish I had not sold. The Ibanez and the Cort (cheap guitars so that I didn't have to bring my nice ones to classes where they could be damaged by some twits pointy headstock) were crap, and I couldn't care less about them, but I miss that Heritage. It was a great guitar.
Actually, I hope it still is a great guitar for someone who will play it a lot more than I ever did.
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"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
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AlChuck said:
My was not one of thier archtops, though we had one in the shop about ten years ago which I would have loved to buy if I had had the money. It did not, however, hold a candle to my Heritage. They are, in my opinion, the nicest production archtops being made right now. This opinion is also held by some friends of my families, who happen to be among the most knowledgeable arch top dealers and collectors in the world. I would go so far as to say that Heritage is making nicer guitars then some of the less experienced small shop archtop luthiers out there.
My Cort was a little Stienberger rip off, which is a decent guitar, but nothing compaired to my real guitars, which are all customs built by either my father or myself (one of the real advantages to having a father who builds guitars).
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M.K. GAndhi
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I'll Second the Heritage plug
and go a step further: My Favorite!!
But in defense of Corts, I've played a Cort hollow body and found it to be quite a lot of guitar for the money. It won't stand up to instruments costing three times as much, but so what? It played and was set up well, had a decent sound, and unusually high flash for the dollar. Close inspection is not a particularly hot idea, but it was certainly an affordable and workable axe.
and go a step further: My Favorite!!
But in defense of Corts, I've played a Cort hollow body and found it to be quite a lot of guitar for the money. It won't stand up to instruments costing three times as much, but so what? It played and was set up well, had a decent sound, and unusually high flash for the dollar. Close inspection is not a particularly hot idea, but it was certainly an affordable and workable axe.
Another vote for the Heritage. I have the H-575 and it plays like a dream. By far, my favorite guitar. http://home.comcast.net/~dmorton55/images/Heritage575.jpg