Urgent Question !

[Nizzajetset]

Hallo Friends!

 

I have an urgent question:

I come from jazz/funk/rock from the fender/stratocaster family and play over 30 years now very intensive. My Problem is, that I know that I still have to go a long way till I will feel at home and have the speed and feeling on a neck/fret of a jazz guitar, as I got always used to very thin necks, strings and mainly my Hands/Fingers are quit small!

 

Now I want to move to solo jazz (in the stile of George Benson and all other jazz giants) two years ago I have bought ago an ES135. The sound is good, but I am looking for an addidional guitar with a more jazzy fat smooth sound. Between the new modells of L4 Ces Mahogany, the ES165 Herb Ellis and the ES175 Steve Howe:

1.) which neck/fret is the smallest, fastest and easiest to play and which guitar in general is the most comfortable to play in sitting position?

2.) which has the best smooth mild deep jazzy sound for playing at home with amplifier?

3.) Is there an other model that you would recomend me?

4.) As I live in Moscow/Russia, I do not have the possibility to test these guitars - so I have to relay on your experiance and help. So please: which guitar would you recomend me to buy, if you do not look at the price? I am scared that I will buy a guitar, which I can not handle even after a long time playing it.

 

I am very thankful for your advice!

Best regards,

Guenter

[Mojorule]

Hello Guenter.

 

I have never played any of the models in question, so cannot really comment on their playability, though I believe that they all have the standard Gibson scale length of 24.75 inches (as opposed to the L5 which traditionally has a scale length closer to your Fenders). I imagine that they all have fairly chunky necks though. Somebody with experience will fill you in on this data. I'm pretty sure that they will all give you the mellow jazz tone that you seek.

 

I'm really writing in response to your third question. If you have small hands and short fingers, then you really should give serious consideration to the Byrdland. They are famous for having an even shorter scale length than the standard Gibson one, and for having a very skinny neck. They are a thinline semi (fuller body than an ES 335, but nowhere near as deep as the 175/165/L4), but full-sized in other body dimensions. Again, I've never played one, as you don't really bump into them in many guitar shops. There is, however, a thread on here about famous Byrdland players which you should probably read. It has quite a lot of technical stuff about the model too. The Byrdland players there have real expertise and will be able to help. There are some videos which should give you a sense of the tone: it may be a thinline guitar, but it is deeply jazzy. Expensive, but if money is no object, then you should check this model out.

[Versatile]

Hi Guenter...do you have guitar shops in Moscow?

So much is down to personal taste and choice...the amplified sound and player's technique...

The ES175 is probably the most popular and most purchased jazz guitar in history for good reasons

Mellow sound can come from fingers/thumb technique

The L5 is probably slightly deeper in tone and was played by Wes Montgomery and George Benson...each also played the ES175

There is an Ibanez George Benson series of guitars with varying body depths too

 

General advice...only buy a guitar that you have played personally

 

Enjoy....

 

V

[davidl]

You didn't mention the ES-339 but maybe you should consider one with the 60's profile neck.

Very comfortable semi-hollowbody with wonderful tone.

The 60's neck is slim and may be ideal for you.

 

Dave

[Bob R]

I love my L-4 CES. It just feels so...so sumptuous. Can I say sumptuous without sounding too squiffy?

 

I bought the L4 because the ES 175 had a figured top. I don't like wood that looks diseased.

The L4 has a beautiful solid carved spruce top and carved mahogany sides and back. The fretboard is the blackest ebony I've ever seen. Gold accoutrements with an L5 tailpiece. It is truly exquisite looking.

The feel and tone of this guitar makes me drool every time I pick it up. It's like reaching for the most beautiful woman my mind could possibly conjure.

[Versatile]

I love my L-4 CES. It just feels so...so sumptuous. Can I say sumptuous without sounding too squiffy?

 

I bought the L4 because the ES 175 had a figured top. I don't like wood that looks diseased.

The L4 has a beautiful solid carved spruce top and carved mahogany sides and back. The fretboard is the blackest ebony I've ever seen. Gold accoutrements with an L5 tailpiece. It is truly exquisite looking.

The feel and tone of this guitar makes me drool every time I pick it up. It's like reaching for the most beautiful woman my mind could possibly conjure.

 

Too squiffy

 

V

[Nizzajetset]

Hallo Friends!

 

First of all, I would like to thank you all so much for all your kind answers, I was reading them all very carefully and it will helped me a lot.

 

The aim of an instrument is the direct voice from my soul and for that there is an universe of possibilities using a good tool - yes so hugh as our mind is flying in a solo!

Now, what I will do: The Byrdland is in my mind, but I think it is not jazzy enough. So I will test also the ES339, hoping to find the soft deep soul and if its so easy in my hands, as it should be, it will find a home.

And for the L4, there are only a small number of Ebony left in Europe - I guess soon one of these black beauties will be mine, why? because live is to short to drink bad wine ;-)

 

@versatile: This is the biggest shop in Moscow, the boys try hard but they just sell the stuff, without any knowlege, if I may say so....http://www.muztorg.ru

 

Thanks to all!

Guenter

[Versatile]

Most guitar dealers in the UK are the same

Great quality instruments for sale but little knowledge of jazz....

 

V

 

 

 

[JazzGtr]

I have been playing music for twenty-five years now. Jazz can be one hardest type of music to play. And finding the one guitar that feels right in your hand, sounds great to your ears may take some time and money. The problem is inherent with learning how to play jazz.

 

I too have generally small hands and have owned small necks guitars in the past. But I quickly learned how to use my small hands playing jazz efficiently and not allow it to become a factor choosing a good sounding guitar. For instance, the first jazz guitar I bought was a Limited Edition ES 335 for the small neck. And as I got better at playing jazz, my desire for more of the jazz, deeper tone grew. Then I bought an ES 175 and the same thing happened again. Finally, about five years ago, I bought my Wes Montgomery L5 which represented the ideal jazz box for me at that time. But I want you to know that I spent 10 years learning how to play jazz before I got my L5. And I love the L5 the most. At that point I thought me and jazz finally had agreement. Me and my L5 were going to be best friends for life and there would be no more jazz guitars to buy. What happen? I started experimenting with fusion jazz and the process started all over. I first bought my CS 346 PJR. Then I purchased a PRS Single Cut Hollow Body I.

 

The point that I'm trying to illustrate here is that the jazz sound does not exists in one guitar, form or direction. As you learn, you discover something new about yourself musically and then you want to re-apply what you learned with your current guitar (s). Sometimes you then discover that your current guitar(s) have limitation preventing you from reaching that sound you have in your head, and now you need another guitar, and so on.

 

Does it ever end? Yes. But as I stated before, you need time and money.

 

If you want a sure thing Gibson L5 would be my advise. Thin neck, deep sexy jazz tone, well made, easy to play and beautiful to look at. Nothing speaks jazz like a L5. George Benson would agree since most of his studio recordings are with a L5. Don't tell Ibanez!

 

Go luck.

 

Jazz