Joe pass worth the money for me

[conman]

Right now I have a gibson les paul and a epiphone sheraton 2 I love them both but I want a more of a warm Jazz tone. I thought of saving for the 175 but I have no experience with archtops so I thought I would start small to see if I like it. Would a JP be a good fit or is my sheraton 2 enough for a jazz tone or should i save for a 175 or 335?

 

Thanks

 

conor

[Sleeko]

Right now I have a gibson les paul and a epiphone sheraton 2 I love them both but I want a more of a warm Jazz tone. I thought of saving for the 175 but I have no experience with archtops so I thought I would start small to see if I like it. Would a JP be a good fit or is my sheraton 2 enough for a jazz tone or should i save for a 175 or 335?

 

Thanks

 

conor

I've heard the Joe Pass Emperors are hard to beat. Got a good review in Guitar Player magazine a while back. What color are you gonna get?

[conman]

I've heard the Joe Pass Emperors are hard to beat. Got a good review in Guitar Player magazine a while back. What color are you gonna get?

probably Natural finish. Almost every electric guitar i have is black (Gibson LP, Sheraton, squire start) but being that that isnt an option I like the simplicity of the natural finish on the JP.

[BSAKing]

I've heard the Joe Pass Emperors are hard to beat. Got a good review in Guitar Player magazine a while back. What color are you gonna get?

 

I have a had a Pass for a number of years. Like most Epi's it is excellent value for the money. Obviously a good string choice and setup will make it come alive. Definitely a lot different sound and feel than a Sheraton (I have 2 of those)....

 

Like most guitars, the sound and feel is different for players and between guitars. It's just too subjective, so go try some out, maybe you will find one that just 'sings' to you. It sometimes happens when others, that appear identical, leave you flat.....

[Sleeko]

I do know that the wood used on these is a lot prettier than what's used on the Emperor Regents. Of course they are all veneers but still.

[Bluemans335]

Hollowbodies have a different sound to them, more complex harmonics, great for jazz and blues. Joe Pass' are nice guitars. I'd buy one and see try it before getting a Gibson 175.

[milod]

My understanding is that the JP likely will be a little more "woody" than an ES175 or copy thereof - such as Epi's now apparently out of catalog version of the 175. Both have 16-inch lower bouts and the same scale.

 

I've only played one some years ago, and a year ago asked the music store some hours away to call me if they got either the JP or the Eastman ar371ce that's pretty much a clone of the 175 with a single pup. They got the Eastman first; I called and asked them to put on my strings of choice while I drove there.

 

I came home with it, but I would have been as happy with the JP - and frankly the JP should be a bit more versatile with its two pups.

 

IMHO strings and technique make a huge difference on this sort of guitar. Well, on any guitar, but I know I get more picky on an archtop and I'm still messing with strings and setups on two of my four and probably will continue that for another three-four years.

 

This type of instrument can sound like about anything you might wish to to sound like, and with a bit more "thickness" depending on strings and technique. They all will howl with feedback if handled inappropriately, which has a lot to do with the invention of the 335 and other thin-body archtop styles.

 

I think I would have been equally happy with the JP, perhaps happier - but I don't care to take my "good" archtop out much, especially in bad weather, and I don't care as much for my other sub-$1,000 Gretsch with the longer scale.

 

Then again... "worth the money" is a factor of how much you've got and what you plan to use the guitar for. With good setup, it should work quite well - and you could get almost a half dozen for the tag on a 175, much as I love what I have.

 

EDIT: BTW, "warm jazz tone" isn't just from the guitar, even from the guitar and amp." It's as much from strings, setup and technique. I've an old Guild SG clone that I likely could do a solo fingerstyle jazz thing with, do the same piece with an archtop, and it'd take a real pro (if anyone) to much tell the difference. To me it's more a matter of feel, and the small archtop just feels right to a guy who started pickin' 50 years ago on a classical guitar.

 

m

[conman]

tried a joe pass today at the local guitar center loved it and i think i will get it if i do i will review it here thanks for the info

[kidblast]

Hi there.

 

I've got a few Epi Archtops, (Regent, Broadway, Swingster Royal and an Elitist Chet Atkins: Country Gent)

 

also had a JP too, hey are great for the money (around 600) however I do like the Broadway better (which are $799 {Sweetwater) however, then you need to buy the case ,, not included).

 

The regent is a nice guitar, very simplistic single humbucker, and good acoustic projection, (but unfortunately, you're forced to go used as they are no longer made)

 

The Broadway is a dual 'bucker config and I would say before you pull the trigger, take look one if you can.

 

A little more money, bigger body, and the Broadways have USA made pickups. I think they sound great, and the one I have plays amazingly well. Great low/moderate cost jazz box imo.

I am using 11 flatwounds on both the regent and the broadway (M makes a good point in his post about strings making all the difference)

 

here's a photo of mine. (I love this thing!)

 

 

The Swingster will be different,, very cool guitar but more leaning toward rock-a-billy players.

[Versatile]

A wildcard suggestion from experience...

 

The Gibson ES 330 and it's relative the Epiphone Casino have many aficionados hereon

 

And IMO are capable of vibrant jazz tones...a little harder and more trebly than the ES 175 or ES 335

 

And again IMO, are more 'versatile' than a full blown jazz guitar

 

V

 

[Sleeko]

Hi there.

 

I've got a few Epi Archtops, (Regent, Broadway, Swingster Royal and an Elitist Chet Atkins: Country Gent)

 

also had a JP too, hey are great for the money (around 600) however I do like the Broadway better (which are $799 {Sweetwater) however, then you need to buy the case ,, not included).

 

The regent is a nice guitar, very simplistic single humbucker, and good acoustic projection, (but unfortunately, you're forced to go used as they are no longer made)

 

The Broadway is a dual 'bucker config and I would say before you pull the trigger, take look one if you can.

 

A little more money, bigger body, and the Broadways have USA made pickups. I think they sound great, and the one I have plays amazingly well. Great low/moderate cost jazz box imo.

I am using 11 flatwounds on both the regent and the broadway (M makes a good point in his post about strings making all the difference)

 

 

 

 

here's a photo of mine. (I love this thing!)

 

 

The Swingster will be different,, very cool guitar but more leaning toward rock-a-billy players.

 

 

Since you've owned both, can you tell me if the J.P. and the Swingster share the same body? They look pretty close to me. Thanks.

[kidblast]

Since you've owned both, can you tell me if the J.P. and the Swingster share the same body? They look pretty close to me. Thanks.

 

Hi Sleeko, yes, same body.

 

Just one other notation, the JP case is the correct case for the Swingster (Case not included when you buy one of these).

 

part #940-EEMCS

 

if you position the arm (Chet Wire) so that is floats over the bridge pup tone pot, the case will close with the arm attached.

 

Best,

/Ray

[Parabar]

The JP and Swingster do share the same body; however it is a slightly different body than the ones made in Korea a few years back.

 

I checked out a new JP at Guitar Center recently; the top and back were much less arched than my 2001 Samick JP, and the body contours were a bit more "squared off" --- MUCH less aesthetically pleasing to me.

[Sleeko]

The JP and Swingster do share the same body; however it is a slightly different body than the ones made in Korea a few years back.

 

I checked out a new JP at Guitar Center recently; the top and back were much less arched than my 2001 Samick JP, and the body contours were a bit more "squared off" --- MUCH less aesthetically pleasing to me.

 

Yeah, I noticed a bit of a difference with the Broadway and Emperor (newer vs. older - I owned both kinds) as well. The inlay work on the newer ones was a bit better though.

[Bluemans335]

 

A little more money, bigger body, and the Broadways have USA made pickups.

 

A lot bigger body. That's the problem with Broadways, they're so bulky, most players don't want that in an electric.

[milod]

I think my point about the overall size and geometry of a guitar is at least indirectly being noted here.

 

To me it's extremely important in the general comfort level of playing.

 

Some of it, I'm convinced, is a matter of matching one's own physical geometry to a guitar that aids in playing, given a given player's technique.

 

Another factor is how a given instrument matches other instruments one has become accustomed to playing.

 

In my case, medium size male and relatively short arms, the 16-inch lower bout is far more comfortable than the 17-inch and thicker archtops and various larger flattops.

 

Or... is that because my first very heavy three years of pickin' were on a classical guitar of similar size?

 

I'm convinced that in my case, it's both.

 

Then there's the "LP vs SG debate" and the general geometry that makes me comfortable with an SG and not with an LP.

 

So... in a sense that's a matter of "pay your money and take your choice."

 

I can tell you this, that for playing purposes, a 16-inch guitar body with a relatively flat keyboard radius and a relatively thin neck but with about a 1.7-inch nut is most comfortable for what and how I play - but even within that are variables depending on a given design...

 

m

[Art Sims]

I've thought about getting a Joe Pass model for a second guitar. I think I would compare with a Gretsch 5120. The Joe Pass doesn't have a bigsby but of course that can be added. It's a really great looking guitar and does appear to be a lot of guitar for the money.

[kidblast]

The Joe Pass doesn't have a bigsby but of course that can be added. It's a really great looking guitar and does appear to be a lot of guitar for the money.

 

Here is where people could opt for a Swingster, which also has phase switching options for the pickups making it a bit more versatile than a standard 2 humbucker configuration.