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Guitar For My Big Band : I want your opinion


CajunBlues

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In my big band, I have a wide variety of responsibiliites/situations. Sometimes I play in a break-away 4/5 piece combo. And when I play in the full 15 piece band, I have to play solos over all the brass. We also play funk/rock/party tunes in the full band. Rock charts like "let the good times roll", "electric slide", 'YMCA", "midnight hour", various James Brown etc...

 

I once owned an es-175, but I had feedback issues playing solos with the full band. So I have been playing semis for a long while now. Sometimes I will pull out the Les Paul Custom which I think has an awesome jazz tone. I also think the semis provide a better crunch for our funk/rock tunes.

 

Bringing more than one guitar to our gigs is simply not an option. For many reasons.

 

My three guitars now are:

1) gibson les paul custom

2) Gibson es-137 (with 57 Classicis)

3) Elitist (Japan) ES-335/Dot (with Gibson USA 57 Classics).

 

My question is this. If you had to pick a semi to play in this band, which guitar would you pick ? Would you get an es-175 or other hollow body and plug up the holes ? How about a thin line hollow body ?

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The answer to your question also depends on the type of amp you are using. I prefer the big box sound like my L5 with a large band and small tube amp combination. The feedback issues are related to the type of amp and how closes you are to the amp. Also, as I had commented on other posts, how much clean headroom your amp has at high volume levels will contribute to the feedback issues. Sure, you can tape the f-holes but you loose some tone as well. I would try to first stick with the semi-hollow or hollow guitars first and resolve the feedback issues before going with the solid body guitars. If it does not work, you will have gain the experiences figuring out the solution which will become valuable for the next situation.

 

Jazz

:-({|=

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Jazz.

 

I have no issues with semi-hollows when it comes to feedback. And when I say feedback, to be clear, I am not talking about amp overdrive. I am referring to the the echo within the guitar body.

 

The amp I use is a Fender Blues Deluxe. The clean channel on this amp has more than enough head room. I find it about 20% louder than my old hot rod deluxe. Dont' know why that is.

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From what you describe, and I think you've answered your own question, the middle of the road guitar would be thinline semi. You show a Jap 335 style in your list and say you been using semis "for a long while now", so you should have a pretty good feel for the versatility of these guitars.

 

If you're looking to upgrade to an American built Gibson, You can never go wrong with a nice Gibson ES-335. I recently saw a 70's video with Tony Mottola playing a 355 with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra behind Frank Sinatra. If it's good enough for Frank and Tony, who's to argue, and there are too many rock and blues players playing 335/345/355's to even mention.

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Thanks L5 ... Sometimes I think I am looking for an excuse to buy a new guitar [drool] .... But if I get a another guitar... I want it to be for a reason...

 

All opinions welcome.. If you think I am crazy for playing a semi, say so... Maybe I am missing out on a tone that would improve my sound... But I am thinking maybe it won't.. That would come with better playing..

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First let preface this by saying while I do play jazz I don't consider myself a jazz guitarist - I play a lot of Rock, blues, and even country.

 

I have one of those Epi Elitist Dots and it plays better than my Gibson Les Paul. It's very versitle and just a good all around guitar. This is my "go to" guitar for almost everything.

 

I have a friend who is a Jazz guitarist through and through and that is all he plays. He has multiple guitars, but his guitar of choice - a Gibson SG. It's actually a 60's Les Paul double cut before they gave it the name SG. He swears by this guitar as being the best jazz guitar he has ever owned. Personally, I hate SG's but he loves it.

 

Just food for fodder.

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I have a friend who is a Jazz guitarist through and through and that is all he plays. He has multiple guitars' date=' but his guitar of choice - a Gibson SG. It's actually a 60's Les Paul double cut before they gave it the name SG. He swears by this guitar as being the best jazz guitar he has ever owned. Personally, I hate SG's but he loves it.

 

Just food for fodder.[/quote']

 

 

With the right piece of mahogany (like my lp custom), and 57 classic in the neck, I could believe this...

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CajunBlues, Is that an es-137 custom with the varitone switch? If so have you used it much? It is still kind of a novelty to me so I don't know how seriously I would use it. I have a good old time with the three position swtch as it is.

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CajunBlues' date=' Is that an es-137 custom with the varitone switch? If so have you used it much? It is still kind of a novelty to me so I don't know how seriously I would use it. I have a good old time with the three position swtch as it is.[/quote']

 

its not the custom... I didnt see the point of spending that much more money for the headstock inlays and switch... I put 57 classics on my 137 classic...

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