I love the sound of all of them - I’ll probably be buying myself an Ibanez archtop as my retirement present next year, as at my standard there’s no way I could bring out the different characteristics of these guitars.
Can I just say congratulations on your retirement? I'd also like to say congratulations on your new guitar purchase. Yes, I personally like the Ibanez archtop guitars, its compact design and delicate sound. Thanks for your comment on this video. I hope my videos and music can help you in your musical endeavors.
I think the epiphone sounded the best. I did actually like the DYI Gibson too. I wonder how it played. Great video. I wish guitar center had more jazz guitars.
Actually, I just went to a guitar shop and shot this video on my cell phone. It wasn't meant to be uploaded to RUclips. My conclusions choosing the right one: 1. The hollow body size affects the acoustic sound of the mid and low, so I personally recommend you get a bigger one like the Epiphone. 2. The paint on the surface of the guitar affects the mid and high. 3. The pickup determines almost 60% of the quality of the guitar's sound, so I recommend a high output one. and finally, if you want to buy or try a new guitar, be sure to take your old one and test it against them together. Please make sure to check the sound difference of the guitars with the same amplifier settings, because the environment of a music shop does not allow for an accurate analysis like when you play the guitar at home. If you can, record your testing video then check one later like my video. Yes, DIY was a very good option for me. I have been learning so many useful maintenance skills from that and it definitely contributes to my perspective about music and guitar. Please check this one of my videos of DIY guitar building. ruclips.net/video/FKUAi0C6a84/видео.html Thanks for your comment.
I like the Ibanez at first and have had several. But I eventually sold them all and turned to Epiphone . The Joe Pass can't be beat IMO, even compared to my Gibson.
I understand and agree with what your opinion. For those who want a deeper sound without being too sharp, I would recommend a larger body. Also, the gauge of the strings, the quality of the pickups and height from the strings are important variables. Thanks for your comment.
I have owned the Joe Pass Epi since 2006. And during that time i have struggled to get a proper jazz tone. Strings, gauges, flats and round and some of the best amps rated for jazz. My best tone to date is using a Fender Mustang 3 v2. On this I can tweak enough to get my sound. I shouldn't have wasted so much time and money on this guitar. I have a .014 on my high E. The guitar was too thin and tinny. I hope others consider their choices. It's beautiful but hard to tame.
For me, the weak point for Ibanez has always been the pickups. However I tend to find the build quality better. ALSO the necks are wonderful. The Epi however I prefer the look and sound of. Neck shape works well for me and I prefer the pickups far more. However....QC is suspect sometimes. Mostly in the wiring and pots.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. It would be great if every instrument had its own strengths, but I try to make any guitar I play easy to play and sound good, rather than trying to find the right one for me.
Great comparison! It would have to be between the Emperor and the entry level GB10 to my ears at least. I suppose when the tonality is that close between the two of them it would come down to body size and the feel of the neck, or how much you like the look of the guitar. Thanks for sharing.
I used a Fender transistor amp. Sorry, I have no idea exactly what amp was. Tone settings focused on the middle and lower middle. I recommend that you bring your old guitar to a music store and test together with a new guitar that you are buying. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for the demos, you’re playing is excellent. The Joe Pass sounded the best to me. No t too brassy in the high end. But I’m curious as to which one you’d recommend?
Both brands have their advantages. I would like to purchase all of them if I can afford it. I often notice that the sound gets sharper when the picking gets stronger. So, I personally prefer thicker and larger body size. Thanks for your comment!
@@shortminute In my personal opinion, the guitar paintng also changes the texture of the sound. If you want a richer lower acoustic sound, I recommend a thin painted guitar. Also picking is a huge impact on the sound but it is not easy to change the entire playing habit once decided. If you are down-stroker, you probably take "gravity" into account. So, the upward-picking and reverse-picking techniques tend to enrich the resonance of the strings.
@@JazzyBrissy Thank you for the reply and the advice on the technique. I'm not much of a player, my son is 12 and he's been playing guitar since he was 6, mostly rock and pop. He's getting into jazz now and I was looking at guitar reviews when your video popped up, I was struck by your playing as I'm a bit of a jazz fan. Montgomery, Greene, Pass, Kessel are all in my record collection and I listen to them frequently. I don't hand out praise lightly and it's evident that you can swing. It's admirable to have the skill you do. I'll take into account what you've said about the paint. That's good to know. Currently my son has an Epiphany Dot played through a Fender solid state, but he has a Blues Jr. After watching your video I did track down a Used Joe Pass but I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger and buy it. First I have to make sure my son will continue to play jazz. As he also plays some banjo and trumpet.
@@shortminute When I mirror my experiences, the most important thing is motivation. It is good to set goals that can be achieved, even if it is small. For example, small performances for the audience. About the guitar for your son, I agree with your mention because vintage style jazz guitars are really expensive but obviously the time of decision will come. Nothing to be in a hurry. Thank you so much for your interest in and praise for my music.
The guitar string setting was actually a little tighter and the action a little higher, so please take that into consideration. Thanks for your comment.
In the video, I compared the Epiphone Emperor to two Ibanez guitars, and as you mentioned, the Epi is beautiful because it emphasizes the low to midrange, and the condition of the action on that guitar was that the strings were a bit over tensioned. Thanks for your comment.
That's just my personal opinion. However, the height of the bridge, i.e. the height of the strings, does change the tone of the sound. A slightly higher bridge sounds more pleasant. However, it can be a bit uncomfortable due to the increased tension on the strings. Obviously, if the strings are set lower, you can play comfortably, but you may experience buzzing or increased bass tone. These factors are linked to your picking style as you know. There are pros and cons. Thanks for your opinion.
It seems that the sound of the hollowbody archtop guitar is determined by the size of the body. In my personal experience, it seems to have the advantage of being more calm and more focused when playing low and medium bass. Thank you for your comment.
My intention of this video is not to overly advocate or disparage any product - they all have their pros and cons, and the consumers just need to match them to their fit. I personally like the cotton-batting percussive tone of the Ibanez because it makes each note sound separate, which is something that George Benson also mentioned, as I understand it. Thanks for the comment.
Cause I've heard some of this guitars I can say clearly that they all will sound times better with proper amplification. Or just because they're miced with just phone.
Absolutely, I agree you. I only recorded the lowest state on purpose to compare. One tip is to take your guitar to a guitar shop and compare other new guitars you have been curious about. Because even cheap and lower quality instruments actually sound better in a good recording equipment environment and when you edit sound of them, the results are better. Thanks for your comment.
@@JazzyBrissy I've left comment for some folks who "too literally" listening similar videos. All of these guitars should sound good and jazzy. But they need setup(usually in shops they came with too small gauge of strings like .10 or .11) and correct amplification that usually not always under hands in music stores.
@@nihirash Yes, that's a very sharp point. The gauge of the strings you mentioned can only be estimated by imagination because you can't really change all the strings in the shop, but that's a big part of it. I use 0.13 because I think that's the right gauge for my picking and tone, but guitar sellers don't go that far with their customers, because the imagination of the customer is what leads to the purchase, right?
I bought the Ibanez Ag85 second hand about two months ago. Such a wonderful guitar :)
I love the sound of all of them - I’ll probably be buying myself an Ibanez archtop as my retirement present next year, as at my standard there’s no way I could bring out the different characteristics of these guitars.
Can I just say congratulations on your retirement? I'd also like to say congratulations on your new guitar purchase. Yes, I personally like the Ibanez archtop guitars, its compact design and delicate sound. Thanks for your comment on this video. I hope my videos and music can help you in your musical endeavors.
I think the epiphone sounded the best. I did actually like the DYI Gibson too. I wonder how it played. Great video. I wish guitar center had more jazz guitars.
Actually, I just went to a guitar shop and shot this video on my cell phone. It wasn't meant to be uploaded to RUclips.
My conclusions choosing the right one:
1. The hollow body size affects the acoustic sound of the mid and low, so I personally recommend you get a bigger one like the Epiphone.
2. The paint on the surface of the guitar affects the mid and high.
3. The pickup determines almost 60% of the quality of the guitar's sound, so I recommend a high output one.
and finally, if you want to buy or try a new guitar, be sure to take your old one and test it against them together. Please make sure to check the sound difference of the guitars with the same amplifier settings, because the environment of a music shop does not allow for an accurate analysis like when you play the guitar at home. If you can, record your testing video then check one later like my video. Yes, DIY was a very good option for me. I have been learning so many useful maintenance skills from that and it definitely contributes to my perspective about music and guitar. Please check this one of my videos of DIY guitar building. ruclips.net/video/FKUAi0C6a84/видео.html
Thanks for your comment.
bright to mellow .. same style, 2 different applications love em both..
I like the Ibanez at first and have had several. But I eventually sold them all and turned to Epiphone . The Joe Pass can't be beat IMO, even compared to my Gibson.
I understand and agree with what your opinion. For those who want a deeper sound without being too sharp, I would recommend a larger body. Also, the gauge of the strings, the quality of the pickups and height from the strings are important variables. Thanks for your comment.
I have owned the Joe Pass Epi since 2006. And during that time i have struggled to get a proper jazz tone. Strings, gauges, flats and round and some of the best amps rated for jazz. My best tone to date is using a Fender Mustang 3 v2. On this I can tweak enough to get my sound. I shouldn't have wasted so much time and money on this guitar. I have a .014 on my high E. The guitar was too thin and tinny. I hope others consider their choices. It's beautiful but hard to tame.
For me, the weak point for Ibanez has always been the pickups. However I tend to find the build quality better. ALSO the necks are wonderful. The Epi however I prefer the look and sound of. Neck shape works well for me and I prefer the pickups far more. However....QC is suspect sometimes. Mostly in the wiring and pots.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. It would be great if every instrument had its own strengths, but I try to make any guitar I play easy to play and sound good, rather than trying to find the right one for me.
Great comparison! It would have to be between the Emperor and the entry level GB10 to my ears at least. I suppose when the tonality is that close between the two of them it would come down to body size and the feel of the neck, or how much you like the look of the guitar. Thanks for sharing.
Each of these guitars has its pros and cons. I'd love to have them all if I could afford them. Thanks for your comments.
Very nice. I like the Epiphone Joe Pass a bit more. It's just way warmer tones and a bit smoother than the ibanez. I enjoyed your playing, though.
Yes, I agree with your points about Epiphone and Ibanez. And I'd really appreciate to your comment about my playing.
Fabulous playing again! 👍👍😭👍
Very interesting comparisons. Can you say what amp (and settings) you were playing through? TIA
I used a Fender transistor amp. Sorry, I have no idea exactly what amp was. Tone settings focused on the middle and lower middle. I recommend that you bring your old guitar to a music store and test together with a new guitar that you are buying. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for the demos, you’re playing is excellent. The Joe Pass sounded the best to me. No t too brassy in the high end. But I’m curious as to which one you’d recommend?
Both brands have their advantages. I would like to purchase all of them if I can afford it. I often notice that the sound gets sharper when the picking gets stronger. So, I personally prefer thicker and larger body size. Thanks for your comment!
@@JazzyBrissy thanks for the insight. I’ll listen for what you have described.
@@shortminute In my personal opinion, the guitar paintng also changes the texture of the sound. If you want a richer lower acoustic sound, I recommend a thin painted guitar. Also picking is a huge impact on the sound but it is not easy to change the entire playing habit once decided. If you are down-stroker, you probably take "gravity" into account. So, the upward-picking and reverse-picking techniques tend to enrich the resonance of the strings.
@@JazzyBrissy Thank you for the reply and the advice on the technique. I'm not much of a player, my son is 12 and he's been playing guitar since he was 6, mostly rock and pop. He's getting into jazz now and I was looking at guitar reviews when your video popped up, I was struck by your playing as I'm a bit of a jazz fan. Montgomery, Greene, Pass, Kessel are all in my record collection and I listen to them frequently. I don't hand out praise lightly and it's evident that you can swing. It's admirable to have the skill you do. I'll take into account what you've said about the paint. That's good to know. Currently my son has an Epiphany Dot played through a Fender solid state, but he has a Blues Jr. After watching your video I did track down a Used Joe Pass but I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger and buy it. First I have to make sure my son will continue to play jazz. As he also plays some banjo and trumpet.
@@shortminute When I mirror my experiences, the most important thing is motivation. It is good to set goals that can be achieved, even if it is small. For example, small performances for the audience. About the guitar for your son, I agree with your mention because vintage style jazz guitars are really expensive but obviously the time of decision will come. Nothing to be in a hurry. Thank you so much for your interest in and praise for my music.
EPIPHONE EMPEROR !
The guitar string setting was actually a little tighter and the action a little higher, so please take that into consideration. Thanks for your comment.
Camera recording microphone?
My only sound recording and filming equipment is my mobile phone and its built-in microphone. Thanks for the comments.
It’s the Epi Emperor by a long shot imo. I think it sounded the best and brought out the best in you.
In the video, I compared the Epiphone Emperor to two Ibanez guitars, and as you mentioned, the Epi is beautiful because it emphasizes the low to midrange, and the condition of the action on that guitar was that the strings were a bit over tensioned. Thanks for your comment.
@@JazzyBrissy Over tensioned? Is that the nature of the Epi or just the way you had it set up?
That's just my personal opinion. However, the height of the bridge, i.e. the height of the strings, does change the tone of the sound. A slightly higher bridge sounds more pleasant. However, it can be a bit uncomfortable due to the increased tension on the strings. Obviously, if the strings are set lower, you can play comfortably, but you may experience buzzing or increased bass tone. These factors are linked to your picking style as you know. There are pros and cons. Thanks for your opinion.
All had their pros and cons. In the end it is purely subjective.
Epiphone is turning me into an Epi freak.
It seems that the sound of the hollowbody archtop guitar is determined by the size of the body. In my personal experience, it seems to have the advantage of being more calm and more focused when playing low and medium bass. Thank you for your comment.
cover the logo and you will know Epiphone is better than you thought.
Epiphone has my ears smiling 😅
Yes, I know what you mean.
yep. as always gibson sounds trash compared to ibanez
My intention of this video is not to overly advocate or disparage any product - they all have their pros and cons, and the consumers just need to match them to their fit. I personally like the cotton-batting percussive tone of the Ibanez because it makes each note sound separate, which is something that George Benson also mentioned, as I understand it. Thanks for the comment.
Cause I've heard some of this guitars I can say clearly that they all will sound times better with proper amplification.
Or just because they're miced with just phone.
Absolutely, I agree you. I only recorded the lowest state on purpose to compare. One tip is to take your guitar to a guitar shop and compare other new guitars you have been curious about. Because even cheap and lower quality instruments actually sound better in a good recording equipment environment and when you edit sound of them, the results are better. Thanks for your comment.
@@JazzyBrissy I've left comment for some folks who "too literally" listening similar videos. All of these guitars should sound good and jazzy. But they need setup(usually in shops they came with too small gauge of strings like .10 or .11) and correct amplification that usually not always under hands in music stores.
@@nihirash Yes, that's a very sharp point. The gauge of the strings you mentioned can only be estimated by imagination because you can't really change all the strings in the shop, but that's a big part of it. I use 0.13 because I think that's the right gauge for my picking and tone, but guitar sellers don't go that far with their customers, because the imagination of the customer is what leads to the purchase, right?